Entering the community of practice: changes in engineering students’ engineering identities and perceptions of the field

ABSTRACT

Policymakers and industry representatives have called for an increase in the number of engineering graduates, but many students, even in their final year of their programs, remain unsure of their plans to enter engineering as a career. The research question guiding this study is: how do changes in students’ perceptions of the field of engineering relate to how they describe their development of engineering identity? To address this question, focus group interviews were conducted with 62 students across 15 engineering majors and three universities in the United States. Results indicate that students find engineering to be broader than anticipated, which implicates how they imagine they might contribute to the field. Students perceive that perseverance, collaboration, and opportunities for authentic engagement with practice lead to academic success and better employment outcomes, and they recognise lifelong learning will help them continually adapt to the dynamic and complex nature of the engineering field.

KEYWORDS:

• Engineering identity
• perceptions of engineering
• college students
• community of practice
• focus group research

Acknowledgements

This material is based in part upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number EEC- 1664231 through the Research in the Formation of Engineers program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Additional support for this work provided by the Undergraduate Scholars Program at Montana State University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation [grant number 1664231].

Notes on contributors

Bryce E. Hughes

Bryce E. Hughes is an Assistant Professor in Adult and Higher Education at Montana State University, and holds a PhD in Higher Education and Organizational Change from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as an MA in Student Development Administration from Seattle University and a BS in General Engineering from Gonzaga University. His research interests include teaching and learning in engineering, STEM education policy, and diversity and equity in STEM.

William J. Schell

William J. Schell holds a PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering – Engineering Management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and MS and BS degrees in Industrial and Management Engineering from Montana State University (MSU). He is Associate Professor in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering and Associate Director of the Montana Engineering Education Research Center at MSU. Prior to his academic career, Schell spent 14 years in industry where he held leadership positions focused on process improvement and organisational development.

Brett Tallman

Brett Tallman is currently a Doctoral student in Engineering at Montana State University (MSU), with focus on engineering leadership. His previous degrees include a Masters degree in Education from MSU (active learning in advanced quantum mechanics) and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell. Prior to his academic career, he worked in the biotech (Lead Engineer), product design, and automotive (Toyota) sectors for 14 years, and is a licensed Professional Engineer. He has also taught high school and attended seminary. You can find more of his engineering education work at educadia.org or on his YouTube channel.

Tessa Sybesma

Tessa Sybesma is a fifth-year Industrial and Management Systems Engineering Student at Montana Status University. She has worked with a variety of university teams to reconnect alumni with the IMSE program, to better understand the intersection of engineering and leadership in her peers, and to support the connection between the US military and industry. She holds interests in organisational and human skill development and systems analysis.

Monika B. Kwapisz

Monika B. Kwapisz (they/them) is an undergraduate at Montana State University studying Industrial and Management Systems Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. Monika was the president of MSU’s Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM) chapter in 2019.

Emma Annand

Emma Annand received her BS of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering from Montana State University – Bozeman (MSU) in 2019. During her time in college, Emma worked as a research assistant for MSU’s engineering leadership identity development project funded by the United States National Science Foundation. Emma is currently a facilities planning data analyst at Gordian, a facilities and construction data company in the USA.

Shannon Ranch

Shannon Ranch is an undergraduate at Montana State University studying Industrial and Management Systems Engineering with a focus in Aerospace. She is currently engaged in engineering leadership identity research as well as a proud member of Pi Beta Phi fraternity.

Caroline Krejci

Caroline Krejci is an Assistant Professor of Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington. She holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington. Her research is focused on the development of quantitative methodologies for the analysis and sustainable management of sociotechnical systems, including supply networks and production systems.

Christy Bozic

Christy Bozic is the Lockheed Martin Professor of Engineering Management and Faculty Director of the Engineering Management Program at the University of Colorado Boulder. She holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University, an MBA in Marketing, and a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering Technology. Dr Bozic builds upon her extensive industry experience to develop curriculum to better prepare engineers for careers in business and engineering management.

Daria Kotys-Schwartz

Daria Kotys-Schwartz is the Director of the Idea Forge – a flexible, cross-disciplinary design space at University of Colorado Boulder. She is also the Design Center Colorado Director of Undergraduate Programs and a Teaching Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She received BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University and a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. Kotys-Schwartz has focused her research in engineering student learning, retention, and student identity development within the context of engineering design. She is currently investigating the impact of cultural norms in an engineering classroom context, performing comparative studies between engineering education and professional design practices, examining holistic approaches to student retention, and exploring informal learning in engineering education.