Engineering Education Community Research Articles

Factors Affecting Sustainability-Related Career Expectations among Engineering Undergraduates in China: An Empirical Study Based on a Modified College Impact Model.

The international engineering education community has reached a consensus regarding the need to enhance engineering students' awareness of and capability to provide sustainable services in their future careers. Based on a modified college impact model, this study analyzed the impacts of curricular emphasis, curricular instruction, and sustainability-related career self-efficacy on the sustainability-related career expectations of engineering students and investigated the moderating effects of gender on the relationships among the research variables. The results show that both curricular emphasis and curricular instruction have direct positive effects on the sustainability-related career expectations of engineering students; sustainability-related career self-efficacy plays a partial mediating role in this process; and gender significantly moderates the influence of curricular emphasis and curricular instruction on sustainability-related career expectations. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence that can be used by higher education institutions and engineering educators to enhance the belief of engineering students in their ability to solve sustainability-related issues in their future careers and promote the diversification of engineering education.

Engineering Education: Challenges for Innovation

“Engineering Education: Challenges for Innovation” is the scope of the 1 International Conference of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education (in Portuguese: Sociedade Portuguesa para a Educacao em Engenharia, SPEE) [1]. SPEE is a young society now completing four years since its public presentation and launching by the Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto, in February 19, 2010. During its first 12 months of activity, SPEE has launched its working groups named “Ethics in Engineering”, “Continuing Education in Engineering” and “Information Technologies” and, later in 2011, the last one called “Tools to Develop Higher Order Thinking Skills”. The Society was attaining by then its own internal momentum and so, developing the capabilities to go further with similar international associations. So, in October 2011 SPEE, in cooperation with the International Society for Engineering Education (IGIP), SPEE had its first official participation in an International Conference, in the SPEE-IGIP Flash Moment within the 1 World Engineering Education Flash Week. In 2012 the Society carried on with the organization of a Special Track “Talking about Teaching 2012” in the IGIP Annual Conference 2012 (Villach, Austria) and also has launched the call for an International Conference of the Society among its members. And this has been the smooth but firm way for reaching in 2013 its 1 International Conference CISPEE2013, in Porto, Portugal, complemented by the second TaT Special Track within IGIP Annual Conference 2013, TaT’13, in Kazan, Russia. During TaT’12 and TaT’13, Special Issues of the International Journal for Engineering Pedagogy have been published and now, the present Special Issue, will be again propagating works accomplishing one of the missions of the SPEE – to promote Engineering Education by sharing experiences, projects, results and discussions in order to contribute for research and for teachers' scientific and professional development. This has also been the purpose of its Newsletters, which brought, when it was launched and every three months, the cooperation of national and international societies and organizations as well as the Society members and international colleagues [2]. In this way, SPEE “will carry on performing its important task within the engineering education community, blessed with the devoted commitment of its members and the invaluable cooperation of international colleagues and sister societies” [3]. The Polytechnic of Porto – School of Engineering (IPP/ISEP) hosted CISPEE2013 on October 31 and November 1, 2013, in Porto, Portugal. CISPEE2013 received 80 submissions (with authors from 21 different nationalities), from which 48 were accepted as full papers (60% acceptance rate), 18 were proposed for presentation as posters, 10 were rejected and 4 were considered not valid. All submissions were double blind reviewed by at least 3 independent reviewers, with conflicting cases raising additional reviews. This procedure allowed ensuring a high-quality technical program with 8 oral presentation sessions devoted to (1) Designing Courses for Higher Order Thinking, (2) Role of Engineers and Engineering Education in Society, (3) Computers and Mobile Devices in Egineering Education, (4) Problem Solving and Creativity, (5) Using Online Tools to Facilitate Learning, (6) Mathematical Competences and Computacional Tools for Teaching Mathematics in Engineering, (7) Research Aspects in Engineering Education, and (8) Engineering Education Case Studies. The present Special Issue contains a selection of highly rated papers, from CISPEE2013, whose authors were asked to incorporate at least 30% of new / revised material, in relation to the version presented at the conference and included in its proceedings, indexed by IEEE Xplore [4]. We sincerely hope you appreciate reading this selection.

