Graduate Engineering Education Research Articles

Understanding how socio-historical contexts inform approaches to improving racial climate in stem graduate education within the United States

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine how two socio-historical contexts within the United States, the Movement for Black Lives and the COVID-19 pandemic, informed approaches to improving racial climate in science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) graduate education. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a general qualitative inquiry research study design to conduct focus groups (n = 121) with graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty members from across STEM disciplines as well as administrators whose work involves STEM graduate students. Participants were from two US institutions involved in a National Science Foundation networked improvement community seeking to create inclusive environments for STEM graduate students. Findings This study demonstrates how these socio-historical contexts illuminated and amplified on-going efforts to address racial climate for graduate students in US-based graduate education. In response to these events, STEM faculty devoted time that otherwise might have gone to purely technical or scientific endeavors to addressing racial climate. However, some faculty members remain hesitant to address racial climate and efforts appear to have further waned over time. While diversity, inclusion and equity efforts came to the forefront of the collective consciousness during this time, participants worry that these efforts are not sustainable, particularly without support from faculty and administrators. Practical implications The findings from this study will inform efforts to improve racial climate in STEM graduate programs. Originality/value This study fills an identified need to capture how socio-historical contexts, like the US Movement for Black Lives and the COVID-19 pandemic, have influenced approaches to improving racial climate in STEM graduate programs.

Overview of Biomedical Engineering Graduate Education Landscape

Overview of Biomedical Engineering Graduate Education Landscape

A Practical Research Methods Course That Teaches How to Be a Successful Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student

Should your department offer a course on how to be a scientist and a successful graduate student? We offer this course at George Mason University as a mandatory part of the graduate curriculum, but this is not common practice for graduate biomedical engineering programs. Graduate education in biomedical engineering is evolving rapidly, with an increasing demand for fundamental research skills, interdisciplinary skills, and professional development. We believe that graduate students will be more successful in their research activities if they are explicitly taught these skills at the beginning of their graduate coursework. This paper describes the design of this course in our bioengineering department.

Development and initial validation of the Discrimination in Engineering Graduate Education (DEGrE) Scale.

Development and initial validation of the Discrimination in Engineering Graduate Education (DEGrE) Scale.

Catalyzing Organizational Change for Equity in Graduate Education: A Case Study of Adopting Collective Impact in a College of Engineering

Graduate education in engineering is an extremely challenging, complex entity that is difficult to change. The purpose of this exploratory research paper was to investigate the applicability of the Collective Impact framework, which has been used within community organizing contexts, to organize the change efforts of a center focused on advancing equitable graduate education within engineering. We sought to understand how the conditions of Collective Impact (i.e., common agenda, backbone organization, mutually reinforcing activities, shared measurement system, and continuous communication) could facilitate the organization of equity-focused change efforts across a college of engineering at a single institution. To achieve this, we took an action research approach. We found the Collective Impact framework to be a useful tool for organizing cross-sectional partnerships to facilitate equity-focused change in graduate education; we also found the five conditions of Collective Impact to be applicable to the higher education context, with some intentional considerations and modifications. Through coordinated efforts, the Collective Impact framework can support the goal of reorienting existing decentralized structures, resource flows, and decision processes to foster bottom-up and top-down change processes to advance equitable support for graduate students.

Women in STEM graduate education: Case of the German excellence initiative

AbstractAre public policies effective in enhancing gender balance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate education? Although the literature is rich in studies that prescribe micro‐level interventions to promote gender balance in specific STEM areas or institutions, there are surprisingly few studies that quantitatively evaluate existing macro‐level policies. Using Germany's Excellence Initiative as an event study, I analyse changes in cohorts of doctorate recipients in STEM fields and investigate whether the Excellence Initiative's graduate school line of funding, which is a large‐scale public policy that aimed to create and sustain STEM graduate programs, also succeeded to increase women's share among STEM doctorate recipients. Assessing difference‐in‐differences in natural sciences and mathematics doctorate recipients between 2000 and 2014, I find no statistically significant evidence that the Excellence Initiative led to any significant increase in women's participation in STEM studies beyond already existing trends in these fields. I find, however, significant differences between funded and non‐funded STEM graduate programs in their rate of internationalization, which was another major policy target of the Excellence Initiative.

Cultivating well-being in engineering graduate students through mindfulness training.

