The COVID-19 pandemic sparked rapid shifts to engineering education, causing changes to course formats and student experiences. The culture of undergraduate engineering programs undoubtably affected this transition online and affected how students interpreted their experiences. To date, research on engineering culture has explored the values, beliefs, and underlying ideologies of the culture. However, what we know about engineering culture was captured predominantly during periods of stability. Because COVID-19 provides an opportunity to either challenge or uphold aspects of engineering culture, it was imperative to capture the experiences of students undergoing an engineering education during this time. In order to understand what facets of engineering culture were salient in students' interpretations of their classroom experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, I conducted a multiple case study exploring mechanical engineering students' constructions of their experiences taking second and third year courses during the pandemic. I compared two mechanical engineering programs – one in the United States and one in South Africa – by conducting semi-structured interviews with 10 to 11 mechanical engineering undergraduate students at each site as well as 1 to 2 key informants. My analysis identified the following cultural features that emerged as salient from students' perspectives during the pandemic at both sites: intrinsic hardness, differential access to resources, and application and design. Additionally, my analysis identified the following cultural features that emerged as salient at only one site: seeking help, job market, and scientific way of thinking. The key difference between sites appeared with respect to differential access to resources. This study captures and reports critical data about students' constructions of their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. By investigating engineering culture during a time of stress, this research identifies the most salient features of engineering culture that remained constant through the pandemic as well as the features that changed due to the pandemic. Further, the global comparative aspect of this work highlights which features of engineering culture are universal and which are influenced by national context. Overall, this research aims to inform future educational responses to disasters as well as future change efforts in engineering. / Doctor of Philosophy / The COVID-19 pandemic sparked rapid shifts to engineering education, sending students home and shifting classes online. The beliefs and values that engineering instructors and students have about how engineering should be taught and learned impacted this shift online in ways that could either help or hinder student learning. The pandemic provides an opportunity to understand which beliefs and values in engineering were stickiest and the most important to how students described their experiences. In order to understand how students described their experiences taking classes online during the pandemic, I interviewed 10 to 11 mechanical engineering students at two universities – one university in the United States and one in South Africa. I asked students to share stories about taking classes during the pandemic. I then analyzed their responses and looked for commonalities across their stories. I found that students talked about six common features of their experiences. First, students felt like their classes were hard, and they felt their classes should have been hard because that was part of what it means to study engineering. Second, students noticed that having a laptop and Wi-Fi became very important when all teaching and learning was happening online, and not having that access made learning more challenging. Third, students missed their in-person laboratory classes, which they also saw as central to engineering. Fourth, students at the university in South Africa talked about challenges with getting help with their classes because virtual learning made accessing instructor and peer help more difficult. Fifth, students at the university in the United States had concerns about finding jobs because the pandemic was impacting the economy and their ability to obtain internships. Sixth, students at the university in the United States were frustrated that the response to the pandemic wasn't more rooted in science. This study captures and reports students' stories about their experiences during the pandemic. By looking at how students talked about their experiences during the pandemic, this research identifies the stickiest features of engineering culture that remained constant through the pandemic as well as the features that changed due to the pandemic. Further, by comparing two countries, this work highlights which beliefs and values in engineering are widespread and which are not. Overall, this research aims to inform future educational responses to disasters as well as future change efforts in engineering.

