Project Info

Improving Understanding of Sociotechnical Thinking in Engineering Education – Mixed Methods Research

Many core engineering classes exemplify social-technical dualism (the separation of social and technical aspects of problem solving and problem defining) in ways that are unrealistic for engineering practice. A previous NSF-funded research project integrated the social into a core EE class, and this new project extends that effort into additional classes to examine impact and transferability. The undergraduate research student will work with the larger team (5 faculty and 2-3 undergraduate research assistants across 2 institutions) to collect and analyze both types of data. He or she will also gain insight into how teaching decisions to achieve specific course outcomes are made across both ME and EE courses.

More Information

http://inside.mines.edu/~kjohnson/

Grand Engineering Challenge: Not applicable

Student Preparation

Qualifications

“Passion for learning about sociotechnical integration in engineering
Strong communication skills
Ability to work independently
Standard office software expertise (such as Word, Excel, Google Forms, etc.)”

Time Commitment

30-40 hours/month

Skills/Techniques Gained

“Mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) research understanding and skills
Broader understanding of engineering, its historical context, and how engineering education decisions are made”

Mentoring Plan

I will be working with the four other faculty members to appropriately mentor the student. I will meet with the student for 30-60 min approximately once per week, and other faculty will meet with the student on an as-needed basis.