2020 Vision: Progress in Preparing the Engineer of the Future

In 2004, the National Academy of Engineering published Educating the Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century to encourage reform of undergraduate engineering education. That report inspired “The Engineer of 2020” project, two interrelated studies supported by the National Science Foundation. Prototype to Production: Conditions and Processes for Educating the Engineer of 2020 (NSF-EEC-0550608) sought to benchmark undergraduate engineering education in the U.S. against the attributes the National Academy report believes future engineers will need in order to be effective. Prototyping the Engineer of 2020: A 360-degree Study of Effective Education (NSF-DUE-061871) used in-depth case studies to identify curricular, instructional, organizational features that support undergraduate engineering education that is well-aligned with the goals of the Engineer of 2020. This summary of findings from the Engineer of 2020 projects is intended to assist engineering deans, department heads, faculty, associations and professional societies, industry, and public policy makers in their efforts to improve undergraduate engineering education so that graduates are well prepared for careers in engineering. The study findings may also aid in the process of diversifying the engineering student population, and ultimately, the engineering workforce.National Science Foundation Grants: Prototype to Production: Conditions and Processes for Educating the Engineer of 2020 ((NSF-EEC-0550608) and Prototyping the Engineer of 2020: A 360-degree Study of Effective Education (NSF-DUE-061871)http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107462/1/E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107462/5/2020 Vision FINAL.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107462/7/P2P Sample Characteristics 2.21.14.docxDescription of E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdf : E2020 Study Methods SummaryDescription of 2020 Vision FINAL.pdf : 2020 Vision: Progress in Preparing the Engineer of the Future - Full ReportDescription of P2P Sample Characteristics 2.21.14.docx : Information on Study Sample

America's Overlooked Engineers: Community Colleges and Diversity in Engineering Education

16-page report on the community college as a potential pathway to engineeringIn 2004, the National Academy of Engineering published Educating the Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. The report foresees a world of dynamic technological change requiring future engineers to have, in addition to strong analytical skills, an understanding of complex societal, global, and professional contexts; creativity and practical ingenuity; communications, management, and leadership skills; high ethical standards and professionalism; and agility, resilience, and interdisciplinary thinking and teamwork. The Academy’s report inspired “The Engineer of 2020” project, a National Science Foundation-supported set of interrelated studies of engineering education. Prototype to Production: Conditions and Processes for Educating the Engineer of 2020 (NSF-EEC-0550608), or “P2P,” sought to benchmark undergraduate engineering education in the U.S. against the attributes the National Academy report believes future engineers will need in order to be effective. NAE’s report also called attention to the rapid population growth both globally and among minorities in the U.S. Such changes, the report stressed, have “major implications for the future of engineering, a profession where minorities and women remain underrepresented” (p. 4). Because of the urgency of increasing the representation of historically nderrepresented groups in engineering schools and in the workforce expressed by the Academy and numerous others, and given growing calls to capitalize on the nation’s community colleges as potentially fruitful grounds for recruiting diverse students to engineering, the Engineer of 2020 project included a survey of community college students planning to transfer into a four-year engineering program.1 This summary of findings from the Engineer of 2020 project surveys is intended to assist engineering deans, department heads, faculty members, associations and professional societies, industry, and public policy makers in their efforts to diversifying engineering education and better prepare engineers to function effectively in the near- and long-term future.National Science Foundation (NSF-EEC-0550608)http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107460/4/E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107460/1/America's Overlooked Engineers - Community Colleges and Diversity in Engineering Education.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107460/8/Americas Overlooked Engineers FINAL.pdfDescription of Americas Overlooked Engineers FINAL.pdf : America's Overlooked EngineersDescription of E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdf : Summary of E2020 Study MethodsDescription of America's Overlooked Engineers - Community Colleges and Diversity in Engineering Education.pdf : Report on the Community College as a pathway to engineering career