Engineering survivors: Students who persisted through academic failures

AbstractBackgroundIn the United States, the current 6‐year completion rate in engineering is a mere 54% among full‐time students who enter a 4‐year course. Researchers have identified many reasons why students leave engineering, including academic difficulties and poor teaching. However, the problems experienced by the departing students are also experienced by students who persist in engineering. Why do some students persist in engineering while others depart?PurposeWe sought to better understand persisters by investigating their responses to failure experiences. We left the definition of failure up to the students, who described experiences such as failing exams, failing courses, and temporarily abandoning their degree programs.Design/MethodWe interviewed 26 undergraduate engineering students who had persisted in engineering after failing a required technical course. Using thematic analysis, we analyzed the students' responses to their failure experiences and developed themes to describe their responses.ResultsWe constructed four themes to describe students' responses to failure experiences: unresponsive, avoidant, floundering, and rebounding.ConclusionsSince failure events are common among engineering students—even those who persist—we recommend that the engineering education community work toward removing the stigma traditionally associated with failure by normalizing failure as an opportunity for growth. We also recommend that faculty and administrators revise academic policies to promote student resilience and to enable learning from failure.

Stubborn boundaries: the iron ring ritual as a case of mapping, resisting, and transforming Canadian engineering ethics

This article explores the historical context and ongoing discussions of the iron ring ritual, a prominent tradition in Canadian engineering. We employ discourse analysis to describe and analyze components of the ritual itself, as well as more recent texts related to contemporary conversations about the ritual. We apply Alice Pawley’s scholarship on boundary work in engineering as an analytical framework and find the ritual has served to reproduce and map boundaries around engineering ethics and responsibility in Canada, and numerous actors have resisted those boundaries based on opposition to the colonial, misogynistic, and Christian values embedded in the ritual, as well as the ritual’s framing of engineering agency and responsibility. We reflect on the lessons this case can offer for members of the Canadian engineering and engineering education communities, as well as for those interested in the power and complexity of humanistic interventions in engineering.

<p>Critical Incidents in Ways of Experiencing Ethical Engineering Practice</p>

Background: Ethics is a required outcome for engineering education programs, but few studies focus on how workforce experiences lead to changes in how engineers experience ethics in practice. By identifying what incidents influence the ways that engineers come to experience ethical engineering practice, we can more effectively design post-secondary pedagogy based on these experiences. Purpose: We address the research question, “What types of critical incidents influence engineers’ ways of experiencing ethical engineering practice?” By identifying and categorizing critical incidents, we aim to provide the engineering education community with strategies and stories that they can embed in post-secondary engineering ethics curriculums. Design/Method: We employed a semi-structured interview protocol to solicit experiences with ethical engineering practice among 43 engineers from a variety of engineering disciplines and who were all currently working in the health products industry. While the interviews focused on ways of experiencing ethical engineering practice, many participants discussed critical change-inducing incidents therein. Thus, we used critical incident technique to identify and synthesize influential workforce experiences in their ethical practice. Results We identified 106 critical incidents, or workforce experiences that led to a change in how engineers viewed or practiced ethical engineering. We grouped incidents into 17 critical incident types, which represent patterns of events or behaviors that led to a change or reinforcement in ethical practice. We grouped incident types into five categories: (1) Cultural Immersions, (2) Interpersonal Encounters; (3) Ethical Actions, (4) Ethical Failures, and (5) Mentorship Events. Conclusion: This study can inform educational change efforts by ensuring that such efforts are grounded in and based on the lived experiences of practicing engineers. We found that Cultural Immersions was the most prominent type of critical incident among participants, and thus we emphasize the import of supporting student awareness of organizational culture, including how it informs one’s ethical views and practices. Based on the range of incident types, we also emphasize how instructors might consider and build the multitude of incident types and categories to implement pedagogy aligned with workforce experiences.

