Disciplinary Influences on the Professional Identity of Civil Engineering Students: Starting the Conversation

Abstract

. She holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering and a graduate certificate in engineering education -all from Clemson University. Until 2012, she was the director of the Savannah River Environmental Sciences Field Station. Dr. Simmons has nearly fourteen years of engineering and project management experience working with public utility companies, a project management consulting company, and a software company. She is a registered professional engineer, project management professional and LEED accredited professional. Her career vision is to become a global leader in research that builds capacity and broadens the participation of students completing construction and engineering degrees and entering the technological workforce by shaping practices and policies in retention, informal learning, pedagogy, professional competency, workforce development and life-long learning. Her research interests are in investigating students' development of leadership skills and other professional competencies and in students' involvement in curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. Dr. Simmons is a NSF CAREER award recipient for her re- As the discipline of civil engineering has evolved from an apprentice-based trade to a sociallyengaged profession, the role of the civil engineer has responded to shifts within the everchanging culture of society. These shifts and historical events have directly influenced what is considered to be valued civil engineering knowledge, behaviors, and practices that we teach to students during their undergraduate careers.As part of a larger grounded theory study that is currently being conducted by the authors, the purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, we present the topic of professional identity formation as heavily influenced by unique historical events that shape the civil engineering discipline. . To establish the connection between identity formation and the history of civil engineering, we interpret historical events as constituents that create a disciplinary identity that is communicated to and subjectively applied by students during their undergraduate careers. Second, we hope to promote and invoke conversations surrounding the relevancy of civil engineering professional identity formation in engineering education among our colleagues within the technical disciplines.Through this paper, we add to ongoing research exploring the professional formation of engineering identities and promote discussions surround this topic at the disciplinary level. While most research conducted on identity formation has been generalized to include all or most engineering disciplines, we focus our discussion solely on professional identity formation within the civil engineering discipline. To reinforce the relationship between the history of the civil engineering profession and students' professional identity formation, we review the literature on these two areas of inquiry. In particular, we will frame our paper using the following key discussion points: 1) providing a brief overview ...

Engineering Identity Development: A Review of the Higher Education Literature

“…Fewer studies were written regarding the measurements and relevant factors associated with engineering identity development (see Godwin, 2016). In particular, few studies addressed the relationships between agency, motivation, and engagement and engineering identity development or disciplinary differences that might create unique identity development experiences for students (e.g., Groen, Simmons, & McNair, 2016;Matusovich, Streveler, & Miller, 2010). The majority of the reviewed studies represented cross-sectional or single-institution scholarship rather than longitudinal or multi-institution scholarship (Prybutok, Patrick, Borrego, Seepersad, & Kirisits, 2016;Matusovich, Streveler, & Miller, 2010;Stoup & Pierrakos, 2016).…”

An Introduction to Grounded Theory: Choosing and Implementing an Emergent Method

“…In particular, GT provides researchers with a systematic and flexible constant comparative approach for theory-constructing inquiry [2,3], and is typically used when a theory is not available to understand or explain a process that occurs over time [2,4]. For example, Groen utilized GT in order to expound the processes of professional identity formation [5][6][7], and Simmons used GT to explore family influence on decision-making processes in first generation college students [8]. In the event that a model applicable to the process under study does exist within prior literature, a researcher will utilize GT in an attempt to further develop the theory for a particular sample population that possesses potentially valuable variables and characteristics of interest [4].…”

Professional Licensure: The Core of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge

“…[8] The civil engineering profession historically has had the highest percentage of licensed engineers . [12] Many job functions require a licensed engineer to seal documents and maintain responsible charge of projects. This trend continues today as over forty percent of civil engineers are registered.…”

“…[33] Many programs use the FE exam for student outcome assessment, further connecting programs to the examination part of the licensure process. [12] Another critical factor is alumni feedback with regard to how the profession is changing and what content is critical and valued. Some programs rely heavily on practitioners to teach capstone and design courses within their curriculum to meet this goal.…”