Work-in-Progress: Examining Engineering Community and Identity in FYE Pathways: Case Study of Two Veterans’ Experiences

Soundouss Sassi; Rachel Louis Kajfez; Mahnas Jean Mohammadi-Aragh; Abigail Clark; Jane Petrie

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Conference: 2019 FYEE Conference
Location: Penn State University , Pennsylvania
Publication Date: July 28, 2019
Start Date: July 28, 2019
End Date: July 30, 2019
Conference Session: M1C: WIP - Readiness and Professional Development
Tagged Topics: Diversity and FYEE Conference - Paper Submission
Page Count: 5
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--33743
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/33743
Download Count: 308

Paper Authors

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Soundouss Sassi Mississippi State University

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Soundouss Sassi is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education at Mississippi State University. Her advisor is Dr. Jean Mohammadi Aragh. In 2016 she earned a Master in Aerospace Engineering from the same university. Prior to that, she earned a Bachelor in Aerospace Engineering from the International University of Rabat (UIR)

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Rachel Louis Kajfez Ohio State University orcid.org/0000-0001-9745-1921

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Dr. Rachel Louis Kajfez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at The Ohio State University. She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Ohio State and earned her Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. Her research interests focus on the intersection between motivation and identity of undergraduate and graduate students, first-year engineering programs, mixed methods research, and innovative approaches to teaching.

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Mahnas Jean Mohammadi-Aragh Mississippi State University orcid.org/0000-0002-3094-3734

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Dr. Jean Mohammadi-Aragh is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Mississippi State University. Dr. Mohammadi-Aragh investigates the use of digital systems to measure and support engineering education, specifically through learning analytics and the pedagogical uses of digital systems. She also investigates fundamental questions critical to improving undergraduate engineering degree pathways. . She earned her Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. In 2013, Dr. Mohammadi-Aragh was honored as a promising new engineering education researcher when she was selected as an ASEE Educational Research and Methods Division Apprentice Faculty.

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Abigail Clark Ohio State University orcid.org/0000-0002-2214-2160

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Abigail Clark is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Engineering Education at The Ohio State University. She is currently advised by Dr. Rachel Kajfez, and is part of the RIME collaborative (https://u.osu.edu/rimetime). Her research interests include engineering identity development in K12 students, engineering education in informal settings, and women’s experiences in the engineering field. Prior to coming to Ohio State, Abigail worked as a researcher at Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, OH. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio Northern University.

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Jane Petrie

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Abstract

This is a Work-in-Progress paper. As students begin their journey to become an engineer, first-year engineering (FYE) courses serve as an introduction to the profession. FYE courses provide numerous benefits including improving retention from the first to second year. For practitioners considering adding a new FYE course, the literature presents multiple possibilities for structuring the course. However, there is limited knowledge about how the various FYE program structures impact the student experience. Our work focuses on examining the development of engineering identity and engineering communities as students pursue engineering degrees through various pathways. We conducted interviews with students from two different universities that employ different FYE models. Institution 1 is a large southern land-grant university that uses a direct matriculation model with major-specific FYE courses. Institution 2 is a large midwestern land-grant university that uses a pre-major first year experience model. Interviews were conducted during the students’ second year of engineering (i.e., the year immediately after completing an FYE program/course). During the initial interviews, students were asked questions including 1) What kinds of groups did you associate with during your first year? 2) In what ways are you connected to these groups? 3) What was your greatest struggle during your first year? 4) Are you an engineer? Our analysis is guided by Wenger’s Communities of Practice framework and Gee’s identity frameworks. In this paper, we focus on the case of two veterans and their experiences as FYE students in different FYE pathways. Jacob is a transfer student pursuing a computer engineering degree through a post-general education FYE pathway. Malcolm is a transfer student pursuing a computer science degree through a pre-major common FYE pathway. We focus on similarities and differences in Jacob and Malcom’s engineering identity and engineering communities while considering the impact of their FYE programs. Our findings are relevant to practitioners who are creating a new FYE course, and to engineering education researchers who are examining the student experience specifically consider students’ who are veterans.

Citation
Format

Sassi, S., & Kajfez, R. L., & Mohammadi-Aragh, M. J., & Clark, A., & Petrie, J. (2019, July), Work-in-Progress: Examining Engineering Community and Identity in FYE Pathways: Case Study of Two Veterans’ Experiences Paper presented at 2019 FYEE Conference , Penn State University , Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--33743

TY - CPAPER
AB - This is a Work-in-Progress paper. As students begin their journey to become an engineer, first-year engineering (FYE) courses serve as an introduction to the profession. FYE courses provide numerous benefits including improving retention from the first to second year. For practitioners considering adding a new FYE course, the literature presents multiple possibilities for structuring the course. However, there is limited knowledge about how the various FYE program structures impact the student experience. Our work focuses on examining the development of engineering identity and engineering communities as students pursue engineering degrees through various pathways. We conducted interviews with students from two different universities that employ different FYE models. Institution 1 is a large southern land-grant university that uses a direct matriculation model with major-specific FYE courses. Institution 2 is a large midwestern land-grant university that uses a pre-major first year experience model. Interviews were conducted during the students’ second year of engineering (i.e., the year immediately after completing an FYE program/course). During the initial interviews, students were asked questions including 1) What kinds of groups did you associate with during your first year? 2) In what ways are you connected to these groups? 3) What was your greatest struggle during your first year? 4) Are you an engineer? Our analysis is guided by Wenger’s Communities of Practice framework and Gee’s identity frameworks. In this paper, we focus on the case of two veterans and their experiences as FYE students in different FYE pathways. Jacob is a transfer student pursuing a computer engineering degree through a post-general education FYE pathway. Malcolm is a transfer student pursuing a computer science degree through a pre-major common FYE pathway. We focus on similarities and differences in Jacob and Malcom’s engineering identity and engineering communities while considering the impact of their FYE programs. Our findings are relevant to practitioners who are creating a new FYE course, and to engineering education researchers who are examining the student experience specifically consider students’ who are veterans.

AU - Soundouss Sassi
AU - Rachel Louis Kajfez
AU - Mahnas Jean Mohammadi-Aragh
AU - Abigail Clark
AU - Jane Petrie
CY - Penn State University , Pennsylvania
DA - 2019/07/28
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Work-in-Progress: Examining Engineering Community and Identity in FYE Pathways: Case Study of Two Veterans’ Experiences
UR - https://peer.asee.org/33743
DO - 10.18260/1-2--33743
ER -