“In Our Own Little World”: Invisibility of the Social and Ethical Dimension of Engineering Among Undergraduate Students

AbstractThis paper explores how undergraduate students understood the social relevance of their engineering course content knowledge and drew (or failed to draw) broader social and ethical implications from that knowledge. Based on a three-year qualitative study in a junior-level engineering class, we found that students had difficulty in acknowledging the social and ethical aspects of engineering as relevant topics in their coursework. Many students considered the immediate technical usability or improved efficiency of technical innovations as the noteworthy social and ethical implications of engineering. Findings suggest that highly-structured engineering programs leave little room for undergraduate students to explore the ethical dimension of engineering content knowledge and interact with other students/programs on campus to expand their “technically-minded” perspective. We discussed the issues of the “culture of disengagement” (Cech, Sci Technol Human Values 39(1):42–72, 2014) fueled by disciplinary elitism, spatial distance, and insulated curriculum prevalent in the current structure of engineering programs. We called for more conscious effort by engineering educators to offer meaningful interdisciplinary engagement opportunities and in-class conversations on ethics that support engineering students' holistic intellectual growth and well-rounded professional ethics.

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Assessment of Introductory Transportation Engineering Course and General Transportation Engineering Curriculum

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.3141/2328-02 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2328 (1) ◽

pp. 9-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Rod E. Turochy ◽

Jon Fricker ◽

H. Gene Hawkins ◽

David S. Hurwitz ◽

Stephanie S. Ivey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Engineering Students ◽

Civil Engineering ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Transportation Engineering ◽

Engineering Programs ◽

Course Content ◽

Credit Hours ◽

Introductory Course ◽

The Status ◽

Primary Focus

Transportation engineering is a critical subdiscipline of the civil engineering profession as indicated by its inclusion on the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination and overlap with other specialty areas of civil engineering and as recognized by TRB, ITE, and ASCE. With increasing transportation workforce needs, low numbers of students entering the pipeline, and limited hours within undergraduate civil engineering programs, it is important to ensure that civil engineering students receive adequate preparation and exposure to career opportunities in the transportation engineering field. Thus, investigations into the status of transportation engineering within civil engineering programs and specifically the introductory transportation engineering course are essential for understanding implications to the profession. Relevant literature and findings from a new survey of civil engineering programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology is reviewed; that survey yielded 84 responses. The survey indicates that 88% of responding programs teach an introductory course in transportation engineering, and 79% require it in their undergraduate programs. Significant variation exists in the structure of the introductory course (number of credit hours, laboratory requirements, etc.). Common responses about improvements that could be made include adding laboratories, requiring a second course, and broadening course content. In addition, nearly 15% of instructors teaching the introductory course did not have a primary focus in transportation engineering. This finding should be investigated further, given that the course may be an undergraduate civil engineering student's only exposure to the profession.

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An Introductory Energy Course to Promote Broad Energy Education for Undergraduate Engineering Students

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13179693 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (17) ◽

pp. 9693

Author(s):

Jan DeWaters ◽

Susan Powers ◽

Felicity Bilow

Keyword(s):

Learning Outcomes ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Qualitative Assessment ◽

Technical Knowledge ◽

Engineering Programs ◽

Course Content ◽

Energy Education ◽

Grade Levels ◽

Energy Technologies ◽

Complex Interactions

Engineering graduates must be prepared to support our world’s need for a clean and sustainable energy future. Complex problems related to energy and sustainability require engineers to consider the broad spectrum of interrelated consequences including human and environmental health, sociopolitical, and economic factors. Teaching engineering students about energy within a societal context, simultaneous with developing technical knowledge and skills, will better prepare them to solve real-world problems. Yet few energy courses that approach energy topics from a human-centered perspective exist within engineering programs. Engineering students enrolled in energy programs often take such courses as supplemental to their course of study. This paper presents an engineering course that approaches energy education from a socio-technical perspective, emphasizing the complex interactions of energy technologies with sustainability dimensions. Course content and learning activities are structured around learning outcomes that require students to gain technical knowledge as well as an understanding of broader energy-related impacts. The course attracts students from a variety of majors and grade levels. A mixed quantitative/qualitative assessment conducted from 2019–2021 indicates successful achievement of course learning outcomes. Students demonstrated significant gains in technical content knowledge as well as the ability to critically address complex sociotechnical issues related to current and future energy systems.