One response to calls for broadening participation in engineering was the establishment of minority engineering programs (MEPs). Since their inception, MEPs have taken many forms with various functions and can be classified as engineering student support centers (ESSCs). Some ESSCs can be considered race-conscious, meaning they specifically focus on race/ethnicity in their support of engineering students. Prior literature points to race-conscious ESSCs as integral to the recruitment and retention of minoritized students in engineering. Despite their importance, race-conscious ESSCs have been met with various direct and indirect barriers threatening their organization's survival. To understand how race-conscious ESSCs have survived given consistent challenges, I conducted a multiple case study focused on exploring race-conscious ESSCs through the lens of organizational resilience. In this study, I interviewed founding and current directors, with a cumulation of 70+ years of experience, of three race-conscious ESSCs at large, public, predominately-white, R1 institutions. The findings from this study provide insight into the types of events, actions, and outcomes that inform the forms and functions of race-conscious ESSCs. I identified six types of events and four types of developments that were salient in leaders' descriptions of their ESSC's history. When considering the relationship between events and developments, some event types only occurred in connection with one type of development while others were in connection with two or more types of developments. This study aims to be a historical documentation of race-conscious ESSCs and events they have endured to remain a resource to racially minoritized engineering students. Additionally, this study contributes to the holistic understanding of ESSCs by using Kantur and Íserí-Say's Integrated Framework of Organizational Resilience as a tool for identifying the factors that enable these organizations to be resilient amid disruption. Lastly, this study adds to efforts calling for policy-makers, researchers, and practitioners to be mindful of the tradeoffs being made by race-conscious ESSCs in the name of resiliency and the unintended consequences of these actions. / Doctor of Philosophy / Since the 1970s, there have been national calls to broaden participation in engineering. One response to these calls was the establishment of minority engineering programs (MEPs) to recruit and support Black engineering students. Over time, MEPs have changed and taken new forms that can be classified as engineering student support centers (ESSCs). Some of these organizations are race-conscious and focus on race/ethnicity in their support of engineering students. These crucial support systems for Black engineering students have encountered obstacles threatening their organization's survival. I conducted a multiple case study to understand how three race-conscious ESSCs have survived so long despite these challenges. After talking to current and founding directors of these organizations, I found six types of events and four types of developments that were salient in their descriptions of their ESSC's history. Directors most frequently discussed how funding changes and engaging with members of their communities had impact on both themselves as the director and the organization. This study contributes to our understanding of how race-conscious ESSCs remain a resource for racially minoritized engineering students. Additionally, this study calls on policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to be mindful of the tradeoffs being made by race-conscious ESSCs in order to survive and the unintended consequences of these actions.

This case study described how a team of teachers, students, a parent, and a principal applied action research to study issues in an alternative school for at-risk students. The literature review indicated that action research could be used for school renewal, school reform, and educational change. The purpose of this study was to (1) describe the action research process followed, (2) study the role of the principal in the action research process, and (3) observe the interactions of the participants in an action research team. A case study methodology and a participant -observer technique was used in an action research team as the forum for implementing the process. The researcher in this single case study was the principal of the school. Data collection documents were field notes of the researcher, journals of the participants, and transcribed notes from interviews of selected participants. Data was sorted into bins for analysis of recurring patterns and convergence of themes across different data sources. / Ed. D.

Yes / With the advancement of technology, significant changes have been introduced into the learning and teaching environment. The importance of enhancing the interest of learners is an on-going challenge for educators of all levels. In this respect, teaching and learning practices are adapting to students¿ exposure to technological and social trends. In this presentation, a case study of using technology to enhance the learners¿ environment for engineering-based subjects in higher education is presented. The approach consists of delivering interactive materials through a Virtual Learning Environment and integrating web application technologies to enhance the learners¿ experience. Due to the vast subject areas in engineering and the variety of content of each subject, a general methodology is first identified and adopted. This consists of stages that show the progress from initial development to deployment of the materials, followed by evaluation of the module and further improvements carried out on the module based on qualitative evaluation. The evaluation process consists of the application of electronic surveys for feedback on the distance learning module. In addition, monitoring of the students¿ usage of the materials is also carried out. The presentation concludes with the presentation of the initial results from a current e-learning module.

Yes / `Research Seminar Series¿ is a 10-credit, Level M module offered to MSc/MEng students undertaking programmes in the areas of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Bradford. The module¿s aims are twofold: i) to disseminate stateoftheart information that could form the basis for future research programmes¿ and ii) to introduce the stages involved in the preparation and presentation of a research paper. / Higher Education Academy

The most widely used teaching method, lecture, results in students assuming a passive, non-thinking, information-receiving role. Due to the overwhelming use of lecture, teachers face the criticism that today's graduates lack the ability to think. Proponents claim that the decision case method recently introduced to the agriculture curriculum, will transform passive learners into active thinkers, problem solvers, and decision makers. A study was conducted to compare the effects of decision case and traditional lecture teaching methods on student cognitive learning and attitudes toward instruction. The study used a 2 x 2 factorial design. Students were randomly assigned to a teaching method and an instructor. Each instructor taught identical content using both a decision case and a traditional lecture method. Following instruction, each student completed a 40-question, multiple-choice cognitive exam, and a semantic differential attitude scale. Analysis of covariance techniques were used to test the research hypotheses. In this study, there were no significant differences in cognitive learning between students who received decision case or traditional lecture instruction. However, students receiving the decision case method had significantly more positive attitudes toward the instruction. / Master of Science

