abstract: There has been a growing emphasis on the education of future generations of engineers who will have to tackle complex, global issues that are sociotechnical in nature. The National Science Foundation invests millions of dollars in interdisciplinary engineering education research (EER) to create an innovative and inclusive culture aimed at radical change in the engineering education system. This exploratory research sought to better understand ways of thinking to address complex educational challenges, specifically, in the context of engineering-social sciences collaborations. The mixed methods inquiry drew on the ways of thinking perspectives from sustainability education to adapt futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking to the context of EER. Using the adapted framework, nine engineer-social scientist dyads were interviewed to empirically understand conceptualizations and applications of futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking. The qualitative results informed an original survey instrument, which was distributed to a sample of 310 researchers nationwide. Valid responses (n = 111) were analyzed to uncover the number and nature of factors underlying the scales of futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking. Findings illustrate the correlated, multidimensional nature of ways of thinking. Results from the qualitative and quantitative phases were also analyzed together to make recommendations for policy, teaching, research, and future collaborations. The current research suggested that ways of thinking, while perceived as a concept in theory, can and should be used in practice. Futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking, when used in conjunction could be an important tool for researchers to frame decisions regarding engineering education problem/solution constellations. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Learning, Literacies and Technologies 2019

Task interpretation is a critical first step in the process of self-regulated learning and a key determinant of the goals students set while learning and the criteria used in selecting the strategy in their work. Laboratory activities have been proposed to improve students' conceptual understanding when working independently and alongside peers while integrating new experiences in a lab setting. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the explicit and implicit aspects of student's interpretation of the task assigned during laboratory work may change during the task process, and how that interpretation may influence the student's coregulation and conceptual understanding. One-hundred and forty-three sophomore students enrolled in the course of Fundamental Electronics for Engineers participated in this study. Instruments designed to measure task interpretation and conceptual understanding were created and validated in a pilot study. They were applied before and after selected laboratory activities during the semester. The instrument used to measure correlation was applied at the end of every selected laboratory activity. Statistical analysis indicated differences between the student's task interpretation before and after the laboratory activity. Students improved in approximately 15% in the level of task interpretation. From the 143 students, only 37 of them were identified with high levels of task interpretation and coregulation. Moreover, Pearson correlations identified a positive correlation between the students' task interpretation and conceptual understanding of the students during the laboratory work. Findings suggested students' task interpretation changed during the task process and increased after the completion of laboratory activity. Overall, the findings showed a low level of task interpretation. However, students with a high level of task interpretation reached high levels of coregulation. Findings confirmed previous research that round students generally have an incomplete understanding of the assigned tasks, and struggle to establish a connection between laboratory activities and theory. Lastly, this study reported a significant relationship between students' task interpretation and conceptual understanding in laboratory work which has not been reported in the most recent published reports. Further investigation is necessary to unveil other factors related to these constructs in order to engage students in laboratory work.

Effective learning models adopt a highly structured approach for introductory topics, then provide students more freedom as topics increase in depth and complexity. The structure guides beginning students with rapid, appropriate feedback and provides a framework that can be expanded later with extra flexibility that encourages students to flesh out the basic framework with trial and error. This trial and error phase would also be more effective with informative feedback but providing copious feedback on open-ended problems is only feasible with a small student-to-teacher ratio or with the help of e-learning. Training engineers involves introducing many complex topics and the educational costs are high, making the use of e-learning an important training opportunity. This project introduced a novel e-learning system to engineering students in an introductory course. An experiment compared a highly structured electronic game with a more traditional, flipped classroom teaching approach. The novel learning method is intended to engage students with a consistent cognitive load as they progress through increasingly difficult learning experiences within the MySQL database querying language. Performance was measured with a post-task exercise. Task load was measured using an unweighted NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). The two cohorts experienced both learning methods in two training sessions in opposite order. In the first session, participants in the current learning method group outperformed the participants in the game group (a score of 95.78 versus 93.94), but the second session was a reverse of these results (92.79 and 95.76). The task load indices also follow this pattern, with participants in the current group recording a lower task load than the game group in session one and a higher load in session two. However, as the training progressed in each session the task load increased less for the game group than for the current group, indicating that the game group experienced a more consistent task load, as expected. The game tended to extend the time that students stayed at a comfortable but challenging cognitive load, while the students in current training group experienced more periods of very low or very high cognitive load. This consistent task load may be responsible for the game producing better results on the more difficult content of the second week. We expect that as the game techniques improve, this will lead to more consistently efficient learning acquisition. We expect that the general technique may be adapted to other training areas, yielding broader educational efficiency.