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What Motivates Students to Study Engineering? A Comparative Study between Males and Females in Saudi Arabia

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci11040147 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 147

Author(s):

Wafa Labib ◽

Amal Abdelsattar ◽

Yasser Ibrahim ◽

Abdelhakim Abdelhadi

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Considerable Effect ◽

Female Students ◽

Male Students ◽

Engineering Majors ◽

Male And Female ◽

Engineering Programs

Motivation to study engineering in undergraduate study is of great importance to students. It encourages undergraduate students to enroll in an engineering program and continue their studies without dropping out. Male students enroll in engineering programs with large numbers compared to female students in many parts of the world. In Saudi Arabia, there were limited engineering programs for female students. In this research, the motivation to study engineering is studied and compared between male and female students in the College of Engineering at Prince Sultan University, the first private university in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted through a detailed survey distributed to 41 male engineering management students and 45 female architectural engineering students. These students’ performance and experience were considered and compared considering their gender to evaluate their persistence toward engineering study. According to the results obtained, the highest degree of the parents had a considerable effect on the selection of engineering major for male and female students. Most surveyed male and female students select an engineering major because of its positive impact on the community and its role in improving the way of life. Male students may differ in that they considered engineering in order to start their own business after graduation with a higher percentage compared to female students. There was a very limited role of the school in selecting engineering majors according to the surveyed male and female students. This role should be enhanced and utilized to encourage more female students to consider engineering majors in their college study.

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The Problems of Engineering Students’ Professional Identity

KnE Engineering ◽

10.18502/keg.v5i3.6752 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

I.I. Sholina ◽

N.A. Reprintseva

Keyword(s):

Professional Identity ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Engineering Students ◽

System Analysis ◽

Organizational Models ◽

Student Centered ◽

Student Centered Learning ◽

Engineering Programs ◽

Nascent Industries ◽

Flexible Adaptation

Engineering education at Ural Federal University has its traditions; one of them is the design of new programs for nascent industries and flexible adaptation to changes in the economy. It allows UrFU engineering programs not only to survive in the conditions of constant external and internal changes but also to remain highly demanded and competitive. The article describes the problems of the professional identity of students of engineering programs, organizational models and didactic techniques that ensure professionalization in the framework of the leading educational programs of the UrFU Engineering School, which have been tested as part of pilot training for undergraduate students in the program ”System Analysis and Management.” The results of the survey among students and graduates of the program, which was conducted in order to understand their professional identity and awareness of the choice of an educational program for obtaining a profession, are presented. Keywords: Learning outcomes, CDIO initiative, benchmark, modeling, Industry 4.0, student-centered learning, internships, professional identity, efficiency

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Incorporation of Sustainability Concepts into the Engineering Core Program by Adopting a Micro Curriculum Approach: A Case Study in Saudi Arabia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12072901 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 2901

Author(s):

Muhammad Waqar Ashraf ◽

Faisal Alanezi

Keyword(s):

Engineering Students ◽

Current Status ◽

Engineering Programs ◽

Technical Content ◽

Production And Consumption ◽

The Social ◽

Engineering And Technology ◽

Development Goals ◽

Core Program

Higher education institutions are increasingly pursuing sustainable development goals in engineering and technology education. The concepts related to operations, production, and consumption continue to gain importance and significance for engineering students. In the engineering profession, the incorporation of sustainability means integrating environmental, economic, and social factors into the evaluation of design processes, products, and services. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an engineering program that along with the technical content, also fosters a critical sense regarding the social and environmental aspects of the field. The current status of sustainability education in engineering programs offered in Saudi universities is not very promising. In this paper, we explore the use of existing university curricula to incorporate sustainability elements into engineering education and training. Sustainability concepts were introduced into selected courses by using a micro-curriculum approach. Moreover, a standalone course is also introduced. We observed that this approach has been successful in integrating sustainability into the engineering curriculum. We recommend that such an approach be used to develop sustainability awareness in engineering programs.