Decision-makers for road and stormwater infrastructure across America are faced with numerous problems that require immediate action. These decision-makers are faced with an option when the time arises to consider alternatives for these infrastructure systems: abide to the status quo solution or attempt a different strategy. Typically, these stakeholders choose solutions that are built to be rebuilt. Roadways and stormwater infrastructure provide two examples of infrastructure that requires constant modification and addition. However, other solutions provide opportunities that go against traditional decision-making and provide an opportunity to transform the surrounding land. Road diets remove lanes instead of building more. Green infrastructure such as river daylighting relies on natural land systems to solve problems. Both solutions share the ability to solve their respective problems while also revitalizing, or transforming the land surrounding them. However, barriers are presented to these solutions, such as scope uncertainty and funding sources. Case study research of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail and the Lick Run Greenway reveals that collaborative planning, goal framing, and unique funding structures are a few examples of overcoming barriers to innovative infrastructure. / Master of Science / As roadways and stormwater infrastructure across America is placed in an increasingly precarious position, decision-makers are tasked with designing innovative solutions. Typically, the solutions that are drawn up have been used countless times over decades of research. However, in the face of an uncertain climate and population effects, old solutions are less able to solve newer, bigger problems. Innovative infrastructure can not only perform its traditional duties, but also act as an attractor to cities. Road diets, which are projects that remove vehicle lanes, and river daylighting, which are projects that unearth piped streams to collect stormwater, are two types of transformative infrastructure. This research utilizes case studies of both to understand their barriers and how to overcome these barriers. The barriers that were found include uncertainty in the scale of the project as well as how to procure funds for the project. To overcome these barriers, a few findings include active community planning through open forums as well as selectively framing information of the projects to highlight their benefits.

This ethnographic case study investigates the diverse means and processes by which environmental identities were produced by five first grade students as they participated in an emergent, public school garden space. The children's histories, choices, personal and social experiences, expressions, and corresponding narratives are explored alongside the garden structure and social context to unpack the individualized and layered nature of children's environmental identity and care development. To locate and analyze children's engagements in the garden space, ethnographic, discourse, and narrative analysis methods are employed. The figured world concept is used to theorize and study the caring, environmental identities taken up and enacted by the children in this context. Through participation in emergent provocations, the creation and leveraging of garden artifacts, and investments in caring relationships, the children in this study shaped and cared for the garden space while it simultaneously shaped and cared for them. The environmental identity stories presented in this work broaden the definition of environmental identity to be more inclusive and less normalizing, thus, creating new spaces and moments for children to identify as environmentalists. The stories also raise implications for environmental education researchers to utilize more rigorous frameworks for investigating environmental care and identity development in the field. Findings from this research indicate that emergent garden spaces are potential sites for children to build relationships with nature in the public school. This is a significant practice for schools, as children today lack spaces in which to form environmental identities that implicate environmental care behaviors. / Ph. D.

Although Chris Kraus's I Love Dick has been largely read as autofictional or autotheoretical, I argue that its formal characteristics and innovations can be better understood by looking at seventeenth- and eighteenth-century precedents in the amatory epistolary genre. By examining the formal constraints that belong to the epistolary medium Kraus employed—requirements such as the "I" of the writer, the "you" of the receiver, and a desire for exchange—I show how she deploys epistolary tropes such as the woman in love as natural writer of letters, and the assumed truthful nature of such letters. These epistolary affordances and the ways in which I Love Dick uses and in part revises them allow Kraus to blur the line between reality and fiction, but more importantly allow her to achieve an expansion of the "I" of the writer through what I call her stalking method of writing. It is precisely in the process of writing and in the concomitant minimizing and objectifying of the "you" of the receiver that the expansion of the "I" occurs. / Master of Arts / Chris Kraus's first novel I Love Dick was published by Semiotext(e)'s Native Agent series in 1997, but it was upon its second edition in 2006, and after a television adaptation by Jill Soloway in 2017, that the novel found a larger audience. Since then, critics have mainly discussed I Love Dick in relation to the genre of autotheory and autofiction, and called it the urtext for a certain kind of North American female writing that relies heavily on real, personal experiences that undergo varying degrees of fictionalization. While these are valuable interpretations, my research aims to correct an oversight in the current discourse around I Love Dick. By situating the novel within the tradition of love letter writing in the female voice, I show how I Love Dick employs and revises the affordances of the epistolary medium in general, and of the amatory epistolary genre in particular. Through a close analysis both of I Love Dick and of other lesser-known essays and interviews, as well as an analysis of Kraus's precedents, both in the Native Agent's series that she edited in the 1990s and in the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century amatory epistolary fiction, I reveal paradoxes that ultimately make I Love Dick a complex and ambiguous novel that defies simple categorizations.

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