Perspectives and Practices of Undergraduate/Graduate Teaching Assistants on Writing Pedagogical Knowledge and Lab Report Evaluation in Engineering Laboratory Courses

Abstract

Vancouver. He has been very active in pedagogical research and undergraduate research projects, and his research interests include writing transfer of engineering students and writing pedagogy in engineering lab courses. His technical research area includes hybrid composite manufacturing and structural integrity improvement.

Children's engineering identities‐in‐practice: An exploration of child–adult interactions in an out‐of‐school context

“…Insights gained from this investigation add to our current understanding of how parent–child interactions in out‐of‐school engineering contexts support young children's development in STEM. This includes interests, problem‐solving skills, and foundational knowledge of concepts and processes (J. Kim & Kim, 2021; Pagano et al, 2020; S. Pattison, Gontan, et al, 2020) particular to children's engineering identity. Informed by the positionality principle of Bucholtz and Hall (2005), the results highlight three ways in which Walt and Cindy enacted various engineering identities by positioning, negotiating, accepting, and/or rejecting their positionalities throughout the engineering design process, namely to (a) possess the knowledge and authority to make decisions regarding the development of their self‐identified engineering problem and prototype; (b) question and challenge adult ideas, solutions, and construction of the prototype; and (c) document and communicate their thinking regarding the engineering design through sketches and notes.…”

“…In recent years, an increasing number of scholars have examined family participation in out‐of‐school engineering programs and home‐based experiences grounded in engineering opportunities (e.g., Simpson, Kim, & Yang, 2021; Simpson, Maltese, et al, 2021; Simpson, Yang, et al, 2021; Tolbert Smith et al, 2022; Verdín et al, 2021). This research as a collective highlights the value of parent–child engagement in engineering contexts outside the school environment, including outcomes such as an increase in problem‐solving abilities (J. Kim & Kim, 2021), development of creative and independent thinking as engineers (Knox, Paul, et al, 2022; Knox, Simpson, et al, 2022), heightened interest in engineering (S. Pattison, Svarovsky, et al, 2020), cultivation of engineering identity (Simpson & Knox, 2022), parental awareness of the engineering field (Knox, Paul, et al, 2022; Knox, Simpson, et al, 2022), engagement in math and science concepts (Simpson, Kim, & Yang, 2021; Simpson, Maltese, et al, 2021; Simpson, Yang, et al, 2021), and fostering of foundational knowledge of engineering concepts and processes (Pagano et al, 2020; Svarovsky et al, 2017). For instance, S. Pattison, Svarovsky, et al (2020) investigated the development of engineering‐related interests as 15 families with preschool‐aged children participated in an engineering program (e.g., storybook take‐home activity kits) provided by their local Head Start organization.…”

“…We agree with other scholars that children identify as engineers and engage in engineering design and thinking differently from adults (e.g., Capobianco et al, 2012; Dorie et al, 2014). For example, J. Kim and Kim (2021) described how parent–child dyads engaged in engineering within their home environment experienced differences in the solutions generated to address an engineering problem or failure moment when testing a prototype. Therefore, we draw upon Cunningham and Kelly's (2017) epistemic practices of engineering for education to conceptualize engineering appropriate for children.…”

Implementation of Undergraduate Coaches as a Student Resource in a Laboratory Course

“…Recent studies have also highlighted the need to provide diversity and equity training for engineering UTAs [9]. Kim and Lynch demonstrated how training UTAs and graduate teaching assistants in lab report writing and assessment through a series of workshops helped to increase their effectiveness as instructors [10]. Based on these prior studies, the author decided to implement an UTA model in a junior-level unit operations laboratory course.…”