First Year Engineering Student Definitions of Systems Engineering: A Comparison Between Two Institutions

Katrina L Carlson; Akua B. Oppong-Anane; Michelle E Jarvie-Eggart; Amanda Marie Singer

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Conference: 2022 First-Year Engineering Experience
Location: East Lansing, Michigan
Publication Date: July 31, 2022
Start Date: July 31, 2022
End Date: August 2, 2022
Conference Session: Technical Session M5A
Tagged Topic: Full Papers
Page Count: 9
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42225
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42225
Download Count: 271

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Paper Authors

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Katrina L Carlson Michigan Technological University

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Katrina Carlson is currently working with a team of researchers at Michigan Technological University as a PhD student in Applied Cognitive Sciences and Human Factors.

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Akua B. Oppong-Anane Montana Technological University

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Akua Oppong-Anane is an Assistant Professor of Freshman Engineering at Montana Technological University. She holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, a master's degree in Chemistry and a doctoral degree in Environmental Engineering Sciences. Her research areas are in groundwater contamination at landfill sites, advising and retention of first year engineering students.

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Michelle E Jarvie-Eggart P.E. Michigan Technological University

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Dr. Jarvie-Eggart is a registered professional engineer with over a decade of experience as an environmental engineer. She is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Fundamentals department at Michigan Technological University. Her research interests include online learning, CS/programming education, and service learning.

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Amanda Marie Singer Michigan Technological University

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Amanda Singer is a PhD student in the Department of Engineering Education at the Ohio State University. Prior to attending OSU, she received a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Her current research interests include understanding engineering identity and motivation in first-generation college students, online learning pedagogy, and service learning projects.

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Abstract

First Year Engineering Student Definitions of Systems Engineering: A Comparison Between Two Institutions

This full research paper builds on previous work investigating first-year engineering (FYE) students’ understanding of Systems Engineering and suggests methods to increase students’ knowledge of the major for increasing enrollment in the program. Systems Engineering has recently been acknowledged as a discipline in its own right by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which began accrediting systems engineering programs in 2017-2018 (ABET, 2016). In 2021, ABET approved and accepted an updated Systems Engineering Program Criteria, cooperatively revised by INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering) (ABET, 2021). Systems Engineering is not available at University Y, and it is currently only offered as a minor under the Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree at University X. The primary goal of this study was to understand how first year engineering students define Systems Engineering and whether their understanding of the discipline was influenced by the availability of a Systems Engineering program at their university.

A survey was conducted of FYE students at two Universities, one with a Systems Program (University X) and one without (University Y). The students from University X, a Midwestern technical university (N=63), and University Y, a Western technical university (N=37) were also asked to define each of the engineering majors. None of the students surveyed were enrolled in a Systems Engineering program.

In the 2021-22 academic year there are 12 students enrolled in Systems Engineering at University X, a relatively new program, and less than 5 of them are female. The previous year, six students were enrolled, and at least one of them was female, a 50% increase in total enrollment. The qualitative results of this survey indicate that many students are unsure of what Systems Engineering is, and there are many answers that are very general about complex systems, including “System Engineering is engineering where you work on risk management, integration of other engineers. Basically a broad sense of most engineering branches and being able to connect them” or “understanding how systems work and how they affect each other.“ This is problematic because students might not select Systems Engineering as their major area of study due to lack of knowledge of the discipline. Previous survey results of University X’s students will be compared to the current results across the two universities. Results of this study can help emerging Systems Engineering programs understand points of confusion about the discipline and better guide the development of educational materials about their majors.

Citation
Format

Carlson, K. L., & Oppong-Anane, A. B., & Jarvie-Eggart, M. E., & Singer, A. M. (2022, July), First Year Engineering Student Definitions of Systems Engineering: A Comparison Between Two Institutions Paper presented at 2022 First-Year Engineering Experience, East Lansing, Michigan. 10.18260/1-2--42225

TY - CPAPER
AB - First Year Engineering Student Definitions of Systems Engineering: A Comparison Between Two Institutions

This full research paper builds on previous work investigating first-year engineering (FYE) students’ understanding of Systems Engineering and suggests methods to increase students’ knowledge of the major for increasing enrollment in the program. Systems Engineering has recently been acknowledged as a discipline in its own right by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which began accrediting systems engineering programs in 2017-2018 (ABET, 2016). In 2021, ABET approved and accepted an updated Systems Engineering Program Criteria, cooperatively revised by INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering) (ABET, 2021). Systems Engineering is not available at University Y, and it is currently only offered as a minor under the Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree at University X. The primary goal of this study was to understand how first year engineering students define Systems Engineering and whether their understanding of the discipline was influenced by the availability of a Systems Engineering program at their university.

A survey was conducted of FYE students at two Universities, one with a Systems Program (University X) and one without (University Y). The students from University X, a Midwestern technical university (N=63), and University Y, a Western technical university (N=37) were also asked to define each of the engineering majors. None of the students surveyed were enrolled in a Systems Engineering program.

In the 2021-22 academic year there are 12 students enrolled in Systems Engineering at University X, a relatively new program, and less than 5 of them are female. The previous year, six students were enrolled, and at least one of them was female, a 50% increase in total enrollment. The qualitative results of this survey indicate that many students are unsure of what Systems Engineering is, and there are many answers that are very general about complex systems, including “System Engineering is engineering where you work on risk management, integration of other engineers. Basically a broad sense of most engineering branches and being able to connect them” or “understanding how systems work and how they affect each other.“ This is problematic because students might not select Systems Engineering as their major area of study due to lack of knowledge of the discipline. Previous survey results of University X’s students will be compared to the current results across the two universities. Results of this study can help emerging Systems Engineering programs understand points of confusion about the discipline and better guide the development of educational materials about their majors.

AU - Katrina L Carlson
AU - Akua B. Oppong-Anane
AU - Michelle E Jarvie-Eggart P.E.
AU - Amanda Marie Singer
CY - East Lansing, Michigan
DA - 2022/07/31
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - First Year Engineering Student Definitions of Systems Engineering: A Comparison Between Two Institutions
UR - https://peer.asee.org/42225
DO - 10.18260/1-2--42225
ER -