In pursuit of impact: Toward a contextualized theory of professional agency of engineering education scholars

AbstractBackgroundEngineering education scholars (EES) seek to advance innovation, excellence, and access within education systems and the engineering profession. To advance such efforts, the intentional and strategic actions taken by scholars must be better understood.Purpose/HypothesisThis study aimed to advance the field's understanding of agency toward impact by (1) closely examining the experiences of early career EES pursuing impact in engineering education and (2) co‐constructing a contextualized theory of agency. We define agency as taking strategic actions or perspectives toward professional goals that matter to oneself and goals that relate to impacting engineering education.Design/MethodBuilding on previous work about faculty agency, we leveraged approaches from grounded theory and integrated multiple qualitative approaches to analyze our experiences as six early career EES over the course of a 4‐year longitudinal study.ResultsSeven key insights about the professional agency toward impact in engineering education of early career EES emerged from the analysis. The contextualized theory and resulting visual representation illustrate this agency as a cyclical process with three components: (1) the factors influencing one's agency, (2) the agentic process itself, and (3) the output of the agentic process.ConclusionsOur co‐constructed contextualized theory extends previous work by incorporating the temporal nature of agency, the generation and assessment of available moves, and the importance of feedback on future agentic practices. Our results have implications on how the engineering education community supports graduate students, early career scholars, and new members in their efforts to impact change.

Exploring Transdisciplinarity in Engineering Education and Practice: A Review of Literature and Existing Initiatives

This paper is situated in the recent interest within engineering education communities in adopting transdisciplinary practices as well as the evolving scholarship and discussions on transdisciplinarity (TD) in broader contexts over the past few decades. We first introduce a historical overview of the discussions and scholarly work on TD, from which we identify some features of a transdisciplinary orientation. Further, we examine the website information of nine TD-explicit initiatives and seven cross-disciplinary initiatives in postsecondary settings across the world—in light of two general approaches to TD (the Nicolescuian approach and the Zurich approach) and the identified TD-oriented features. Our reviews exhibit the commonalities and differences between transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary initiatives, and a notable divide between TD-related theories and practices. Our findings also reveal opportunities and challenges in pursuing transdisciplinary activities in engineering education and practice. We call for a fundamental conceptual change to enable a real transformation toward transdisciplinarity.

Use of SPICE Circuit Simulation to Guide Written Reflections and Metacognition

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Contribution:</i> Reflection is a critical skill because it involves thinking about and reviewing one’s work. It contributes to self-regulatory, metacognitive behaviors when practiced regularly. In this research, a unique approach to promote reflection via SPICE simulation after quizzes in a microelectronics course was studied. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Background:</i> This study aligns with recent calls from the engineering education community for increased use of systematic reflection. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Intended Outcomes:</i> Anticipating the lack of experience with reflection, the authors intended for students to gain experience and realize its benefits. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Application Design:</i> Repeated reflection occurred with the review of weekly quiz or exam results after submission via SPICE and question prompts. Reflections were analyzed by the authors for depth. Pre and postsurveys assessed student perspectives on reflection. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Findings:</i> When reflective depth levels after an initial quiz were associated with subsequent exam results, students who achieved significantly higher results unexpectedly reflected at the lowest level. This suggested the prompts were not designed to challenge all students to reflect. After a subsequent quiz, an overall lower average depth level and an increased number of reflections at the lowest depth level suggested potential fatigue with the reflective prompts. The presurvey had illustrated the lack of experience with reflection and hence, an opportunity. The postsurvey demonstrated highly positive views on reflection, including the development of metacognitive skills. Although the question prompts were likely not designed for optimal reflection, repeated reflection nonetheless made a positive impression on students in need of such experience. Applying these lessons learned may therefore lead to even greater outcomes with reflection.

Applying Concepts from Political Science and Economics to Advance the Study of Engineering Education

<strong>Background:</strong> There are myriad social, political, and economic factors that influence decision-making processes in and around engineering education. Although the engineering education community may study those processes and their effects using a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods, a more systematic use of concepts from political science and economics could help advance the study of engineering education. <strong>Purpose:</strong> In this article, we outline concepts and tools from the study of political science and economics that can help clarify aspects of the engineering education system that many researchers may already intuit by providing precise language and analytical formalisms to describe and explain aspects of engineering education more directly. <strong>Scope:</strong> By way of introduction to the field of engineering education, we begin by outlining definitions. We then illustrate six main phenomena within engineering education where researchers can potentially apply these ideas to further understand and improve elements of how we educate engineers. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> By focusing on the political and economic factors influencing engineering education, researchers, faculty members, administrators, and/or stakeholders can have an alternative set of conceptual tools at their disposal for studying, analyzing, and changing engineering education systems.

