2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Why a PhD? An exercise with LEGO®. Using novel communication tools to express multilevel complex messages

Presented at Graduate Studies Division (GSD) Technical Session 5: Graduate Student Experience and Decision-Making

STEM doctoral students are typically regarded as strong model builders but weak reflective communicators. Expressing one’s motivations to undertake a PhD degree requires the elaboration of a multi-level complex message, as reasoning and emotion are often interwoven. Newly enrolled doctoral candidates were asked to explain ‘why a PhD’ using LEGO® pieces to help them express beyond words, with constructions, through similes and metaphors. The use of LEGO® was intentional for two reasons: it gave them a visual and kinaesthetic outlet for enhancing and deepening their reflections and message; and it put them at ease, in ‘play mode’, which allowed them to access aspects of their psyche not typically exploited in technical conversations. They constructed stories, created characters, and produced metaphors to channel and express what their motivations, drives and purpose were. The most common types of metaphors used were visual, ontological and spatially related. Their level of satisfaction was high in that they felt more confident to explain an otherwise elusive question that they had found difficult to address, articulate and communicate previously. The individual’s commitment to building correlates positively with the sophistication of the metaphors created. A larger than expected frequency in the use of literal similes was also observed, which was attributed to a lack of engagement, poor language skills and cultural differences. As a secondary aim, this exercise – where they shared deeper meaning emotion-laden messages on journeys and personal growth – intended to increase cohortness, togetherness and the emergence of a peer-support network.

Authors

Prof. Carmen Torres-Sanchez CEng MEng PhD PGCert FHEA MIMechE Loughborough University [biography]

Carmen Torres-Sanchez is a Professor of Multifunctional Materials Manufacturing at Loughborough University, England, United Kingdom, and the Executive Director of the Centre of Doctoral Training in Embedded Intelligence (CDT-EI). She is the architect of the novel Doctoral Transition Zone(TM) Training ethos. She has been working in industry-informed, academically-led education for more than 15 years. Her research interests are in the design, manufacture and validation of multifunctional materials with tailored properties to meet specific requirements of in-service deployment (e.g., structural, acoustic, chemical, bioengineering, etc). These have driven the development of technology to adjust cellular structure of foams via controlled ultrasonic irradiation. She has attracted £15M+ of funding from Government, Innovate UK and Industry to investigate materials and structures for a broad range of applications and she works at the interface with manufacturing and embedded intelligence systems. She is a Chartered Engineer (CEng), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the United Kingdom (FHEA), and a Member of the Academic Assessment Committee at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
Prof. Paul Conway FREng CEng Loughborough University [biography]

Prof. Paul P Conway CEng, SMIEEE, FIMechE is Dean of the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering and Distinguished Professor of Manufacturing Processes at Loughborough University, UK. He is currently Principle Investigator and Chair of the Executive for the UK's Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council's (EPSRC) Centre for Doctoral Training in Embedded Intelligence and was Director of EPSRC’s National Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre (2004-2015). His research includes: materials processing; integration of electronics, sensors and actuation into heterogeneous systems; manufacturing technology and processes. He has delivered >£55M of research from public and industry funding that has included research in cyber-physical simulation, design tools, pervasive sensing and intelligence, and informatics.

Download paper (1.07 MB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session