Validity of the Contextual Competence Scale for Engineering Students

BackgroundEngineering educators and practitioners increasingly value contextual competence. A psychometrically sound, practical, and useful scale for assessing undergraduate engineering students' contextual competence is needed.Purpose/HypothesisThis article provides comprehensive evidence of the content, structural, discriminant, and criterion‐related validity of the contextual competence scale.Design/MethodThis study used student, alumni, and faculty survey data from a nationally representative sample of 120 U.S. engineering programs from 31 four‐year institutions. Validity evidence was obtained by expert review of questions, a pilot test, factor analyses, and several analyses utilizing t‐tests, correlations, and regression.ResultsExperts constructed the questions used in the scale (content validity). Those questions combined to measure a single concept (structural validity), the scale reliably measures (Cronbach's alpha = .91) that concept, and it focuses on contextual competence instead of other student outcomes (discriminant validity). The contextual competence scale varies according to students' characteristics and curricular experiences as well as similarities and differences in student and alumni levels of contextual competence in the same programs and institutions (criterion‐related validity). Finally, the scale may be a more accurate measure of contextual competence than faculty members' perceptions of students' ability.ConclusionsThe contextual competence scale allows engineering programs to meet ABET and other self‐study requirements or do large‐scale research with relative ease and little expense. The process described in this article can be used by other researchers in engineering education for their scale development efforts.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110541/1/jee20062.pd

Political Dynasties and the Selection of Cabinet Ministers

We investigate whether politicians whose family relatives previously served in parliament and cabinet enjoy a competitive "legacy advantage" in progressing from the backbenches to ministerial office. This advantage may stem from two potential mechanisms: a direct effect attributable to the informational advantages of legacies, or an indirect effect that operates through greater electoral strength. We evaluate the relative contribution of each mechanism using candidate-level data from Irish parliamentary elections and cabinets from 1944-2016. Our results reveal that politicians with a family history in cabinet do enjoy an advantage in cabinet selection, and that this advantage cannot be attributed simply to greater electoral popularity

Combining historical and citizen science jellyfish records to inform marine biodiversity management

Effective management of ecosystems requires knowledge of biodiversity and how it is changing. There are, however, some species and regions for which such data are missing. Combining historical records with those added using non-traditional monitoring methods such as citizen science can fill this gap. Jellyfish are one group for which such an approach is advantageous as jellyfish are difficult to observe, with records particularly lacking for understudied regions outside of Europe and North America. Using Hong Kong as an example, we combine historical jellyfish observation records obtained using traditional methods (published from 1910 to current day) with recent records facilitated by citizen science under the Hong Kong Jellyfish Project (published since 2022). The published literature documenting jellyfish records captured using traditional methods for monitoring jellyfish in Hong Kong had recorded 80 species, while contemporary citizen science observations added 25 more jellyfish species, for a new total of 105 jellyfish species in Hong Kong waters. Given these species records, and the regional context, we suggest marine biodiversity in Hong Kong is likely still underestimated and further monitoring—including via citizen science approaches—is required. As recognition of biodiversity improves, the corresponding data will be better able to inform management, such as outlined in the Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. While focused here on the example of jellyfish in Hong Kong, we advocate for similar approaches to improve understanding of diverse taxa in other regions which would facilitate the development of more broadly effective and holistic management approaches

Introducing Cooperative Learning through a Faculty Instructional Development Program

Cooperative Learning was officially introduced in the College of Engineering at San Jose State University in 1995 with a two-day workshop. The Faculty Instructional Development Program in the college maintains interest in the subjsect and provides support for instructors who use Cooperative Learning, through workshops and informal discussions (Conversations on Teaching). This paper discusses the effectiveness of the program in introducing, promoting, and implementing Cooperative Learning among the faculty and students in the college of engineering. A variety of performance criteria have been used in this assessment, some faculty-centered and some student-centered. The results indicate that although a relatively small percentage of faculty have chosen to adopt Cooperative Learning as a teaching tool in their courses, the impact on student attitudes and learning is significant, making the effort worthwhile

