WIP: How Professional Networking Impacts Outcome Expectations and Choice Goals in a First-year Engineering Course

Evelyn Walters; Cory Budischak; Shawn Fagan

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Conference: 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference
Location: University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
Publication Date: July 30, 2023
Start Date: July 30, 2023
End Date: August 1, 2023
Page Count: 5
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44855
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/44855
Download Count: 70

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Paper Authors

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Evelyn Walters Temple University

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Eve Walters is an Associate Professor of Instruction in Temple University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

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Cory Budischak Temple University orcid.org/0000-0003-0986-4297

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Cory is a teacher and researcher who strives to reduce the harmful effects of energy production and use. Teaching has always been his central passion. He started as a group tutor in college, which led him to his full time career as an Associate Professor of Instruction at Temple University in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has also taught a course "Electric Vehicles and the Grid" at the University of Delaware. He employs innovative instructional methods such as problem based learning, flipping the classroom, and teaching through interactive games. He finds it rewarding to reach students with these methods who may not have been reached by traditional lectures. His research focuses on the transition to 100% renewable energy and effective engineering instruction/support using problem based learning, flipped classroom approaches, design thinking, and co-curricular supports such as mentoring.

His main research focuses on two research questions:

1) What would our energy system look like if we make the shift towards 100% renewable energy and how much would the system cost? The research focuses not on a single energy system (electricity, transportation, agriculture), but the interaction among systems and taking a systems thinking approach.

2) How can learning and educational outcomes be improved with innovative instruction and co-curricular supports?

His research has appeared in Discovery News, The Huffington Post, Scientific American, and Rolling Stone Magazine. His outreach to the community has been featured in many local publications. He has presented his work all over the country including on the TEDx stage. He has done consulting work, including for the Chief Investment Officer of JPMorgan Chase, Michael Cembalest.

Cory received his Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Delaware. He spent 8 years at Delaware Technical and Community College in the Energy Management Department as an Instructor and Department chair before transitioning to his current role at Temple University.

When Cory is not educating or researching, he enjoys backpacking, yoga, volleyball, and hiking with his family.

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Shawn Fagan Temple University orcid.org/0000-0002-6107-0980

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Dr. Shawn Fagan is the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the College of Engineering at Temple University.

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Abstract

Motivation and Problem Background A plethora of studies exist which link the development of a professional identity to retention and persistence within undergraduate engineering. Factors such as student experiences and perceptions of their knowledge and skills as well as the culture of the university have all been linked to identity development. A study by Pierrakos et al. (2009) compared first-year engineering persisters with those who transferred out and additionally found that persistence occurs when students have more knowledge and exposure to the field as well as contact with actual engineers. Generally, first-year engineering students have very limited interactions with the field and practitioners.

Pedagogical Theory to Address Problem Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) is a theoretical framework which may be used to understand the processes which influence how people form interests, make choices, and achieve various career outcomes (Lent et al., 2002). In SCCT, the interaction between social cognitive variables and other variables such as personal characteristics and social environment work together to explain career pathways (Lent et al., 2002). Outcome expectations are personal beliefs about what will happen if given actions are undertaken and may be acquired through learning experiences such as personal attainment or social persuasion (Lent et al., 2002). As students establish a set of beliefs about the consequences related to an engineering degree, they begin to develop goals directed towards these outcomes and formulate a plan to achieve their goals (Fagan, 2019).

Research Question Using the SCCT model as a guiding theoretical framework, this study seeks to understand how a professional networking intervention in a first-year Introduction to Engineering course affects a student’s engineering outcome expectations and their engineering choice goals.

Intervention As part of a first-year engineering course, we are developing a module which introduces students to required soft skills, including professional networking. Students use the networking sites LinkedIn and Handshake to create profiles and connect with their peers. As a next step, they conduct an informational interview with an upper-level classmate to learn more about their involvement in cocurricular activities, required professional skills, and any internships or research experiences they have had. Lastly, students reach out to a practicing engineer and conduct a similar informational interview.

