Overriding Tradition? An Initial Exploration of the Intersection of Institutional and Disciplinary Cultures from the Student Perspective

Abstract

both in Electric Engineering. His research interests include experiences of international faculty and students in US classrooms, sociology of education, and critical and inclusive pedagogies.

Engineering culture under stress: A comparative case study of undergraduate mechanical engineering student experiences

“…A further key consideration for any comparative study is the set of decisions about the features that are reasonably similar in the contexts selected, and those that are anticipated to differ (Yin, 2018). The starting point for this study was the decision to focus on one engineering program in a prominent engineering discipline, recognizing that a number of studies have identified cultural and epistemological differences among engineering subdisciplines (Agrawal et al, 2018; Becher, 1981; Groen, 2017). Mechanical engineering was chosen because it is commonly regarded as a versatile engineering discipline and because it is a common and prominent discipline across most universities with engineering programs.…”

“…Research on engineering culture traces back to investigations sparked by women's lack of participation (Tonso, 1996) and has spanned investigations of attrition (Courter et al, 1998), development of engineering identity (Tonso, 2006), dimensions of engineering culture (Godfrey & Parker, 2010), as well as subdisciplinary (Agrawal et al, 2018; Gilbert, 2009), and national cultures (Downey & Lucena, 2005). Research on engineering culture to date has explored its values, beliefs, mindsets, and underlying ideologies (e.g., meritocracy, rigor, depoliticization, technical/social dualism), showing us the ways in which this culture is exclusive of students from underrepresented minority groups and is highly resistant to change (Cech & Rothwell, 2018; Godfrey & Parker, 2010; Leydens & Lucena, 2018; Lichtenstein et al, 2015; Riley, 2008).…”

A Comparative Study of Curricular Differences and Their Influence on Students’ Formation as Engineers

“…Finally, we plan to explore differences in curricula and resulting student experiences across disciplines. Prior work (e.g., see [18], [19]) has highlighted significant disciplinary influences on teaching and learning practices in an academic department. To study these disciplinary differences on academic curricula, we would like to do a curricular comparison between chemistry and chemical engineering programs at the participating institutions in this study.…”