Mapping Assets of Diverse Groups for Chemical Engineering Design Problem Framing Ability

Abstract

His research explores the social aspects of self-regulation in collaborative learning environments. In addition, he has been conducting studies examining the effects of different scaffolding approaches, including massively multiplayer online games, computer-based simulation, and dynamic modeling, on students' complex problem-solving learning outcomes. Mapping Assets of Diverse Groups for Chemical Engineering Design Problem Framing Ability AbstractEngineering programs across the US are engaged in efforts to increase the diversity of their student populations. Despite these efforts, students from groups underrepresented in engineering are still less likely to persist, relative to their peers. One approach taken is adding design earlier in programs, but faculty sometimes doubt that freshmen and sophomore students have the capacity to design. The students themselves may not realize they already possess skills and beliefs that are valuable for engineering design. We describe an approach to uncover potential and discover the attributes, skills, and beliefs that students hold. Students in the first two courses of a chemical engineering program at a Minority-Serving, Very High Research university (N=136) completed a survey and an assessment of their problem framing ability. We identified the following attributes, skills, and beliefs: women were significantly likelier than men to view design as a co-evolutionary process and first generation college attendees were significantly more likely to agree that design is a learning activity. Regression analysis revealed that students in the introductory course produced more expert problem framing if they viewed constraint as endemic to design. Students who rated their pre-college knowledge of and confidence in engineering lower actually framed problems more expertly. This suggests students need to learn early that constraint is endemic to design. Implications for instruction include communicating to students that the work of engineers involves framing problems and providing opportunities for them to develop these abilities. Identifying the strengths students bring could help faculty build on students' existing strengths. We should not view limited prior experience and low confidence as a deficit. Introduction and purpose

Designing for assets of diverse students enrolled in a freshman-level computer science for all course

“…Other works reveal how students learned engineering concepts by identifying and solving community needs [35,36]. In a third example, findings show that by identifying students' assets, instructors supported the success of a diverse group of freshman students in an introductory chemical engineering course [37]; students developed greater engineering self-efficacy and a more accurate perception of engineering practices. Across all of these studies, the assets identified typically included design skills, such as greater facility empathizing with customer, client or stakeholder points of view and more realistic understanding of the role of constraint in design process.…”

Validating a Measure of Problem-Framing Ability to Support Evidence-Based Teaching Practice

“…In 2016, we defined principles for creating new versions of the DST for chemical engineering (ChemE). In addition to needing to be accessible to all students who might complete it (which in this case, included incoming first-year students through capstone students), the DST should be based on "an authentic, real-world design problem that has yet to be solved, and that would require significant effort, time, and expertise to solve" [54]. To create a set of DSTs for use in ChemE, we identified two problems in an email from the Deutscher Technologiedienst GmbH (used with permission), an interdisciplinary technology problem solving company.…”

The 2015, 2016, and 2017 Best Diversity Papers: Summary and Perspective

“…Six finalists were invited to present. Topics included two papers on engineering design, one with a focus on ethical and contextual decisions later in the curriculum [9] and the second focused on problem framing and design considerations in the first year of the curriculum as a tool for underrepresented students to better identify their assets with engineering [10]. This paper, which reported on Mapping Assets of Diverse Groups for Chemical Engineering Design Problem Framing Ability, by Svihla et.…”

“…al. [10] was selected as the best 2016 Diversity paper. One of the finalists, Mikel, et al was from the Pacific Southwest Section of ASEE [11]; this paper focused on nontraditional adult students and factors that impacted their acceptance in the student culture and persistence.…”

“…al. [10] added an engineering design course early in the curriculum as a strategy to support persistence in engineering, especially with underrepresented groups. The goal was to help students discover and gain confidence in individual attributes, skills, and beliefs that are critical for engineering design.…”