The mental health crisis in graduate education combined with low treatment rates among engineering graduate students underscores the need for engineering graduate programs to provide effective methods to promote well-being. There is an extensive body of neuroscience research showing that contemplative practices, such as mindfulness, produce measurable effects on brain function and overall well-being. We hypothesized that a mindfulness-based training program designed for engineering graduate students would improve emotional well-being and, secondarily, enhance research capacity. An initial pilot study was conducted at a single institution (Phase 1), followed by a larger study conducted at both the original and a second institution (Phase 2) to gather additional data and show the program's transferability. The program comprised eight weekly mindfulness training sessions. Individuals in the study were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or wait-list control group. We administered pre- and post-test surveys with quantitative measures designed to assess emotional and physical well-being, as well as creativity, research satisfaction, and desire to contribute to the betterment of society. Participants also completed a summative survey to evaluate the impact of the program on their well-being and research. Analysis revealed statistically significant findings: improved emotional health, decreased neuroticism, increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and increased mindfulness in the intervention groups compared to the control groups. Intervention groups in Phase 2 also reported statistically significant improvement in satisfaction with their research. Our findings suggest that mindfulness training has the potential to play a vital professional and personal development role in graduate engineering education.

Practice and Thinking of Ideological and Political Construction in Engineering Graduate Education Course

Practice and Thinking of Ideological and Political Construction in Engineering Graduate Education Course

Surviving, thriving, departing, and the hidden competencies of engineering graduate school

AbstractBackgroundWhile researchers in graduate engineering education are beginning to study facets of student experiences as they relate to attrition and persistence, theoretical applications of thriving theory have not been applied to graduate education contexts. Literature addresses students who persist and those who depart, inherently making assumptions that students who persist are doing well.Purpose/HypothesisThe purpose of this article was to understand graduate student well‐being within students that persist and depart from the engineering PhD through an adapted model of the Spreitzer et al.'s Socially Embedded Model for Thriving at Work.Design/MethodSemi‐structured interviews were conducted with 64 current and former engineering PhD students, representing various stages of the PhD, status of persistence, questioning departure, or having left a PhD program. Interview transcripts were analyzed using an abductive analysis approach.ResultsAn expanded model for thriving in graduate school was developed. While this study contextualizes the core elements of thriving theory (context features, agentic behaviors, and produced resources), we propose that the mechanisms for thriving in graduate school lie in interactions across these themes in processes we call Adapting, Internalizing, and Cultivating. We also reveal the presence of hidden competencies (from the point of view of the graduate student participants) that facilitate these transitions.ConclusionThriving in graduate school is an interconnected process which has not been explored in the context of engineering. This study shows how even students who persist in their degree may only be surviving, rather than thriving.

Graduate education in acoustic engineering, transduction, and signal processing University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has an established graduate program of study with a concentration in Applied Acoustics leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering. The program offers courses and research opportunities in the area of electroacoustic transduction, underwater acoustics, and signal processing. Courses include the Fundamentals of Acoustics, Random Signals, Underwater Acoustics, Introduction to Transducers, Electroacoustic Transduction, Medical Ultrasonics, Digital Signal Processing, Detection Theory, and Estimation Theory. The ECE department established the university’s indoor underwater acoustic test and calibration facility which is one of the largest academic facilities supporting undergraduate and graduate thesis and sponsored research. The department has collaborations with many marine acoustic related companies including nearby Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, RI and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Cape Cod, MA. The presentation will highlight recent theses and dissertations, course offerings, and industry and government collaborations that support acoustical engineering, transduction, and signal processing.

An Exploratory Study of Engineering Graduate Student Persistence: Self-Efficacy and Contextual Influences

Women and U.S. racial/ethnic minority students are underrepresented in engineering graduate education and engineering practice. Demographic homogeneity in engineering research teams can negatively affect individuals, innovation, and research outcomes. Thus, it is important to explore factors that influence student intentions to complete engineering degrees, particularly for groups historically underrepresented in engineering. Social Cognitive Career Theory guided the development of new items to evaluate self-efficacy, feeling welcome and included, relationship with principal investigator, and research group environment. Results with 295 engineering graduate students found that female sex, engineering self-efficacy, and feeling welcome and included were independently positively associated with commitment to complete an engineering degree. Feeling welcome and included operated 30% through self-efficacy and 70% directly. The effects of female sex were unmediated by self-efficacy. Results suggest that proximal and distal contextual factors may operate independently from self-efficacy to influence retention in graduate engineering programs.