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The Experiences of Women in Undergraduate Engineering

Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA) ◽

10.24908/pceea.v0i0.12984 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Natalie Mazur ◽

Bronwyn Chorlton ◽

John Gales

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Female Students ◽

Male Students ◽

Significant Finding ◽

Survey Question ◽

Engineering Programs ◽

Undergraduate Engineering ◽

Experiences Of Women

While it is understood that there is an issue in retention of women in STEM fields, there is little research addressing why this is occurring. This warrants the need to begin identifying the root of this issue, and the direct causes. Undergraduate engineering programs are the first phase students undertake in their pursuit of a career as a professional engineer, and even in this early phase an issue in retention is apparent. The present study addresses factors that may be preventing female students from remaining in the field. In this study, 261 undergraduate students enrolled in engineering programs at an accredited university in Ontario completed a 17-question survey that collected demographic data and asked questions related to challenges students may experience during their education. The survey questions were formulated to understand the severity to which each challenge affects males and females in different ways. Demographic factors were correlated with students’ answers, and significant differences between men’s and women’s answers were found. 65% of female students reported more discouragement or intimidation by peers and professors in their program, compared to 45% of male students. These findings may indicate that female students may be more susceptible to a culture of intimidation than male students. Another significant finding lies within a survey question formulated to understand if female and male engineers have their contributions represented equally. This question showed that male students recognized the names of male engineers 1.75 times more often than they recognized the names of female engineers. The results of this question show that, to some capacity, male engineering students do not recognize female engineers’ contributions as frequently as male engineers’ contributions. Moving forward, there is a need to support female students in engineering as well as to educate students on respect and equity.

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Measuring Disciplinary Perceptions of Engineering from a Cultural Lens: A Validation of an Instrument in a Research Technical University

Journal of Education and Culture Studies ◽

10.22158/jecs.v4n1p19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. p19

Author(s):

Homero G. Murzi ◽

Juan M. Cruz

Keyword(s):

National Culture ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Academic Disciplines ◽

First Year ◽

Senior Year ◽

Phase 3 ◽

Engineering Programs ◽

Engineering Culture

Engineering culture is a complex phenomenon that needs to be understood to promote the value of professional skills and not only the technical skills that have been traditionally valued in engineering. This study investigates ways to identify patterns of cultural traits in undergraduate engineering students, by using and validating an instrument originally developed to measure national culture. This study was conducted in three phases: in Phase 1, we validated an instrument to measure engineering culture based on Hofstede’s model of national culture. In this phase, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis and a reliability analysis with responses of 1261 undergraduate students. In phase 2, we identified how the dimensions in Hofstede’s model mapped and differed between academic engineering disciplines. To accomplish that goal, we conducted descriptive statistics and an analysis of the variance of responses of 794 engineering students. In phase 3, we analyzed if some of Hofstede’s dimensions are inherent to prospective engineering students or if they were influenced by their specific engineering programs. In phase 3, we collected data from 1,330 first-year engineering students and compared them with data from the same students at the end of their first year. Moreover, for three specific majors, we compared them with data of 261 senior students. Results demonstrated the validity of the instrument in academic disciplines and showed that the uncertainty avoidance dimension of Hofstede’s model differed between three engineering majors (i.e., ECE, ISE, and CS). This dimension did not differ after the first year but changed in the senior year.

