HOW STUDENTS DEFINE THEIR SUCCESS: A RESEARCH STUDY

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Ullrich ◽  
David S. Strong
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Full Study ◽  
Definition Of Success ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Diverse Groups

How undergraduate engineering students define their success and plan for their future differs notably amongst students. With a push for greater diversity and inclusion in engineering schools, it is valuable to also better understand the differences in these areas among different students to allow institutions to better serve the needs of these diverse groups.  The purpose of this research study is to explore students’ definition of success both in the present and projecting forward 5 to 10 years, as well as to understand to what level students reflect on, and plan for, the future. The proposed survey instrument for the pilot stage of this research includes 56 closed-ended questions and 3 open-ended questions. Evidence for the validity of the research instrument is established through a mixed-method pilot study. This paper will discuss the survey instrument, the pilot study, and outline plans for the full study.

scholarly journals TEAMWORK TRAINING AS A MEANS OF MASTERING MORE EQUITABLE, DIVERSE, AND INCLUSIVE PRACTICES IN ENGINEERING CURRICULA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Chromik ◽  
Diane Dechief ◽  
Denzel Guye ◽  
Faye Siluk ◽  
Cathryn Somrani
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
Inclusive Practices ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Teamwork Skills

Survey results and student feedback from the initial year of McGill University’s E-IDEA (Engineering Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity Advancement) teamwork initiative demonstrate that undergraduate engineering students value this team-based, applied training in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). The course-based training provides a critical foundation from which to build strong teamwork skills. Our findings demonstrate the benefit of initiating teamwork-integrated EDI training early in students’ programs and continuing until final capstone courses.

scholarly journals EXPLORING STUDENTS’ DEFINITIONS OF SUCCESS: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Ullrich ◽  
David S. Strong
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Achievement Motivation ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Research Study ◽  
The Other ◽  
Academic Environment ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Student Group ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering

The term “success” has many different meanings for students and stakeholders in the academic environment [1]. The most common measure of student success employed by researchers and institutions is performance-based measures such as grades and graduation rates. The remainder of the definitions are inconsistent among the various stakeholders in the academic environment. Understanding the importance of the criteria used by students to define their success in Canadian undergraduate engineering programs, as well as the degree to which students are motivated to engage in each criterion with a mastery-based approach, could be useful for reconciling the differences between the student group and the other stakeholders in the academic environment and assist in designing teaching strategies that align with these criteria and thus promote a masterybased view of success. This paper summarizes three achievement motivation frameworks and contributes a synthesis of the literature regarding student and other stakeholder definitions of student success to identify opportunities and methodologies in preparation for a research study on this topic as it applies to success in the context of Canadian undergraduate engineering students.  

Examining Web 2.0 E-Learning Tools

2013 ◽  
pp. 294-313
Author(s):  
Janet L. Holland ◽  
Dusti Howell
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Web 2.0 Tools ◽  
Full Study ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Classroom Data

With so many fields using new technologies in e-learning, we are all challenged with selecting and effectively implementing new Web 2.0 tools. This chapter provides a mixed method research approach to quickly evaluate available Web 2.0 tools and instructional implementation. Class observations and pilot study surveys were used to determine students’ levels of satisfaction after using various numbers of Web 2.0 tools and varying student work group sizes. The pilot studies were designed to model initial classroom examinations when integrating emerging Web 2.0 technologies. Use of this type of pilot study approach is necessitated as many individual class sizes are too small for a full research study, and the time needed to conduct a full study using multiple classes could cause the results to quickly be out of date, thus not providing the needed immediate classroom data for just in time learning. Fast emerging technologies pose a unique challenge to traditional research methodology. Where immediate specific classroom data is needed, a needs analysis with a pilot study is the best option. Note, with emerging technologies, it is difficult to find appropriate literature to determine its effectiveness in the classroom. If desired, compiling the results from many small pilot studies offers an additional benefit of fleshing out key issues to be examined later in greater detail using a full research study for extending theory or scientific practices.

An Initial Analysis of Undergraduate Student Mental Models of Product Design

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica R. Driscoll ◽  
Steven Hoffenson ◽  
Nicole Pitterson
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Mental Models ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Design Learning ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Mapping Exercise

Abstract Design is a concept that means different things to different people. Even in the engineering design research community, there is little agreement on a consistent definition of design. This study looks into how engineering students understand product design, using a concept mapping exercise to elicit the key concepts and relationships present in their mental models. An analysis of concept maps from 130 third-year undergraduate engineering students shows how these students think about design, the common themes and relationships that are seen across the population, and variations across different groups of students. By understanding how students in the midst of ABET-accredited programs conceptualize design, conclusions can be drawn regarding the effectiveness of existing curricula in instilling a complete understanding of holistic product design. This can lead to recommendations regarding future engineering design learning objectives, teaching materials, and activities.

scholarly journals AN INVESTIGATION OF STUDENT DEFINITIONS AND VALUE OF CREATIVITY IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Waller ◽  
David Strong
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Academic Environment ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Definition Of

There appears to be an existing disconnect between engineering education and creativity that is partly caused by a lack of understanding of creativity’srole in engineering as well as the lack of value placed on creativity in the academic environment. This paper used mixed methods research to investigate this disconnect through the perceptions of undergraduate engineering students. A survey was used to gather definitions of engineering creativity and to measure the value students place on creativity in engineering.Results indicated that students have a wide variety of definitions and understanding of engineering creativity. It was found that students generally valued creativity in an engineering context, but Year 4+ students had statistically significant less value for creativity than all other years ofstudy. The findings support the need for a well-developed and universally accepted definition of engineering creativity. Causation for the difference in value Year 4+ students place on engineering creativity should be furtherinvestigated.

