Motivation of Community Partners and Advisors to Participate in Community Engagement Engineering Programs

Since 2000, research in service-learning has started to investigate partnerships and community voice, but this research trend has received little attention among engineering education scholars. This study aims to fill this gap by developing a richer understanding of community-university partnerships in engineering community engagement from the perspectives of academic programs and served communities. In part inspired by the existing service-learning literature, this study addresses the question: Why are individuals and local community organizations involved in engineering service-learning partnerships? This study utilizes a single case study design, with data collection including in-depth interviews with community partners, faculty and program administrators (n=11) at a well established service-learning program within the US. All interviews were transcribed and coded thematically. Deductive codes were identified based on a review of three empirical studies examining the motivation of community organizations involved in service-learning programs. An inductive analysis was also used to discern new themes. This paper also compares preliminary results that are similar to other non-engineering service-learning partnerships. The most recognized reason for involvement of the participants is to support engineering students with their education. Many of the community and advisors stated that they enjoyed the experience of service learning, and the organization benefited directly from the partnership. Overall, this work helps clarify and address misunderstandings that engineering programs and community organizations may have relative to partner motivations. Based on this research the authors suggest that engineering programs increase emphasis on learning about the community organization within their learning objectives, since it is deemed important by the community partners and critical for the final outcome of the project

Integration of Service-Learning into Civil and Environmental Engineering Curriculum

Service-learning is defined as integrating the community service experience of students with their academic study so that learning is enhanced. The level of student participation in community service is at an all time high as students feel the need to confront today\u27s technical and societal problems. However, service-learning is more than community service or volunteerism. Service-learning as defined above, integrates the community service experience with the student’s academic study (note the hyphen in service-learning means that both are considered equal). This enhances learning which is a fundamental goal of colleges and universities. Boyer highlights the need for service-learning stating that At no time in our history has the need been greater for connecting the work of the academy to the social and environmental changes beyond the campus. Service-learning is a campus wide learning pedagogy including a range of disciplines and has been implemented at over 600 institutions; however, not as widely implemented in engineering and science. A noteworthy contribution in the engineering education, is the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program at Purdue University (http://epics.ecn.purdue.edu) that partners undergraduate students and local community not-for-profit organizations to solve engineering-based problems in the community

Studying and Supporting Writing in Student Organizations as a High-Impact Practice

Institutions of postsecondary education, and the field of writing across the curriculum and in the disciplines (WAC/WID) in particular, need to do more to trouble learning paradigms that employ writing only in service to particular disciplines, only in traditional learning environments, and only in particular languages, or in service to an overly narrow or generalized idea of who students are, where they\u27re going, and what they need to get there. In relating a cross-section of a larger effort to study and support writing as a high-impact practice in a student chapter of an international nonprofit humanitarian engineering student organization, I will demonstrate that WAC/WID can and should empower students to use writing in student organizations, especially those that align with the four learning outcomes deemed essential by the National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America\u27s Promise, as a means of integrating into and interrogating their social and political realities, and reshaping postsecondary education to better meet their needs and goals as individual learners and as citizens in a deliberative democracy

Toward Kansei Engineering Model in Service Design: Interaction for Experience in Virtual Learning Environment

Service design is an emerging trend shifting from product design era. Internet provides effective and efficient service media reaching customer at the exact time. Online media has become social network providing wide opportunity for business, pleasures, and education. This study is focusing on applying kansei engineering model for service design in virtual learning environment (VLE) as learning is concerning with experiencing the process. Various virtual world studies discover that VLE can provide powerful experience in learning. On the other hand, learning styles and learning space potentially enhance experiential learning. Experiential learning theory defines learning process as transformation process from experience to knowledge. Experience is one of important element in service design principle. In addition, experience can be engineered by utilizing kansei engineering approach. Therefore, experience can be designed and engineered to achieve knowledge as service result. This study expected can guide service designers and learning curriculum designer in designing effective experiential learning method. The model developed from the analyzing and reviewing literature shows that kansei engineering can be utilized in experiential transformation process into knowledge and also in service in learning theory context