This research was conducted to determine if students receiving complex systems instruction in the form of software simulations recognize patterns and underlying elements of complex systems more effectively than students receiving traditional instruction. Complex systems were investigated with an analytic (reductive) approach in a control group and with a synthesis approach in the treatment group. Exploration of this top-down approach to learning complex systems counters traditional bottom-up methodologies, investigating systems and subsystems at the component level. The hypothesis was that students experiencing complex systems scenarios in a computer-based learning environment would outperform their counterparts by constructing a greater number of explanations with emergent-like responses. A mixed method experimental, pretest posttest, control group triangulation design research study was designed for high school students enrolled in an Introduction to Technology and Engineering course. A pretest consisting of one open-ended near transfer problem and one far transfer problem was administered, investigating the generation of reductive (clockwork) and complex (emergent-like) mental models. A stratified sampling procedure was used to assign students to control or treatment groups. Following treatment, an analysis of covariance failed to reveal statistically significant evidence supporting the hypothesis. However, qualitative data in the form of student transcriptions, daily lab reports, and data entry worksheets revealed evidence of emergent-like response and behaviors.

Due to the social context of engineering classrooms, stereotype threat (STT) may play an essential role in the dearth of African American females in engineering. Empirical studies have confirmed the deleterious effects STT has on students' performance. However, acceptance of STT as more than a laboratory phenomenon necessitates an in-depth understanding of how stigmatized groups experience being socially devalued and negatively stereotyped. In this qualitative investigation, Intersectionality and the Critical Race Theory tenet of counter-storytelling were applied to capture the voices of 10 African American women to comprehend how they resisted or overcame STT and persisted in engineering degree programs. Data were triangulated from two different semi-structured interviews and reading reactions submitted by each participant. Findings reveal four characteristic themes shared by the participants: (a)Proof Stereotype Threat Exists; (b) Primary Contributors of Stereotype Threat; (c) Secondary Factors; and (d) Tools for Persisting. Based on participants’ narratives, 6 recommendations are offered to assist African American female students combat STT and persist in engineering.

Today, postsecondary engineering education stands perched on the edge of transformation. A precursor to impending change is national recognition that nontraditional students—adults and working students with socioeconomic backgrounds not currently well-represented in engineering education—possess untapped potential to improve the diversity as well as increase the size of the U.S. engineering workforce. To support nontraditional student participation in engineering, a qualitative investigation was undertaken to examine the ways in which nontraditional engineering undergraduates defined and experienced success during their engineering education. It is thought that, through a deeper, richer understanding of the ways in which the nontraditional engineering undergraduates overcome barriers and experience success, newer, more impactful alternative pathways that assist nontraditional students in becoming part of the engineering profession can be envisioned and developed. During this study, 14 nontraditional student participants were purposefully sampled from the population of undergraduates who participated in a distance-delivered, alternative engineering transfer program offered at a western, land-grant, public university between 2009-2015. Qualitative data from in-depth interviews were used to co-develop life history–style narratives for each of the participants. Completed narratives chronologically ordered and richly described the participants’ experiences leading up to, happening during, and occurring after their engineering education. Narrative analysis revealed that the nontraditional student participants viewed their own educational success contextually, relationally, and in terms of their long-term goals for social mobility through engineering careers. Additionally, the distance-delivered alternative engineering transfer program was seen to promote their educational success in three ways: a) working to promote long-range career goals through job market signaling, b) enabling academic bootstrapping in an adult learning environment, and c) maintaining connection to community-based support through place. Recommendations for engineering programs that seek to broaden nontraditional student participation are offered.

An educational researcher sought to collaborate with a classroom instructor to introduce problem-based learning as a new teaching intervention. First, a classroom instructor was approached to consider how a problem-based learning instructional approach might fit with their existing curriculum plan. The researcher and the classroom teacher used a discussion framework to decide together how to best design a professional learning course meant to prepare the teacher to use the new techniques in their classroom. The teacher took the professional learning course and subsequently designed his own problem-based learning course. That course was then delivered to undergraduate students in a college senior thermo-fluids lab course. Quantitative and qualitative data describe how students recognized the connection between the lab course and their perceptions of a future career as engineers. Preliminary findings suggest the researcher and teacher professional learning codesign process contributed positively to the classroom teachers developing and delivering their own PBL course that was perceived by students to contribute positively to their content knowledge, motivation and perception of their future career as engineers.