scholarly journals Time for a Change? A Research Update and Pilot Study Results on Academic Time-Based Decision-Making

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Rupar ◽  
David S. Strong
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Study Results ◽  
New Instrument

Engineering students in Canada and around the world are facing numerous challenges with their time, including absenteeism from class, surface approach to learning, and high stress levels.  A research study to understand the time management habits of engineering students is ongoing and a pilot study has been completed.  This paper contains an overview of the relevant background theories, the application of these theories to a new survey instrument, and the pilot study used to test and improve this instrument. The new survey instrument on time management and decision making was required as existing instruments published in the literature were considered to be flawed and inadequate for this study.  The new instrument incorporates a decision-making dimension following the think-plan-do models of self-regulated learning theories.  Analysis of this instrument will assume clusters, rather than factors, of time management behaviours to be the basis for grouping individuals. The pilot study was conducted on a number of self-selected graduate engineering students in November 2019.  Participants filled out an online survey and then some volunteered for a think-aloud interview.  Changes resultant from the pilot study analysis included question modifications, Likert scale modifications, and user experience improvements.  The pilot study resulted in an overall improvement to the validity, reliability, and completeness of the survey instrument. The full study is currently being administered to undergraduate engineering students.  The results will be published to help inform the manner in which time management is taught and used by engineering students. 

scholarly journals A Pilot study on a Cross Sectional Investigation of Science and Engineering Undergraduates: Motivation towards Learning English in Pakistan

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-67
Author(s):  
Insaf Ali Siming ◽  
Muhammad Mujtaba Asad . ◽  
Ajab Ali Lashari .
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Demographic Information ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Full Study ◽  
Motivational Level ◽  
Learning English

This research paper aims at to describe the results of pilot study on “A cross sectional investigation of Science and Engineering undergraduates’ motivation towards learning English in Pakistan”. The results of this research probably are useful and beneficial in the sense to test the instrument proposed for current study in particular and to provide recommendations for full study in general. Moreover Mix method design both qualitative and quantitative has been proposed for full study. But in piloting study the researchers only administered survey questionnaire in order to test the instrument. The researchers consulted the various studies on learners’ motivational studies and used a modified questionnaire based on the Attitude Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) by Robert Gardner and the three stage model of Dorneyi. For the sampling researchers’ selected convenience random sampling taking the names form hat policy was adopted. Questionnaire was divided in three parts, Part one of the questionnaire contained informants’ demographic information. Second part of questionnaire contained ninety six closed ended items, and third part of the questionnaire contain three open ended questions. The population of this pilot study was Science and engineering students from Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering and Technology. For reliability and validity check, all the data was interred in SPSS version 20 and cronbach’s Alpha reliability of questionnaire remained 0.920. This study intended to achieve the following aims and objectives (1) identify the motivational level of Science and Engineering undergraduates’ towards learning English language (2) Establish the factors that effects undergraduates’ motivation towards second language (L2) (3) Compare the motivational level between Science and Engineering undergraduates’ towards learning English language. In later section of paper, a complete visual illustration of demographic information of initial findings based on gender, mother tongue, origin, departments and institutional status is graphically presented. Finally, it is highly recommended from the results obtained from the pilot study that instrument used in this study is valid and reliable and can be confidently used for full study. Due to its excellent level of validity, reliability and suitability

scholarly journals Definition of success criteria for ablation of typical right atrial flutter with a single-catheter approach: A pilot study

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (12) ◽  
pp. 791-796
Author(s):  
Frédéric A. Sebag ◽  
Édouard Simeon ◽  
Ghassan Moubarak ◽  
Alexandre Zhao ◽  
Olivier Villejoubert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Atrial Flutter ◽  
Right Atrial ◽  
Success Criteria ◽  
Definition Of Success ◽  
Definition Of

scholarly journals Developing and Validating an Individual Sustainability Instrument with Engineering Students to Motivate Intentional Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elise Barrella ◽  
Elisabeth Spratto ◽  
Eric Pappas ◽  
Robert Nagel
Keyword(s):  
Professional Growth ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Parameter Estimates ◽  
Ideal Self ◽  
Current Form ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Real Self

This paper describes three studies that were conducted sequentially for purposes of validating the Individual Sustainability survey for use with undergraduate engineering students. During the first study, researchers administered the original 50-item Individual Sustainability survey to an undergraduate engineering class at a mid-sized University, using real and ideal self. Following exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the survey instrument was reduced to 36 items, and reframed to compare real self to ideal professional engineer. The new version was administered to three cohorts of engineering students at the same institution, and factor structures were analyzed again. In order to provide more stable parameter estimates, a third study with 34 items was run with engineering students in similar courses at four different institutions. The methods and results of all three studies are described, to justify the survey’s evolution. This is followed by a discussion of the final survey instrument and approaches for administering the survey to undergraduate engineering students, or adapting survey administration for other student populations. The instrument, in its current form, is an effective way to identify dissonance between one’s real and ideal conceptualizations of self, and help individual students identify opportunities for personal change and professional growth toward sustainability values and behaviors.

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