3 research outputs found
Supporting the Development of Engineersā Interdisciplinary Competence
BackgroundAlthough interdisciplinarity has been a subject of interest and debate for decades, few investigations of interdisciplinary education exist. Existing studies examine the effects of interdisciplinary experiences on studentsā development of generic cognitive skills but not the development of interdisciplinary competencies.Purpose/HypothesisThis study sought to explore how engineering studentsā characteristics, college experiences, and engineering faculty beliefs relate to studentsā reports of interdisciplinary competence.Design/MethodThe study used a nationally representative survey sample of 5,018 undergraduate students and 1,119 faculty members in 120 U.S. engineering programs at 31 institutions. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we investigated the relationships among studentsā curricular and coācurricular experiences and faculty beliefs regarding interdisciplinarity in engineering education on studentsā reports of interdisciplinary competence.ResultsThis study found that a curricular emphasis on interdisciplinary topics and skills, as well as coācurricular activities, specifically, participating in nonengineering clubs and organizations, study abroad, and humanitarian engineering projects, significantly and positively relate to engineering studentsā reports of interdisciplinary skills. Faculty membersā beliefs regarding interdisciplinarity in engineering education moderated the relationships between particular coācurricular experiences and studentsā interdisciplinary skills, as well as between curricular emphasis and studentsā interdisciplinary skills.ConclusionsThis study identified a small set of experiences that are related to studentsā reported development of interdisciplinary competence. The study points to the critical role of the curriculum in promoting interdisciplinary thinking and habits of mind, as well as the potential of coācurricular opportunities that bring engineering students together with nonmajors to build interdisciplinary competence.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135983/1/jee20155_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135983/2/jee20155.pd
ASEE Support to Student Veterans: Results of a 2018 ASEE Leadership Roundtable
As industry demands for qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workers continue to increase, supporting diverse groups of students towards success in STEM may help mitigate future shortfalls in the STEM workforce. Education benefits like the post 9/11 GI Bill may provide a viable pathway for increasing the STEM-qualified, engineering technician, engineering technologist, and engineer (ETETE) workforce through the nationās veteran population. Supporting student veterans along ETETE pathways may involve three key tasks: 1) building early awareness of ETETE pathways; 2) ensuring academic recognition for prior military work experience; and 3) providing seamless support from government agencies, academic institutions, and industry. Student veterans follow non-traditional education pathways and bring with them a wealth of diverse life experiences. Correspondingly, the growing number of veterans pursuing STEM degrees, and the diversity of this underserved group of students continues to gain the attention of faculty, administrators, and national organizations. To bolster ASEEās support for many diverse groups to include student veterans in ETETE pathways, the ASEE president commissioned a series of leadership roundtables during the 2018 ASEE National Conference and Exposition. There, roundtables were tasked with making recommendations regarding how ASEE can support engineering education, relevant diversity research, and engagement of these diverse communities in society activities.
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of the 2018 ASEE Student Veteran Leadership roundtable. This roundtable brought together a diverse group of veterans, engineering educators, and engineering student veteran researchers. Through a series of ideation exercises and discussions, the group examined the challenges student veterans traditionally face, on-going support initiatives at their home institutions, and recommended actions for ASEE to pursue in the years ahead. The topics discussed during the panel are related to previous research about the challenges faced by veteran students beyond ETETE career paths. A series of novel initiatives are presented that may assist ASEE and university administrators more broadly in adopting a fresh approach to veteran student support