scholarly journals Chatbots: A Tool to Supplement the Future Faculty Mentoring of Doctoral Engineering Students

10.28945/4579 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 373-392
Author(s):  
Sylvia Mendez ◽  
Katie Johanson ◽  
Valerie Martin Conley ◽  
Kinnis Gosha ◽  
Naja A Mack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Faculty Mentoring ◽  
Personal Connections ◽  
Intent To Use

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the efficacy of simulated interactive virtual conversations (chatbots) for mentoring underrepresented minority doctoral engineering students who are considering pursuing a career in the professoriate or in industry. Background: Chatbots were developed under the National Science Foundation INCLUDES Design and Developments Launch Pilot award (17-4458) and provide career advice with responses from a pre-programmed database populated by renowned emeriti engineering faculty. Chatbots have been engineered to fulfill a myriad of roles, such as undergraduate student advisement, but no research has been found that addresses their use with supplemental future faculty mentoring for doctoral students. Methodology: Chatbot efficacy is examined through a phenomenological design with focus groups with underrepresented minority doctoral engineering students. No theoretical or conceptual frameworks exist relative to chatbots designed for future faculty mentoring; therefore, an adaptation and implementation of the conceptual model posited on movie recommendations was utilized to ground this study. The four-stage process of phenomenological data analysis was followed: epoché, horizontalization, imaginative variation, and synthesis. Contribution: No studies have investigated the utility of chatbots in providing supplemental mentoring to future faculty. This phenomenological study contributes to this area of investigation and provides greater consideration into the unmet mentoring needs of these students, as well as the potential of utilizing chatbots for supplementary mentoring, particularly for those who lack access to high quality mentoring. Findings: Following the data analysis process, the essence of the findings was, while underrepresented minority doctoral engineering students have ample unmet mentoring needs and overall are satisfied with the user interface and trustworthiness of chatbots, their intent to use them is mixed due to a lack of personalization in this type of supplemental mentoring relationship. Recommendations for Practitioners: One of the major challenges faced by underrepresented doctoral engineering students is securing quality mentoring relationships that socialize them into the engineering culture and community of practice. While creating opportunities for students and incentivizing faculty to engage in the work of mentoring is needed, we must also consider the ways in which to leverage technology to offer supplemental future faculty mentoring virtually. Recommendation for Researchers: Additional research on the efficacy of chatbots in providing career-focused mentoring to future faculty is needed, as well as how to enhance the functionality of chatbots to create personal connections and networking opportunities, which are hallmarks of traditional mentoring relationships. Impact on Society: An understanding of the conceptual pathway that can lead to greater satisfaction with chatbots may serve to expand their use in the realm of mentoring. Scaling virtual faculty mentoring opportunities may be an important breakthrough in meeting mentoring needs across higher education. Future Research: Future chatbot research must focus on connecting chatbot users with human mentors; standardizing the process for response creation through additional data collection with a cadre of diverse, renowned faculty; engaging subject matter experts to conduct quality verification checks on responses; testing new responses with potential users; and launching the chatbots for a broad array of users.

Students’ Awareness and Embracement of Soft Skills by Learning and Practicing Teamwork

10.28945/4650 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 185-201
Author(s):  
Noa Ragonis ◽  
Orit Hazzan ◽  
Gadi Har-Shai
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Software Engineering ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

