Development of an engineering identity: personal discovery of classroom mathematics in ‘real engineering’

Abstract

This article reports on an activity in a first-year engineering mathematics class designed to strengthen students' personal identities as novice engineers. The literature on identity suggests that students are more likely to be retained in an engineering degree programme if they develop an identity as an engineer and that development of such an identity is encouraged and supported if students can see the relevance of their studies to future studies or their future career. The mathematics encountered at a first-year level is often of an unrealistic nature due to its largely algebraic content as well as to the fact that real-world engineering problems are often intractable without using more advanced mathematics than is accessible in a first-year course. The activity described in this article endeavoured to build empirically on the theoretical issues raised in the literature by asking "Can students identify the presence of classroom mathematics in real-world engineering texts and does this recognition encourage the development of identity as a novice engineer?" Sixty-six students studying first-year engineering mathematics in an academic development programme at a South African university took part in the activity. Data consisted of the students' written assignments and their responses to a Likert-style questionnaire. The written assignments were graded on the strength of their alignment with the task's mathematical requirements. Specifically within the course topic of Applications of Differentiation, the students were required to use resources from the library and the internet to find examples in real-world engineering where differentiation is used for practical purposes. The examples that the students investigated were necessarily expressed in the discourse of engineering, yet drew on mathematics the students had recently encountered in the classroom. This evident trajectory of knowledge from pure classroom practice to real-world engineering use allowed the students ready access to the discourse of engineering and ideally fostered development of identity as an active novice participant in the world of real engineering. A minority of students did not succeed in the task requirements, but the bulk of the students found the task interesting and informative. Several students expressed surprise and pleasure that they were able to understand what they were reading, revealing to them that they were already participants in the engineering community with some fluency in the discourse.

Categorization and analysis of explanatory writing in mathematics

“…A weakness of the scheme was the perceived large gap (similarly observed by [3]) between Recount and Summary, a gap which might likewise be found to exist between Summary and Dialogue on a different data set. Potential extensions of this study include extending writing activities to the entire class rather than tutorial groups within the class, embedding writing within more class activities than a weekly tutorial and grading the exercises or otherwise making them compulsory for the targeted student body [36]. Waywood's lexical measure of engagement [cited in 28], found to positively correlate with teacher assessment of journal entries, would be a potentially productive avenue of investigation.…”

The role of undergraduate laboratories in the formation of engineering identities: A critical review of the literature

“…Engineering laboratories are key spaces for identity formation; they bridge the 'theory/practice divide', 6 enabling theory to be applied to engineering problem-solving and design, 7 as well as revealing the scientific basis of engineering artefacts 8 whilst engaging students in experiments and active learning. 9 Learning in an engineering laboratory tends to be more active than in classrooms and lecture halls and includes consolidating scientific and engineering concepts, 10 developing engineering design abilities 11 and nurturing professional and social skills. 12 The undergraduate laboratory is important in preparing students for engineering practice beyond the university, as 'a sustainable society needs engineers who are familiar with experimenting and laboratory work'.…”

“…17 The development of an engineering identity is further supported when students see the relevance of their studies for their future career. 9 Professional identities are built through shared experience and traditions, enabling a sense of membership, attachment and contribution. 3 In their review of the literature on engineering identity, Patrick and Borrego claim that the concept of an engineering identity has not been theorised or measured and that the concept of an engineering identity has been conflated with other attributes such as an engineering 'mind-set', 'self-concept' or even with 'soft skills' more generally.…”

“…For example, the study by Butterworth and Branch 26 on collaborations between 'seniors and freshmen on senior capstone projects' was coded as 'temporal' because it focused on 'multigenerational' collaboration and the role of senior engineering students in inducting first-year students into laboratory practices. In contrast, Craig's study 9 focused on the spatial affordances for 'personal discovery learning' in the laboratory and its impact on engineering identity formation; Craig's study was thus coded as 'spatial'.…”

“…Interdisciplinary awareness, in particular, understanding the links between the science subjects that underpinned engineering disciplines and real-world problem-solving, was particularly important in enabling students to identify the presence of mathematical tools in real-world problemsolving: 'this recognition encourage [d] the development of identity as a novice engineer'. 9 As students gained greater proficiency in the application of specialised tools, they were better able to contribute to interdisciplinary teams, which strengthened their professional identities as they gained insights into engineers' contributions towards solving complex problems. 50 Several research studies suggested that generic engineering tools, 46 a 'makerspace' 50 or a 'student managed Sandbox,' 45 were effective in enabling an innovative engineering identity.…”