Improving Student Learning of Impulse and Momentum in Particle Dynamics Through Computer Simulation and Animation

Computer simulation and animation (CSA) is educational technology in which computer programs are employed to simulate and animate real-world physical phenomena and processes. CSA has attracted growing attention and received an increasing number of applications in the international science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education community in recent years. The present study focuses on developing and assessing two CSA learning modules for improving student learning and problem-solving related to impulse and momentum in particle dynamics. Both CSA learning modules integrate mathematical problem-solving procedures into computer simulation and animation. They have interactive computer graphical user interfaces, which enable students to change input variables and visualize how output variables change accordingly. A quasi-experimental, quantitative research study was performed, involving 285 undergraduate engineering students divided into a comparison group that did not use CSA and an intervention group that used CSA. The results of statistical non-parametric analysis on the data collected from pre- and post-tests on the two groups show that, on average, the intervention group achieved more learning gains than the comparison group by 44% and 40% from two CSA learning modules, respectively. The difference in learning gains between the two groups of student participants was statistically significant.

Lessons Learned: Hands-on Fluids Lab in Remote Delivery Mode

With the advent of the COVID-19 outbreak, major disruptions were witnessed in the engineering education community, especially with regards to course delivery. With the subsequent cancelation of in-person classes, transition to remote delivery had to be swift, and both faculty and students had to face many challenges, not the least of which was how to handle course-integrated laboratory exercises. At Grand Valley State University, while the traditional in-person classrooms were converted to virtual classrooms with relative ease, a major concern was the delivery of the accompanying laboratories for certain courses, especially fluid mechanics. The fluid mechanics lab, which requires extensive hands-on experience, is woven into the lecture component; therefore, it was concerning that the students would miss this vital component, resulting in a greatly diminished experience. Several possibilities ranging from canceling the lab to simply providing data for the students to analyze were considered. Ultimately, to preserve the conceptual and mechanical literacies, it was decided to incorporate the hands-on approach by requiring students to conduct certain experiments at-home using readily available (or easy to purchase) supplies and analyze the collected data. This paper demonstrates several innovative ideas that were implemented to enable students to better comprehend fluid mechanics concepts through engaging hands-on experiments. A total of eleven different labs and a project were conducted during the remote semester. Of the eleven labs, six required students to conduct at-home experiments in addition to the experiments conducted onsite. For ten of the eleven labs, the authors conducted experiments onsite and provided students with data for further analysis; aspects of some, but not all, onsite experiments were video recorded for the students, but the at-home experiments were demonstrated by video. The students welcomed the at-home experiments and indicated that it was vital in their understanding of certain fundamental concepts while being fun at the same time. Assessment indicated that this approach seemed to be effective in terms of outcomes with respect to fluid mechanics (cross-sectional study), but the aspects of deep learning and confidence did significantly decrease performance in the subsequent advanced course, heat transfer (long-term study).

Process for Faculty-Driven, Data-Informed Curriculum Continuity Review in Biomedical Engineering

Gaps, redundancies, and bottlenecks in undergraduate curricula can markedly affect faculty teaching courses and the successful preparation of students for the professional biomedical engineering workforce. Anecdotal observations from faculty of potential curriculum deficiencies, the rapidly changing landscape of biomedical engineering education, the changing workplaces of professional biomedical engineers, and accreditation agencies’ mandates to continuously improve provide the impetus to review curriculum continuity. A robust framework for curriculum review is required. This paper presents a seven-step Curriculum Continuity Checkup Process (C3P). The faculty-driven, data-informed process involved multiple stakeholders and qualitative and quantitative data over a 12-month period. During the C3P, course learning outcomes were clarified, a comprehensive set of curriculum outcomes developed, and a curriculum map developed to assess gaps, redundancies, and bottlenecks in a process-oriented fashion. Implications of results on curriculum revision and conclusions about the use of the C3P for the biomedical engineering education community are discussed.