Aim/Purpose: This paper presents a study about changes in computer science and software engineering students’ perceptions of their soft skills during their progress through the Computer Science Soft Skills course. Background: Soft skills are often associated with a person’s social, emotional and cognitive capabilities. Soft skills are increasingly sought out and are well recognized by employers alongside standard qualifications. Therefore, high importance is attributed to soft skills in computer science and software engineering education. Methodology: Content analysis was applied to interpret, categorize and code statements from students’ course assignment answers. Data analysis was performed gradually at the three main stages of the course and by the two students’ study populations. Contribution: The paper highlights the variety of (a) soft skills that can be learnt in one course, both on the individual level and on the team level and (b) assignments that can be given to students to increase their awareness and motivation to practice and learn soft skills. Findings: Data analysis revealed the following: (a) five individual soft skills categories, with 95 skills, and five team-related soft skills categories, with 52 skills (in total, the students mentioned 147 soft skills); (b) course assignments and particularly team-based activities elicited student awareness of their individual soft skills, both as strengths and weaknesses; (c) students developed their reflection skills, particularly with respect to team-related soft skills; and (d) significant differences exist between the two groups of students in several categories. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is important to provide undergraduate students with opportunities to integrate soft skills during their training. Establishing a meaningful learning process, such as project-based learning, enables students to apply and develop soft skills when accompanied by reflective thought processes. Recommendation for Researchers: A similar course can be taught and be accompanied by similar analysis of students’ learning outcomes, to examine the influence of local culture on the characteristics of soft skills. Impact on Society: Increased awareness of soft skills in scientists and engineers’ undergraduate education. University graduates who will strengthen their variety of soft skills in their academic training process and will be more meaningful employees in the workplace and in society. Future Research: Our future research aims (a) to explore additional innovative ways to increase students’ learning processes, awareness and practices in relation to soft skills and (b) to research how students’ soft skills are developed during the entire undergraduate studies both on the individual level and the team level.

scholarly journals Marginal Mentoring in the Contact Space: Diversified Mentoring Relationships at a Midsized Midwestern State University (MMSU)

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcy Meyer ◽  
Kiesha Warren-Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Structured Interview ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Future Research ◽  
State University ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Intergroup Communication ◽  
Social Scientific ◽  
Personal Reflections ◽  
Contact Space

This study is a collaborative investigation that melds traditional qualitative social scientific and contemporary autoethnographic methods to examine diversified mentoring relationships at a midsized midwestern state university (MMSU). The first author conducted 21 semi - structured interview s with MMSU faculty members and professional personnel who were members of underrepresented minority (URM) groups. A thematic analysis of the data, informed by the literature on developmental relationships and intergroup communication, reveals a number of problems with MMSU’s formal mentoring program and intergroup communication climate. Moreover, the findings indicate that the quality of mentoring relationships affects protégés’ co - cultural communication practices. The second author, who is also a participant in the project, interjects her personal reflections about diversified mentoring relationships throughout the analysis. Together, the authors give voice to participants’ suggestions to improve the quality of mentoring that occurs in MMSU’s contact space and explore the implications of the findings for future research about diversified mentoring relationships.

Mentoring, Managing, and Helping

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Steven Williams ◽  
Tiffany Jeanette Brown Burnett ◽  
Talia Kay Carroll ◽  
Cameron J. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Doctoral Studies ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Student Advisor ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
And Gender

This study utilizes a critical race theory framework to explore the ways race and gender influence Black doctoral students’ socialization experiences. Themes about the varied roles and identities of important socialization agents emerged from the data. Managing expectations, engaging in help-seeking behavior, and developing fulfilling mentoring relationships, also proved instrumental to these students’ retention and persistence in doctoral study. Furthermore, their experiences offer insights about the complexity of navigating the various relationships, including, but not limited to the traditional mentor-protégé, student–advisor relationship in doctoral studies as Black students. Through their narratives, participants describe vivid experiences of fear, distrust, and betrayal that halted their development as scholars. They also share stories of support, care, and triumph as the potential of supportive relationships are realized. Implications for praxis, theory, and future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Mentorship Experiences of Doctoral Students: Understanding Desired Attributes of Doctoral Student Mentors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Singe ◽  
Lauren Sheldon ◽  
Kelsey Rynkiewicz ◽  
Ciara Manning ◽  
Erica Filep ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Exercise Science ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Qualitative Research Study ◽  
Student Mentors