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An Action Research in Critical Thinking Concept Designed Curriculum Based on Collaborative Learning for Engineering Ethics Course

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13052621 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 2621

Author(s):

Yi-Chu Hsu

Keyword(s):

Critical Thinking ◽

Collaborative Learning ◽

Content Knowledge ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Engineering Ethics ◽

Team Work ◽

Peer Evaluation ◽

Course Materials ◽

The Social ◽

Ethics Course

(1) Background: Critical thinking, CT, contributes to success in both career and higher education, and may be more important than professional content knowledge. Nevertheless, it is challenging to cultivate CT in a standalone course, especially for the engineering students who think less critically than those in other colleges. (2) Methods: This research incorporated CT concept into 18 weeks curriculum of Engineering·ethics and Society course, with the assistance of collaborative learning process for formative assessment and problem-based learning for summative assessment, in addition to 3 questionnaires to evaluate the progress in CT and collaboration. (3) Results: Both measurements in CT and collaboration improved significantly. In general, the participants enjoyed the course materials and thought these CT and values infused course activities were helpful to the learning. On the other hand, CT was also the most noticeable problem. About one over every five participants lacked the habit to think, while 17% of participants were afraid of complex questions to think. In addition, 10% doubted their CT skills. It concludes that total 46% participants thought CT is their most crucial shortage. (4) Conclusions: the pretest demonstrated the CT of the participants was below the college norm; fortunately, the assistance of the social interaction, including team work practices, peer evaluation, and pressure to push individuals work harder and think deeper, did promote their CT cognitive development.

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Female Mechanical Engineering Students’ Career Decisions and Development: A Case Study of University Undergraduate Students

Journal of Educational and Social Research ◽

10.36941/jesr-2021-0046 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Luis M. Dos Santos

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Mechanical Engineering ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Social Stigma ◽

Career Decisions ◽

Female Students ◽

Multiple Perspectives ◽

Social Stereotypes ◽

The Social

Mechanical engineering is one of the popular university majors for engineering students, particularly female students. However, due to the social stereotypes and social stigma, female mechanical engineering students and professionals may face difficulties and discriminations due to their gender. Although women are always encouraged to apply for mechanical engineering programmes, only approximately 20% of the mechanical engineering student populations are women. There is a need to increase the student population, particularly for women students. Based on the Social Cognitive Career Theory, this study sought to understand why women would decide to join the mechanical engineering study and join the field for long-term development. The results indicated that the personal, academic, and career interests in engineering and science always drive their decision-making process. This study’s results enable engineering school leaders and department heads to reform their curricula and instructions for female students and their internship directions for students, from multiple perspectives. Received: 9 February 2021 / Accepted: 30 March 2021 / Published: 10 May 2021

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First-Year Engineering Computing Courses in Canadian Engineering Programs

Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA) ◽

10.24908/pceea.v0i0.4635 ◽

1969 ◽

Author(s):

Sean Maw ◽

Janice Miller Young ◽

Alexis Morris

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Expected Value ◽

Knowledge Development ◽

First Year ◽

Recent Past ◽

Engineering Programs ◽

Digital Computation ◽

Pedagogical Philosophies ◽

Introductory Computing

Most Canadian engineering students take a computing course in their first year that introduces them to digital computation. The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board does not specify the language(s) that can or should be used for instruction. As a result, a variety of languages are used across Canada. This study examines which languages are used in degree-granting institutions, currently and in the recent past. It also examines why institutions have chosen the languages that they currently use. In addition to the language used in instruction, the types and hours of instruction are also analyzed. Methods of instruction and evaluation are compared, as well as the pedagogical philosophies of the different programs with respect to introductory computing. Finally, a comparison of the expected value of this course to graduates is also presented. We found a more diverse landscape for introductory computing courses than anticipated, in most respects. The guiding ethos at most institutions is skill and knowledge development, especially around problem solving in an engineering context. The methods to achieve this are quite varied, and so are the languages employed in such courses. Most programs currently use C/C++, Matlab, VB and/or Python.

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