Perceptions of District Curriculum Administrators Regarding K-12 Engineering Education

The state of Nebraska recently adopted and implemented a set of Science standards that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards which include engineering practices such as engineering design and the use of technology. Curriculum administrators throughout the state are responsible for the implementation of these standards including training for engineering teaching and learning. This exploratory study investigated curriculum administrators’ (n = 43) perceptions of Engineering Education in four areas: Importance of Engineering Education, District Familiarity with Engineering Education, Characteristics of Engineering, and Barriers to Integrating Engineering Education. This exploratory study used one instrument to collect data: a modified Design, Engineering, and Technology (DET) Survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings of this study revealed curriculum administrators express that the Science curriculum is an effective means to deliver engineering education and that engineering education content in pre-service teacher education programs and in-service teacher professional development to foster engineering education familiarity and best practices should be improved

STEM and Service-Learning: Does Service-Learning Increase STEM Literacy?

The importance of education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines is again a topic of discussion among policy makers and scientists, particularly given perceived declines in STEM performance by students in the U.S.  Service-learning has been used in innovative and creative ways to enhance learning in a variety of STEM-related courses. Improving STEM literacy is also a focal point of STEM education and has been explicitly linked to service-learning projects. Herein the authors review literature linking service-learning to academic achievement in STEM-related courses.  They then examine whether service-learning enhances STEM literacy in a STEM-centered communications course at an aeronautics engineering university and in two biology courses at a small rural college.  Despite early calls by researchers for improved rigor in the field of service-learning research, the literature review indicates that few studies over the past 15 years employed rigorous research techniques when examining whether service-learning affects academic achievement in STEM courses. Results of mixed-methods analyses showed that service-learning enhanced science literacy in the three STEM-related courses.  First, students scored significantly higher on a post-service survey of skills and content relative to the pre-survey survey at the aeronautics engineering university.  Second, students earned significantly higher grades in a written report of their service-learning project relative to a non-service-oriented project in the small rural college.  Third, students indicated through comments on evaluations and reflections that the service-learning projects enhanced the STEM content in the courses.

Direct and indirect service learning in civil engineering education

Version of RecordPublishe

Perceptions of School District Curriculum Administrators Regarding K-12 Engineering Education

The state of Nebraska recently adopted and implemented a set of Science standards that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards which include engineering practices such as engineering design and the use of technology. Curriculum administrators throughout the state are responsible for the implementation of these standards including training for engineering teaching and learning. This exploratory study investigated curriculum administrators’ (n = 43) perceptions of Engineering Education in four areas: Importance of Engineering Education, District Familiarity with Engineering Education, Characteristics of Engineering, and Barriers to Integrating Engineering Education. This exploratory study used one instrument to collect data: a modified Design, Engineering, and Technology (DET) Survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings of this study revealed curriculum administrators express that the Science curriculum is an effective means to deliver engineering education and that engineering education content in pre-service teacher education programs and in-service teacher professional development to foster engineering education familiarity and best practices should be improved

Paired peer learning through engineering education outreach

© 2016 SEFI. Undergraduate education incorporating active learning and vicarious experience through education outreach presents a critical opportunity to influence future engineering teaching and practice capabilities. Engineering education outreach activities have been shown to have multiple benefits; increasing interest and engagement with science and engineering for school children, providing teachers with expert contributions to engineering subject knowledge, and developing professional generic skills for engineers such as communication and teamwork. This pilot intervention paired 10 pre-service teachers and 11 student engineers to enact engineering outreach in primary schools, reaching 269 children. A longitudinal mixed methods design was employed to measure change in attitudes and Education Outreach Self-Efficacy in student engineers; alongside attitudes, Teaching Engineering Self-Efficacy and Engineering Subject Knowledge Confidence in pre-service teachers. Highly significant improvements were noted in the pre-service teachers’ confidence and self-efficacy, while both the teachers and engineers qualitatively described benefits arising from the paired peer mentor model