Background: Mentorship is a critical aspect of the professional development of the doctoral student who wishes to pursue a role in higher education. Continued understanding is needed regarding the needs of the doctoral student when it comes to mentorship. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the needs of a doctoral student from their mentoring relationships, as they work towards their terminal degree. Methods: This is a descriptive, phenomenological qualitative research study within universities that offer doctoral education. One-on-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted using Zoom video conference technology. Each interview, after transcribed, was analyzed following the step-wise approach of a phenomenological study. Credibility was established by 1) research triangulation, 2) bracketing/reflexivity, and 3) peer review. Results: Twelve doctoral students (7 females, 5 males) who were enrolled in doctoral programs with a focus on allied health or exercise science completed the Zoom interviews. Our participants were an average age of 28 3 years, and all twelve had graduate assistantship positions in association with their doctoral programs. Three main themes materialized from the data analyses including 1) guided autonomy, 2) humanistic nature, and 3) professional advocate. Doctoral students want guidance to develop the technical skills necessary for success by providing opportunities to perform with the chance to gain feedback. Mentors were identified as needing to demonstrate humanistic qualities that were rooted in being interpersonal. The importance of a mentor serving as a professional advocate to help the student grow and develop as a professional was also discussed. Conclusions: Doctoral students need their mentors to demonstrate both personal and professional attributes in the mentor relationship. Specifically, they are looking for guidance and feedback through independent learning, as well as a mentor who values them, is relatable, and is invested in their development as a professional.

Exploring Mentoring Functions Within the Sport Management Academy: Perspectives of Mentors and Protégés

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline L. Beres ◽  
Jess C. Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Sport Management ◽  
Doctoral Degree ◽  
Role Modeling ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Business Environments ◽  
Mentoring Functions

Mentoring has typically been studied in business environments, with fewer studies focusing on academic contexts and even fewer in the field of sport management. This study examined the mentoring relationships, and specifically the mentoring functions that occurred among sport management doctoral dissertation advisors (mentors) and their doctoral students (protégés). Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with 13 individuals. Participants collectively described examples of all of Kram’s (1988) mentoring functions, with coaching, counseling, and exposure and visibility cited most frequently. Fewer instances of protection and direct sponsorship were mentioned, although there was evidence of considerable indirect sponsorship. Protégés provided more examples of role modeling as compared with their mentors, and the entire process of completing a doctoral degree can be viewed as a challenging assignment. A discussion of these findings within the context of the relevant previous academic literature and suggestions for future research are also provided.

scholarly journals Cyberstalking Victimization Model Using Criminological Theory: A Systematic Literature Review, Taxonomies, Applications, Tools, and Validations

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 1670
Author(s):  
Waheeb Abu-Ulbeh ◽  
Maryam Altalhi ◽  
Laith Abualigah ◽  
Abdulwahab Ali Almazroi ◽  
Putra Sumari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Routine Activities ◽  
Criminological Theory ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Proposed Model

Cyberstalking is a growing anti-social problem being transformed on a large scale and in various forms. Cyberstalking detection has become increasingly popular in recent years and has technically been investigated by many researchers. However, cyberstalking victimization, an essential part of cyberstalking, has empirically received less attention from the paper community. This paper attempts to address this gap and develop a model to understand and estimate the prevalence of cyberstalking victimization. The model of this paper is produced using routine activities and lifestyle exposure theories and includes eight hypotheses. The data of this paper is collected from the 757 respondents in Jordanian universities. This review paper utilizes a quantitative approach and uses structural equation modeling for data analysis. The results revealed a modest prevalence range is more dependent on the cyberstalking type. The results also indicated that proximity to motivated offenders, suitable targets, and digital guardians significantly influences cyberstalking victimization. The outcome from moderation hypothesis testing demonstrated that age and residence have a significant effect on cyberstalking victimization. The proposed model is an essential element for assessing cyberstalking victimization among societies, which provides a valuable understanding of the prevalence of cyberstalking victimization. This can assist the researchers and practitioners for future research in the context of cyberstalking victimization.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on the Customer End of Retail Supply Chains: A Big Data Analysis of Consumer Satisfaction