Apples And Oranges? A Proposed Research Design To Examine The Correspondence Between Two Measures Of Engineering Learning

In 2004, ABET commissioned Engineering Change, a study of the impact of Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000) on the preparation of undergraduates for careers in engineering. One legacy of that study is a database of EC2000-specific self-reported student learning outcomes at 40 institutions, including precollege characteristics and engineering program outcomes for more than 4,300 graduates of the class of 2004. A second dataset, the Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD), compiles institutional data, including demographic and academic transcript records and Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) scores, from nine universities from 1987-2005. In this paper, we propose a design to combine data from the two databases to assess the correspondence between the self-reported student learning outcome measures in the Engineering Change study and the MIDFIELD dataset\u27s information on program-level performance on the FE examination, the only objective test of students’ engineering knowledge

Individual characteristics and student's engagement in scientific research : a cross-sectional study

Background: In light of the increasing recognition of the importance of physician scientists, and given the association between undergraduate research experiences with future scientific activity, it is important to identify and understand variables related to undergraduate student’s decision to engage in scientific research activities. The present study assessed the influence of individual characteristics, including personality traits and socio-demographic characteristics, on voluntary engagement in scientific research of undergraduate medical students. Methods: For this study, all undergraduate students and alumni of the School of Health Sciences in Minho, Portugal were invited to participate in a survey about voluntary engagement in scientific research activities. Data were available on socio-demographic, personality and university admission variables, as part of an ongoing longitudinal study. A regression model was used to compare (1) engaged with (2) not engaged students. A classification and regression tree model was used to compare students engaged in (3) elective curricular research (4) and extra-curricular research. Results: A total of 466 students (88%) answered the survey. A complete set of data was available for 435 students (83%).Higher scores in admission grade point average and the personality dimensions of “openness to experience” and “conscientiousness” increased chances of engagement. Higher “extraversion” scores had the opposite effect. Male undergraduate students were two times more likely than females to engage in curricular elective scientific research and were also more likely to engage in extra-curricular research activities. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that student’s grade point average and individual characteristics, like gender, openness and consciousness have a unique and statistically significant contribution to student’s involvement in undergraduate scientific research activities.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PTDC/ESC/65116/200

Naturally Occurring Mentorship in a National Sample of First-Generation College Goers: A Promising Portal for Academic and Developmental Success.

Attending college is increasingly important to compete in this global world; however, young people whose parents did not attend college are significantly less likely to enroll in and finish college. Formal programs to support first-generation college goers are common, but not scalable to provide support to all young people who need it. Instead, mentoring that naturally occurs on these students\u27 journeys into and out of college may be a more practical avenue for supporting their success. This study investigated the role community members, relatives, and educators play in first-generation college goers\u27 educational outcomes. Data from 4,181 participants of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health were used to test differences in supports received between first-generation, continuing-generation, and non-college goers. Results demonstrated that mentorship in adolescence moderated the relationship between parental college attendance and educational attainment in adulthood. Next, findings suggested that first-generation students received less support for identity development from their mentors than continuing-generation students. This study has program implications for facilitating college attendance and fostering the development and success of first-generation students. Moreover, this project continues to concretize an emerging taxonomy of mentoring functions for youth and emerging adults

Selecting Strategies to Foster Economists\u27 Critical Thinking Skills: A Quantile Regression Approach

We consider three models of teaching strategies and their effect on developing economics graduates\u27 \u27analysis\u27, \u27deduction\u27 and \u27induction\u27 skills. For each model we compute quantile regression estimates for total sample, male, and female graduates separately. Results show that enriched lectures have a different effect on each critical thinking skill, while their effect differs for low, medium and high quantiles. Student-engaging strategies help more low-to-medium achievers. The third model is more explanatory, especially for low and high achievers. Male and female graduates respond differently to the use of each model. In conclusion, suggestions for strategy selection and further research are made