Assessment Method Since this is a work-in-progress paper, we hope to share observations from faculty about our first impressions of the module and obtain feedback from the first-year engineering community about improvement in assessment or delivery/design of the module itself. In future work, we intend to conduct pre-and post-surveys to learn more about short-term student gains in recognizing the need for professional networking skills as well as outcome expectations and choice goals associated with building a professional network. We also plan to conduct an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis exploring the student’s lived experiences to gain an in-depth understanding of how engineering outcome expectations and engineering choice goals are influenced by the professional networking intervention.

References Fagan, S. P. (2019). A Phenomenological Exploration of Women’s Lived Experiences and Factors that Influence Their Choice and Persistence in Engineering [Dissertation, Temple University]. http://libproxy.temple.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/phenomenological-exploration-womens-lived/docview/2352101489/se-2 Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2002). Social Cognitive Career Theory. In Career Choice and Development. https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use Pierrakos, O., Beam, T. K., Constantz, J., Johri, A., & Anderson, R. (2009). On the development of a professional identity: Engineering persisters vs engineering switchers. Proceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2009.5350571

Citation
Format

Walters, E., & Budischak, C., & Fagan, S. (2023, July), WIP: How Professional Networking Impacts Outcome Expectations and Choice Goals in a First-year Engineering Course Paper presented at 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--44855

TY - CPAPER
AB - Motivation and Problem Background
A plethora of studies exist which link the development of a professional identity to retention and persistence within undergraduate engineering. Factors such as student experiences and perceptions of their knowledge and skills as well as the culture of the university have all been linked to identity development. A study by Pierrakos et al. (2009) compared first-year engineering persisters with those who transferred out and additionally found that persistence occurs when students have more knowledge and exposure to the field as well as contact with actual engineers. Generally, first-year engineering students have very limited interactions with the field and practitioners.

Pedagogical Theory to Address Problem
Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) is a theoretical framework which may be used to understand the processes which influence how people form interests, make choices, and achieve various career outcomes (Lent et al., 2002). In SCCT, the interaction between social cognitive variables and other variables such as personal characteristics and social environment work together to explain career pathways (Lent et al., 2002). Outcome expectations are personal beliefs about what will happen if given actions are undertaken and may be acquired through learning experiences such as personal attainment or social persuasion (Lent et al., 2002). As students establish a set of beliefs about the consequences related to an engineering degree, they begin to develop goals directed towards these outcomes and formulate a plan to achieve their goals (Fagan, 2019).

Research Question
Using the SCCT model as a guiding theoretical framework, this study seeks to understand how a professional networking intervention in a first-year Introduction to Engineering course affects a student’s engineering outcome expectations and their engineering choice goals.

Intervention
As part of a first-year engineering course, we are developing a module which introduces students to required soft skills, including professional networking. Students use the networking sites LinkedIn and Handshake to create profiles and connect with their peers. As a next step, they conduct an informational interview with an upper-level classmate to learn more about their involvement in cocurricular activities, required professional skills, and any internships or research experiences they have had. Lastly, students reach out to a practicing engineer and conduct a similar informational interview.

Assessment Method
Since this is a work-in-progress paper, we hope to share observations from faculty about our first impressions of the module and obtain feedback from the first-year engineering community about improvement in assessment or delivery/design of the module itself.
In future work, we intend to conduct pre-and post-surveys to learn more about short-term student gains in recognizing the need for professional networking skills as well as outcome expectations and choice goals associated with building a professional network. We also plan to conduct an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis exploring the student’s lived experiences to gain an in-depth understanding of how engineering outcome expectations and engineering choice goals are influenced by the professional networking intervention.

References
Fagan, S. P. (2019). A Phenomenological Exploration of Women’s Lived Experiences and Factors that Influence Their Choice and Persistence in Engineering [Dissertation, Temple University]. http://libproxy.temple.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/phenomenological-exploration-womens-lived/docview/2352101489/se-2
Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., &amp;amp; Hackett, G. (2002). Social Cognitive Career Theory. In Career Choice and Development. https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use
Pierrakos, O., Beam, T. K., Constantz, J., Johri, A., &amp;amp; Anderson, R. (2009). On the development of a professional identity: Engineering persisters vs engineering switchers. Proceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2009.5350571

AU - Evelyn Walters
AU - Cory Budischak
AU - Shawn Fagan
CY - University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
DA - 2023/07/30
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - WIP: How Professional Networking Impacts Outcome Expectations and Choice Goals in a First-year Engineering Course
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/44855
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44855
ER -