A significant number of engineers move into management positions, their numbers increasing with their length of service. However, engineers are not considered to be effective managers and are generally considered inadequate in soft skills. Given the centrality of engineers and management, understanding this transition is essential in order to develop strategies for managing. This research is an exploratory field-based study of the transition of professional engineers into management roles (engineer-managers) in Australia, from the perspective of the individual engineer. The study investigates the attitudes of engineers towards such areas as engineering education, towards managerial transition, status, organizational support systems, and strategies for managing transition, and examines their influence on the process of transition. Importantly, this research examines the influence of factors such as job nature, management qualifications, age, employing organizations, and other variables on their attitudes, and studies the differences between various subgroups of engineers. This research is based on the results of a case study and a questionnaire survey. An important outcome of this research is the focus on the process of engineering education. This research concludes that different emphases in the process of teaching and learning would contribute, in the long run, to engineers developing soft skills, and so make their transition into management easier. The study found that electrical engineers are more proactive than civil or mechanical engineers and that it is necessary to develop different strategies for different groups of engineers. The study observed that the higher the status of professional engineers within an organization, the greater was the likelihood of success. Supporting the anecdotal evidence from the case study, it is noted that the more engineers there are in management positions, the better the perception of senior management about their capabilities. This study found that management education for engineers has a strong influence, both in terms of their acquiring managerial skills as well as enhancing their status within their organization. Experiential learning, though, is the most common method by which engineers acquire managerial skills. The study also found that this is the least-managed strategy in Australian organizations; learning is left entirely to the individual. For engineers to be able to take advantage of experiential learning, better management is necessary / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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In the recent years, more and more manufacturing firms recognize the benefit of providing products together with related services with an aim to gain higher profits as compared to supplying products without additional services. On the other hand, the competition in the global markets has been increased dramatically through increased sales of services in order to gain additional value for their products. In addition, several environmental challenges such as climate change, pollution, global warming impact, greenhouse gases emissions have played a vital role by influencing on the production protocols and trend of the companies. These challenges forced manufacturing countries to take into consideration environmentally conscious approach to their design thinking and industrial production processes. As a result, it became an important drive for manufacturing industries to shift from traditional product-oriented to service-oriented business models that has been witnessed during the last few years.   The objective of this study research is to develop common questions that capture fundamental and common issues about Integrated Product Service Engineering (IPSE), Design for Environment (DFE) and Engineering education are effectives for industries to check and develop their knowledge, because the Engineering education plays a necessary role in associating socio-ethical knowledge with scientific and technological advances. The strategy taken to conduct this thesis task was first to study and understand the concept of Product Service System (PSS), IPSE, and Ecodesign as well as Engineering Education. Informative knowledge on these concepts were collected by reviewing several related journal articles, CIRP IPS2 conference proceedings.   In this thesis the concepts of PSS, IPSE, DFE and Engineering Education discussed to develop the key common questions and issues to address the environmental, economic and social problems. Since PSS aims to reduce consumption through alternative schemes of product use as well as to increase overall resource productivity and dematerialization, but IPSE does not focus on a single factor but incorporates a wide range of factors such as environmental, social and economic issues. Whilst one of the main problems in this research focused on how to develop and strengthen the relationship between the academia and industry, and how this relation can be used to improve the academic performance and scientific research at universities and transfer them to industry.   Sustainability and the life cycle concept have become a main solution for various problems such as a growing world population and a change in the industrial culture to come. As results Ecodesign and environmental considerations, financial aspects, product improvement as well as the commercial aspects were discussed in this project by understanding the previous concepts. The university considered as an important base of cultivating the talents, basic of inputs business organizations which help them to develop and improve their level of performance and quality of their products and services, and enhance its competitive position in the market. Changes in organized science further encouraged university interests in expanding technology transfer, because the scientific disciplines play an important role in influencing the type of interactions with industry as well as the University and Industry collaboration became the basic method of solving the problems to achieve (environmental, economic and social) sustainability.