Impact of COVID-19 Transition to Remote Learning on Engineering Self-efficacy and Outcome Expectations
- Conference
- Location
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Virtual Conference
- Publication Date
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July 26, 2021
- Start Date
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July 26, 2021
- End Date
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July 19, 2022
- Conference Session
- Tagged Topic
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NSF Grantees Poster Session
- Page Count
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20
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--37279
- Permanent URL
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https://strategy.asee.org/37279
- Download Count
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311
Paper Authors
Johanna Milord University of Missouri - Columbia
Johanna Milord is a Counseling Psychology Doctoral Candidate at the University of Missouri. She earned her Masters of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling. Her general research focus is marginalized populations' attainment of their desired academic and career outcomes. Her most recent projects have explored career self-efficacy and critical race consciousness interventions.
Fan Yu University of Missouri - Columbia
Sarah Lynn Orton P.E.
University of Missouri - Columbia
orcid.org/0000-0002-7896-039X
Dr. Orton is an associate professor in Civil Engineering and is an active member of the American Concrete Institute and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dr. Orton also serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Missouri. She has participated in several programs aimed at improving undergraduate education. Her research projects have involved the use of carbon fiber reinforced polymers to strengthen structures, analysis and testing for reinforced concrete frames under disproportionate collapse, and risk and reliability analysis of bridges and offshore structures. She is a registered professional engineer in Missouri.
Lisa Y. Flores University of Missouri - Columbia
Lisa Y. Flores, Ph.D. is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri. She has expertise in the career development of Latino/as and Latino/a immigrant issues and has 80 peer reviewed journal publications, 19 book chapters, and 1 co-edited book and presented over 200 conference presentations in these areas. She has been PI and co-PI on grants funded by NSF and USDA to support her research. She is Editor of the Journal of Career Development and past Associate Editor of the Journal of Counseling Psychology, and has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Vocational Behavior, The Counseling Psychologist, Journal of Counseling Psychology, and Career Development Quarterly.
Rose M. Marra University of Missouri - Columbia
Professor Rose M. Marra is the Director of the School of Information Science and Learning Technology at the University of Missouri. She is PI of the NSF-funded Supporting Collaboration in Engineering Education, and has studied and published on engineering education, women and minorities in STEM, online learning and assessment. Marra holds a PhD. in Educational Leadership and Innovation and worked as a software engineer before entering academe.
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 and sudden transition to remote learning brought many changes and challenges to higher education campuses across the nation. This paper evaluates the impact of the transition to remote learning on the engineering-related social cognitions of self-efficacy (belief in one’s abilities to successfully accomplish tasks in engineering) and outcome expectations (beliefs about the consequences of performing engineering behaviors). These social cognitions can be attributed to important academic and career outcomes, such as the development of STEM interests and goals (Lent et al., 2019) and may be especially important in the success of women in non-traditional fields such as engineering.
As an extension to a NSF RIEF (Research Initiation in Engineering Formation) study evaluating engineering social cognitions, students in 8 engineering classes were surveyed at the beginning of Spring 2020 semester (N=224), shortly after the transition to remote learning (N = 190), and at the end of the semester (N=101). The classes surveyed included a common early engineering class at the sophomore level (Engineering Statics) and required junior level courses in different departments. The students were surveyed using reliable and validated instruments to measure engineering self-efficacy (Lent et al. 2005, Frantz et al. 2011), engineering outcome expectations (Lent et al. 2003, Lee et al. 2018), and engineering persistence intentions (Lent et al. 2003).
The results show a gradual increase in the mean scores on the engineering self-efficacy and outcome expectation measures through the semester. Two tailed t-tests of matched participants showed no significance when comparing the data between the beginning and mid-semester surveys, as well as the mid-semester and end surveys. However, significance was found in the two engineering self-efficacy measures between the beginning and end of semester surveys. Results are compared across courses at different levels and across gender. Results indicate that despite the sudden change in instructional mode, students’ perceptions of engineering self-efficacy and outcome expectations showed a slight increase or no change.
Milord, J., & Yu, F., & Orton, S. L., & Flores, L. Y., & Marra, R. M. (2021, July), Impact of COVID-19 Transition to Remote Learning on Engineering Self-efficacy and Outcome Expectations Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--37279
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