Interacting with Ruling Relations: Engineering Graduate Student Experiences of Discrimination

<strong>Background:</strong> The retention of traditionally underserved students remains a problem across graduate engineering programs. Women and men of color and white women leave graduate programs without their intended degree at higher rates than their white male peers. Experiences of discrimination may hinder degree progress for students with marginalized identities. <strong>Purpose/Hypothesis:</strong> This study investigated women and men of color and white women’s experiences of discrimination in graduate engineering programs through the lens of ruling relations. <strong>Design/Methods:</strong> Semi-structured qualitative individual interviews explored the experiences of doctoral engineering students. Comparative analysis methods uncovered themes derived from participants’ experiences of discrimination in engineering graduate education. <strong>Results:</strong> Women and men of color and white women experienced discrimination from peers, faculty, and advisors in settings such as classrooms, offices, and labs. Based on the themes and ruling relations identified, three significant findings can be distilled: (1) marginalized students recognize some of the norms and systems that marginalize them; (2) interactions that marginalize students are set into the social fabric of engineering and include excluding some students while including others; and (3) everyday interactions sustain and reproduce the oppressive norms. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> This study offers perspectives that can help graduate program directors and graduate advisors and faculty cultivate equitable environments and assist peer graduate students in understanding their marginalized peers. The implications of this work point to steps necessary to improve the graduate engineering environment for marginalized students.

Supplemental Material for Development and Initial Validation of the Discrimination in Engineering Graduate Education (DEGrE) Scale

Supplemental Material for Development and Initial Validation of the Discrimination in Engineering Graduate Education (DEGrE) Scale

Aligning learning objectives and approaches in global engineering graduate programs: Review and recommendations by an interdisciplinary working group

Despite decades of global development programming, poverty persists in the low-and-middle-income countries targeted by these efforts. Training approaches to global development must change and the role of engineers in these efforts must evolve to account for structural and systemic barriers to global poverty reduction. Rapid growth in Global Engineering graduate programs in the United States and Canada creates an opportunity to unify efforts between academic institutions and ensure that programs align with the sector's needs as identified by practitioners. To build consensus on how to equip engineering students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary, we convened practitioners, faculty and graduate students for a two-day workshop to establish an agreed-upon Global Engineering body of knowledge. The workshop was informed by a pre-event survey of individual participants and representatives of participating academic institutions with graduate programs in Global Engineering or a related field. Through the workshop breakout sessions and post-event work by the authors, we developed the following priority learning objectives for graduate education in global engineering: Contextual Comprehension and Analysis; Cross-cultural Humility; Global Engineering Ethics; Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement; Complex Systems Analysis; Data Collection and Analysis; Data-driven Decision Making; Applied Engineering Knowledge; Project Design; Project Management; Multidisciplinary Teamwork and Leadership; Communication; Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resilience; Global Health; and Development Economics. Although technical skills are central to preparing the next generation of Global Engineers, transversal and interdisciplinary skills are equally important in equipping students to work across sectors and account for barriers to global development and equity.

Developing reflective engineers through an arts-incorporated graduate course: A curriculum inquiry

Engineering curricula have traditionally focused on preparing students to become specialized individuals with technical knowledge, while devoting less attention to reflective thinking about real-world engineering practice, which is fraught with complex, unpredictable, and ambiguous problems that require broader skills. More recently, engineering educators have recognized the need to broaden the engineering curriculum, in part by incorporating the arts and humanities. The present study involves the development of an arts-integrated graduate course in environmental engineering. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore how engineering students have experienced this new curriculum; and second, to understand how it has enhanced their reflective thinking skills. We employed a descriptive, intrinsic case study approach using student interviews, writing assignments, and artwork collected from the course as our primary sources of data. The findings show clear potential for the arts to provide meaningful changes in engineering students’ learning to become reflective thinkers. Hence, we suggest that engineering education be re-imagined by making the arts an essential part of the engineering curriculum to develop reflective engineers who are willing and able to navigate the “swampy lowlands” of engineering practice. The course provides a model for incorporating the arts to foster reflective thinking in graduate engineering education and the study contributes to the literature a distinctive, qualitative evaluation of its potential impacts.

