Future Engineering Professors’ Views of the Role of Motivation in Teaching and Learning

Ana T. Torres-Ayala

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Conference: 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: June 10, 2012
Start Date: June 10, 2012
End Date: June 13, 2012
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Educating Students for Professional Success
Tagged Division: Graduate Studies
Page Count: 9
Page Numbers: 25.660.1 - 25.660.9
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--21417
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/21417
Download Count: 376

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Ana T. Torres-Ayala University of South Florida

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Ana T. Torres-Ayala is a doctoral candidate in higher education at the University of South Florida. She holds a B.S. degree in computer engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, and a M.Eng. degree in computer and systems engineering from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute. She has experience in the telecommunications industry where she worked for Lucent Technologies. Torres-Ayala was previously an information technology instructor. Her research interests include faculty development, scholarship of teaching and learning, graduate education, and broadening participation of underrepresented groups in engineering.

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Abstract

Future Engineering Educators’ Views of the Role of Motivation in Teaching and LearningThe preparation of future engineering educators, whether in graduate school or professionaldevelopment programs, rarely incorporates education theories in the curriculum. Withoutformal preparation for teaching, most new engineering educators rely on their preconceptions ofteaching and learning to shape their instructional practices and their interactions with students.This situation presents a challenge to try to understand future engineering educator’s views ofteaching and learning.As part of a larger study (manuscript in preparation), doctoral students were interviewed abouttheir perspectives on teaching and learning engineering. Participants were enrolled in one of nineengineering schools across the U.S. and expressed interest in becoming engineering professors.In their reflections, thirteen of the participants talked about the role of motivation in teaching andlearning engineering.According to prior research motivation is key to helping students learn (Pintrich, 2003).Although it can contribute to students’ higher levels of engagement and achievement, motivationtheories, like other education and psychology theories, are absent from doctoral engineeringstudents own preparation.This paper explores how these future engineering educators viewed the role of motivation inlearning engineering and how they think that, as professors, they will motivate students. Toachieve this, a qualitative approach, specifically thematic analysis (Aronson, 1994), was used oninterview transcripts.Preliminary results indicate that participants intuitively knew that motivation plays a key rolein learning engineering. In fact, motivation was often viewed a pre-requisite for learning. Tomotivate students to learn, participants emphasized the use of interesting examples or projectsto draw in student interest. Telling the students about the value or utility of course topics wasalso indicated as a strategy to motivate undergraduates to learn engineering. These and otheremerging themes will be discussed. With motivation theories as a backdrop, implications for thepreparation of future engineering educators will be considered.

Citation
Format

Torres-Ayala, A. T. (2012, June), Future Engineering Professors’ Views of the Role of Motivation in Teaching and Learning Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21417

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Future Engineering Educators’ Views of the Role of Motivation in Teaching and LearningThe preparation of future engineering educators, whether in graduate school or professionaldevelopment programs, rarely incorporates education theories in the curriculum. Withoutformal preparation for teaching, most new engineering educators rely on their preconceptions ofteaching and learning to shape their instructional practices and their interactions with students.This situation presents a challenge to try to understand future engineering educator’s views ofteaching and learning.As part of a larger study (manuscript in preparation), doctoral students were interviewed abouttheir perspectives on teaching and learning engineering. Participants were enrolled in one of nineengineering schools across the U.S. and expressed interest in becoming engineering professors.In their reflections, thirteen of the participants talked about the role of motivation in teaching andlearning engineering.According to prior research motivation is key to helping students learn (Pintrich, 2003).Although it can contribute to students’ higher levels of engagement and achievement, motivationtheories, like other education and psychology theories, are absent from doctoral engineeringstudents own preparation.This paper explores how these future engineering educators viewed the role of motivation inlearning engineering and how they think that, as professors, they will motivate students. Toachieve this, a qualitative approach, specifically thematic analysis (Aronson, 1994), was used oninterview transcripts.Preliminary results indicate that participants intuitively knew that motivation plays a key rolein learning engineering. In fact, motivation was often viewed a pre-requisite for learning. Tomotivate students to learn, participants emphasized the use of interesting examples or projectsto draw in student interest. Telling the students about the value or utility of course topics wasalso indicated as a strategy to motivate undergraduates to learn engineering. These and otheremerging themes will be discussed. With motivation theories as a backdrop, implications for thepreparation of future engineering educators will be considered.
AU  - Ana T. Torres-Ayala
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2012/06/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Future Engineering Professors’ Views of the Role of Motivation in Teaching and Learning
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/21417
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--21417
ER  -