Engineering a culture of engagement

Abstract

This paper presents the current status of a research project underway at Montana State University investigating student "dis-engagement" and how it relates to a student's ultimate motivation to enter the engineering workforce. This research aims to understand why engineering students show less and less concern over time for how engineering contributes to public welfare. Prior work has shown that when the engineering profession is viewed as one that holds only agentic value (i.e., advancement only for one's self), it is often unappealing to certain student groups, especially women and first generation college students. If interventions can be implemented that change the value system among engineers to create a culture that views engineering as having important prosocial, communal value, this cultural shift will have a transformative impact on the formation of engineers by attracting a more diverse population into the profession. This will in turn spur innovation and support an inclusive engineering workforce. This two-year project is currently in its first year through funding from the National Science Foundation's Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF) program. This paper will present the initial findings of a comprehensive survey deployed in a 100-level, electrical engineering course to measure student attitudes about, stereotypes of, and overall level of (dis)engagement in engineering. This paper will benefit engineering educators interested in improving student persistence, retention, and graduation rates through cultural interventions. The ultimate goal of this work is to contribute to the body of knowledge of how to produce graduates that choose to stay in the engineering workforce with a commitment to benefiting society through their work.