Problem-Based Learning in the Brazilian Congress of Engineering Education since 2010 up to 2019: A Systematic Literature Review

This article will present a Systematic Literature Review with the objective of showing “What were the articles that presented the active Problem-Based Learning methodology in the period 2010-2019 at the Brazilian Congress of Engineering Education—COBENGE”. COBENGE has been taking place since 1973 with the mission of producing changes in undergraduate and graduate education in Engineering. The period selected for analysis was from 2010 to 2019. In these 10 years of analysis, the years 2013 and 2015 were not counted, as the digital annals are under development as indicated by the website of the Brazilian Association of Education in Engineering—ABENGE. In this way, 4172 papers were presented, 517 articles are related to teaching methodology in engineering, of this total 114 papers are related to the active methodology based on Problem-Based Learning, which was the target of our study. The criteria for the selection of articles were works related to teaching/learning, related to the active Problem-Based Learning methodology of undergraduate courses in Engineering courses. The exclusion of papers was defined by the following criteria: papers destined for postgraduate studies, papers that involve disciplines working in the Distance Education modality, as well as proposals that involve researches with elementary or secondary school students, could not be selected.

Black Men in Engineering Graduate Education: Experiencing Racial Microaggressions within the Advisor–Advisee Relationship

Black Men in Engineering Graduate Education: Experiencing Racial Microaggressions within the Advisor–Advisee Relationship

CASE STUDY OF ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARD USE IN AN ENGINEERING EDUCATION GRADUATE COURSE

Due to the increasing prevalence of asynchronous learning platforms, the development and implementation of online discussion boards have become important considerations in the design of post-secondary learning environments. This research is conducted as a case study of the online discussion board use in a small engineering education graduate course, consisting of in-class and online discussion components. By varying the structure of the online discussion board to allow different types of student interaction, the study identifies trends in discussion board use, specifically pertaining to student participation, student collaboration, and the integration between in-class and online discussions. As a result, the study provides insight into the utility and limitations of online discussion boards in post-secondary courses.&#x0D;

What is engineering?

Point of view: I'm a contagiously enthusiastic hacker, scholar, and teacher with an industry background in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) communities. As a teenager at the Illinois Math and Science Academy, I loved storytelling and cinematography and wanted to major in the arts. That wasn't an option for my family of immigrants, so I took up electrical and computer engineering at Olin College (BS), where I arrived thinking that a breadboard was for baking (it's for electronics). I am Deaf and have always been a strong visual thinker; this piece was written and drawn during my first semester as a PhD student in engineering education at Purdue University. I’m intrigued by how multiple interacting curricular cultures in higher education can deconstruct our notions of engineering, education, and just about everything else.&#x0D; Value: This work is a playful contribution to engineering education ontologies (as a subset of philosophy), which explores questions of reality and being - what "is." It challenges the high consensus culture of engineering, especially the tendency to seek clearly defined and fixed meanings for terms. In this case, the notion of "engineering" itself is called into question. It also explores what graphical/non-textual scholarship in and about higher education might look like.&#x0D; Summary: This graphic essay was made when I was a first-semester engineering education graduate student. This past self was naive regarding "scholarly" and "academic" writing conventions, and frustrated both by the limitations of text as a standalone medium and the engineering disciplinary tendency to seek clearly defined and fixed meanings for terms rather than exploring their possibilities. I am now a slightly more seasoned scholar seven years down the line with a desire to engage in discussion and revision of the piece.&#x0D; Note to readers: This document consists of a comic submission which is meant to be experienced visually: What is Engineering?. Each page of the comic is presented separately here, followed by text descriptions for that page. Text descriptions are provided for acces.

CHARACTERIZING THE ENGINEERING EDUCATION GRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE IN CANADA: DESCRIPTIVES

Abstract – Four Canadian Engineering Education graduate students from the Universities of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Toronto, and Calgary are conducting a national mixed-methods research study to characterize the identity of graduate students studying engineering education in Canada. The first phase of this study comprised of the dissemination of a survey designed using McAlpine’s Identity-Trajectory framework to explore whom our engineering education graduate students are, how our graduate studies are manifest in this field, and how our academic identities are formed through the construction of our unique intellectual, institutional, and networking experiences. This paper presents select findings and descriptive analyses from these survey data. Findings show that participants in our study predominantly identify as female, come from engineering backgrounds, are over-stretched in terms of commitments, need better access to research funding and peer communities, actively present at conferences, and are sufficiently supported by their institutions and supervisors to feel that they can conduct quality research in engineering education. Noteworthy, is that the gender demographic in our study participants, which is predominantly female, is in contrast to the minority female demographic found in engineering graduate studies. Significantly, findings suggest that graduate students pursuing degrees in engineering education may be guided by a potentially unconscious positivistic approach to their research.