CAREER: Building a Model of Instructional Congruence through Exploring the Role of Language in Introductory Undergraduate Engineering Courses

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

Introductory engineering courses may seem alienating to many undergraduates when fundamental concepts are presented primarily through highly technical language, unfamiliar metaphors and analogies, and complex abstractions. This sense of alienation may be particularly acute when students' educational backgrounds, prior experiences, and linguistic practices are not reflected in engineering instructors' written or verbal examples and course materials. To counter this sense, the purpose of this project is to develop a model of instructional congruence that connects undergraduates' linguistic practices and experiences with core engineering concepts. This project is based on the fundamental assumption that language can function to build a sense of belonging in introductory undergraduate engineering courses when instructors encourage students to use examples from their own backgrounds and experiences to build understandings of complex disciplinary ideas and practices; and when they connect students' experiences with fundamental engineering concepts through familiar analogies, metaphors, or examples. To explore this assumption, the project will conduct research in introductory electrical engineering courses at five universities in different geographical locations across the US and of different institutional types. The project will result in an empirically-based, open-access, scalable, and nationally-disseminated model that can be used by all undergraduate engineering instructors who seek to build their students' disciplinary expertise through instructionally congruent approaches. This project will explore how various types of language can support undergraduates in developing disciplinary expertise through building connections between familiar examples and fundamental engineering concepts. To achieve this research purpose, a multi-phase discourse analysis will be performed in introductory engineering courses across five colleges or universities, which were purposively selected to ensure a wide representation among students, instructors, programs, and institution types in different regions across the US. Within this context, the research team will collect numerous data sources, including written course materials, protocols from classroom observations, and transcripts from pre- and post-focus groups with undergraduates. Additionally, the research team will interview the instructors to better understand their rationales behind using specific types of language, including analogies and metaphors, to support student learning. Qualitative content analyses of these data sources will result in a model of instructional congruence that is widely transferrable to all institutions and programs across the country, thus reaching the broader population. This model will be publicly shared through research publications, workshops, webinars, and a graduate course for instructional faculty. Collectively, these resources will result in actionable knowledge regarding how instructors can use language to foster disciplinary expertise in undergraduate engineering courses, while simultaneously enhancing students' sense of belonging in engineering. This project is supported by NSF's EDU Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.