Roles of Advances in Engineering Education and Journal of Engineering Education for the engineering education community

Roles of <i>Advances in Engineering Education</i> and <i>Journal of Engineering Education</i> for the engineering education community

The social construction of professional shame for undergraduate engineering students

AbstractBackgroundShame is a deeply painful emotion people feel when they perceive that they have fallen short of socially constructed expectations. In this study, professional shame refers to shame experiences that stem from people's perceptions that they have failed to meet expectations or standards that are relevant to their identities in a professional domain. While socially constructed expectations placed on engineering students have been implicitly addressed in the engineering education literature, they have rarely been the subject of specific inquiry.PurposeAs part of a broader study on professional shame in engineering, we investigated the co‐construction of social worlds that place expectations on engineering students.MethodWe conducted 10 ethnographic focus groups with undergraduate engineering students from two universities. These groups were either heterogeneous or homogeneous, regarding racial and gender identity, to examine multiple social realities.ResultsWe present significant findings related to engineering students' collective noticing, defining, and experiencing of social worlds. The findings give a sense of overlapping but distinct social realities among student groups and highlight how failing to meet expectations can contribute to deeply painful emotional responses. We also note when students' responses reproduce, resist, or redefine the broader cultural norms in which the students are embedded.ConclusionsThe study has implications for the theoretical exploration of shame, engineering education research on identity and diversity and inclusion, and the messaging and interactions in which the engineering education community engages.

THE IMPLICIT CANADIAN RESEARCH AGENDA FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION: 2019

Given the growth of the engineering education community in Canada, we argue that a research agendathat reflects our own identity and interests is needed. To start this conversation, we conducted a content analysis of the 2019 CEEA-ACEG conference proceedings to investigate the implicit Canadian research agenda for engineering education. We analyzed five characteristics: publications’ stream, level of collaboration, authors’ affiliations and, more importantly, their research topicsand areas. We found that the Canadian EER community is very practice-oriented, collaborative and that mostuniversities were represented at the conference. Also, seven main research areas were identified: Assessment,Teaching and Learning, Students, Faculty, Organizational, Engineering Education Discipline, and Philosophy of Engineering. Among these areas, Teaching and Learning is, by far, the one that received the most attention.

The Time is Now to Build a Culture of Wellness in Engineering

Prior to the rapid onset of COVID-19, higher education faced a mental health crisis. The COVID-19 outbreak both created and exacerbated stressors for students, with early evidence suggesting that the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on student mental health. The response of the engineering education community to adapt instruction during the pandemic has demonstrated our ability to quickly adapt and reimagine engineering education to protect student physical health. What can we learn from the COVID-19 crisis to address mental health and prioritize student wellness? Engineering culture has been described as having ideals of toughness and hardship that may promote poor self-care. As we reimagine higher education after COVID-19, we have the opportunity to build a culture of wellness in engineering to support student mental health and wellness, shifting the narrative in engineering from one of suffering to one of thriving.

New Perspectives for Implementing Grounded Theory

Background: Grounded theory has evolved to become one of the most prominent qualitative approaches in social science research. However, this methodology has been adopted in a variety of ways across the engineering education landscape, reflecting and amplifying debates surrounding the nature and quality of grounded theory research. This can be problematic for novice researchers and those new to the methodology and may potentially limit its application and theoretical contributions to the field. Purpose: In this theoretical manuscript, we reflect on the evolution of grounded theory and its core tenets to implore engineering education to think about the ways we can collectively conceptualize, interpret, and implement this methodology. By gaining a greater understanding of the paradigmatic underpinnings and practices of grounded theory, scholars in engineering education will be better equipped to assess the affordances and limitations of this approach and identify when, why, and how it is appropriate for implementation in their work. Scope: First, we discuss the historical and paradigmatic underpinnings of three grounded theory traditions: classic, pragmatic, and constructivist grounded theory. Second, we describe the difference between implementing grounded theory methodology versus applying grounded theory methods. Third, we compare and clarify points of confusion often encountered in conducting grounded theory studies. Lastly, we offer a reconceptualized perspective of grounded theory and implications for expanding its use in the engineering education community. Discussion/Conclusions: We encourage engineering education researchers to position grounded theory as a living methodology that not only generates new theory, but also bridges past and current research by deepening methodological and theoretical connections across contexts. Reconceptualizing grounded theory allows us to more intentionally account for evolving cultural nuances that influence the engineering education experience as to further broaden participation in the field and the impacts of our work.