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1464
Author(s):  
Patrick Brandtner ◽  
Farzaneh Darbanian ◽  
Taha Falatouri ◽  
Chibuzor Udokwu
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Grocery Shopping ◽  
Product Availability ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Retail Chains ◽  
Retail Supply Chains ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the biggest disruptive events of recent decades and has had a global effect on society and the economy. The political regulations resulting from COVID-19 also led to significant changes in physical grocery shopping. However, the specific impact of COVID-19 on consumer satisfaction at the customer end of retail supply chains, i.e., the point-of-sale (PoS), has not yet been addressed. By gathering and analyzing consumer satisfaction data (ratings) and sentiments (evaluation comments) available on the open web, the current study evaluates the impact of COVID-19 on consumer satisfaction at the PoS. Focusing on the five biggest retail chains in Austria, the results show that there was a general and significant decline in consumer satisfaction due to the pandemic. The results also show a high impact of political regulations on consumer satisfaction. Furthermore, the text-mining based analysis of evaluation comments indicate that store layout and facilities, as well as product availability and waiting time had a great impact on consumer satisfaction. In total, over 533,000 consumer satisfaction ratings and over 153,000 textual comments have been analyzed, providing the basis for a comprehensive and sound discussion of the impact of COVID-19 on consumer satisfaction and perceptions. Future research could focus on applying the used data analysis technique and the adapted consumer sentiment dimensions in different settings, such as countries other than Austria or smaller retail chains.

scholarly journals A Comprehensive Survey on Local Differential Privacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingxing Xiong ◽  
Shubo Liu ◽  
Dan Li ◽  
Zhaohui Cai ◽  
Xiaoguang Niu
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Statistical Estimation ◽  
Differential Privacy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Reference Source ◽  
Complex Data ◽  
Comprehensive Survey

With the advent of the era of big data, privacy issues have been becoming a hot topic in public. Local differential privacy (LDP) is a state-of-the-art privacy preservation technique that allows to perform big data analysis (e.g., statistical estimation, statistical learning, and data mining) while guaranteeing each individual participant’s privacy. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey of LDP. We first give an overview on the fundamental knowledge of LDP and its frameworks. We then introduce the mainstream privatization mechanisms and methods in detail from the perspective of frequency oracle and give insights into recent studied on private basic statistical estimation (e.g., frequency estimation and mean estimation) and complex statistical estimation (e.g., multivariate distribution estimation and private estimation over complex data) under LDP. Furthermore, we present current research circumstances on LDP including the private statistical learning/inferencing, private statistical data analysis, privacy amplification techniques for LDP, and some application fields under LDP. Finally, we identify future research directions and open challenges for LDP. This survey can serve as a good reference source for the research of LDP to deal with various privacy-related scenarios to be encountered in practice.

Mentoring relationships: implications for practitioners and suggestions for future research

2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 519-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly McDowall-Long
Keyword(s):  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Future Research

Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Doctoral Students' Mentoring Relationships with Faculty in Counseling Psychology:

1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 754-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julianne S. Lark ◽  
James M. Croteau
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Mentoring Relationships ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Training Environment ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Faculty Mentors ◽  
Lgb Students ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach

This qualitative study investigated lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) doctoral students' mentoring relationships with faculty in counseling psychology. Data from semistructured interviews with 14 LGB participants was analyzed using a grounded theory approach. After submitting a preliminary description to a peer audit, and a "member check," a final description of these LGB doctoral students' mentoring relationships with faculty was constructed. The description included two interactive LGB-specific contextual themes (safety in the training environment regarding LGB issues and students' level of outness/disclosure regarding sexual orientation) that helped shape three themes regarding LGB students' experience of mentoring relationships (formation, functions, and impact). Seven recommendations for faculty mentors are made based on the results, and implications for research are addressed.

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