Comparative Dimensions of Disciplinary Culture

Abstract

is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech, where she also serves as co-Director of the VT Engineering Communication Center (VTECC). Her research interests include interdisciplinary collaboration, design education, communication studies, identity theory and reflective practice. Projects supported by the National Science Foundation include exploring disciplines as cultures, interdisciplinary pedagogy for pervasive computing design; writing across the curriculum in Statics courses; as well as a CAREER award to explore the use of e-portfolios to promote professional identity and reflective practice. Dr. Marie C Paretti, Virginia TechMarie C. Paretti is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech, where she codirects the Virginia Tech Engineering Communications Center (VTECC). Her research focuses on communication in engineering design, interdisciplinary communication and collaboration, design education, and gender in engineering. She was awarded a CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation to study expert teaching in capstone design courses, and is co-PI on numerous NSF grants exploring communication, design, and identity in engineering. Drawing on theories of situated learning and identity development, her work includes studies on the teaching and learning of communication, effective teaching practices in design education, the effects of differing design pedagogies on retention and motivation, the dynamics of cross-disciplinary collaboration in both academic and industry design environments, and gender and identity in engineering.

Travel review website usage: a cultural perspective

“…Cross-cultural comparisons add value to tourism studies (Amaro and Duarte, 2017), particularly when comparing Eastern and Western societies, where Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are frequently cited (Alcantara-Pilar et al , 2018; Manrai and Manrai, 2011). Although Hofstede’s approach has critics, this generally targets his original research using the IBM database (Murzi et al , 2015). Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, methodology and model have evolved over time from four to six dimensions (Hofstede, 2011; Manrai and Manrai, 2011) and is still considered a valid instrument in cross-cultural studies (Lam et al , 2017; Petrie et al , 2015).…”

Advancing from outsider to insider: A grounded theory of professional identity negotiation in undergraduate engineering

“…in relation to sociocultural norms established across the engineering field. Moreover, existing work in this area is often generalized to all or multiple engineering majors (Allie et al, 2009;Dryburgh, 1999;McNair et al, 2011;Meyers et al, 2010;Tonso, 2007), which is problematic due to research indicating nuanced differences across engineering disciplinary cultures (Murzi et al, 2014(Murzi et al, , 2015. To gain a more holistic understanding of students' professional identity formation within their chosen engineering disciplines, more research is needed to examine the interrelations and interactions across established theories and frameworks (Hitlin, 2003;Morelock, 2017;Rodriguez et al, 2018;Stets & Burke, 2000;Tonso, 2014) while also considering students' evolving conceptions of who they will become as engineers.…”

Reality Gaps in Industrial Engineering Senior Design or Capstone Projects

“… Senior and capstone design courses should be able to provide a safe space for students to accept uncertainty and embrace ambiguity  . Uncertainty avoidance is something engineering students must avoid to be able to deal with the unexpected and fast-pacing demands of industry [25]. Hence, it is important to evaluate to what degree students can face ill-structured problems and feel comfortable dealing with them.…”