Early Career Faculty Transitions: Negotiating Legitimacy and Seeking Support in Engineering Education

<strong>Background:</strong> There is limited research exploring the experiences of engineering education scholars transitioning into faculty positions. It is an opportune time to explore these transitions because there is a growing number of scholars identifying with the community, a growing number of doctoral programs being developed, and growing interest in hiring people with engineering education expertise. <strong>Purpose/Hypothesis:</strong> The purpose of this study is to examine the transitions experienced by our research team of early career engineering education faculty. We describe and systematically analyze our personal experiences to capture the significant events and isolating factors that impacted our transitions. <strong>Design/Method:</strong> We engaged in a multiphase, multi-method, longitudinal research design grounded in collaborative autoethnography and collaborative inquiry. We leveraged Transition Theory and a multiple case study approach to examine written reflections recorded monthly for two years and ultimately identify the incidents that were critical to defining our experiences within our new roles. <strong>Results:</strong> While we each held positions in different institutional contexts, we found ourselves negotiating our legitimacy as faculty members, researchers, educators, and administrators. Three themes emerged: 1) understanding the expectations of our roles, 2) establishing our visibility, and 3) fulfilling our own purpose within our institutions. In response to these experiences, we sought support from others within our institutional context and among the engineering education community. Yet, the success of this support-seeking strategy varied across our group. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> The results of this work signify a need to support early career engineering education scholars in the development of local support networks as well as in their attempts to negotiate their legitimacy in faculty positions. Continued education of administrators and faculty members on the differences between engineering education research and scholarship will be helpful in ensuring that early career engineering education faculty have the support and resources necessary to succeed as researchers and educational change agents.

Entrepreneurial intent of engineering and business undergraduate students

AbstractBackgroundIn recent years, technological innovation and entrepreneurship have been emphasized in engineering education. There is a need to better understand which individual‐ and contextual‐level factors are related to engineering students' entrepreneurial intentions.Purpose/HypothesisThis study explores individual and contextual predictors of entrepreneurial intent among undergraduate women and men in engineering and business majors. Entrepreneurial intent is defined as the personal importance that students ascribe to starting a new business or organization.Design/MethodThe participants included 518 engineering and 471 business undergraduates from 51 U.S. colleges and universities. We examined relationships first by discipline and then by gender in each discipline using regression models with interaction terms.ResultsInnovation orientation and participation in entrepreneurship activities tied to intent more strongly for engineering students than for business students; in contrast, being at a research institution and selection of novel goals tied to intent more strongly for business students than for their engineering peers. Among engineering students only, being able to switch gears and apply alternative means for reaching one's goal in the face of setbacks was positively related with women's entrepreneurial intent but not with men's.ConclusionsEntrepreneurial intent is a function of individual‐level characteristics and academic and social contexts, with some degree of discipline‐specific effects. Diversifying the community of aspiring engineering entrepreneurs is a critical issue that merits attention by the engineering education community.

Assessing the Impact of Reflective Activities in Digital and Analog Electronics Courses

Contribution: This paper demonstrates positive outcomes from reflection-on-action by engineering students, including meaningful insights on their performance, professional and academic practices, and design knowledge as well as promising preliminary exam results. Background: Literature from the engineering education community underlines the benefits of reflection-based upon theories, such as Experiential Learning Theory, and calls for additional use of reflection in engineering education and associated scholarly work. Intended Outcomes: The authors intended for students to obtain meaningful academic and professional insights with implications for their future performance and to perform better on subsequent related exams via reflection. Application Design: Post-quiz and post-design reflective exercises were implemented in two electrical and computer engineering courses, Microelectronic Circuits and Advanced Digital Design, to drive student analysis of differences between their designs or calculations and the “standard solution” using simulation software and question prompts. Reflection-on-action was chosen to enhance students’ post-activity understanding and insight, as ultimate learning requires reflection whereby students identify errors and strategies for improvement. Findings: Results demonstrated the value of reflection-on-action using post-activity comparisons and simulation. The students’ reflective content and interviews demonstrated substantial professional and academic insights from and appreciation for reflection. On the Microelectronics final exam, a medium effect was associated with the reflection, and for the Digital Design exam, the effect was small to medium. Differences in depth levels of the students’ reflections associated with the two types of problems (quiz questions versus design) were evident, suggesting problem type may impact depth.