2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Self-Reported Emotions of Engineering Instructors During and After a Sudden Change

Presented at Faculty Development Division (FDD) Technical Session 7

There is a need for a deeper understanding of instructors’ adaptability so that supports can be put in place to sustain teaching and learning in times of considerable disruption (e.g., natural disasters, public health emergencies, and man-made incidents). This study is an investigation into the emotional adaptability of engineering instructors over three disrupted semesters and how their self-reported emotions compared to those experienced during a non-disrupted semester. Study participants were engineering instructors from a U.S. research intensive institution. Weekly online surveys were administered to instructors during the last seven weeks of the Spring 2020 semester and biweekly in the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters which included an item about their emotions and an item about the normality of their emotions. Descriptive statistics were used to identify trends in self-reported emotions. Generally, instructors self-reported more positive emotions than negative emotions across all three semesters. As the original disruption continued to impact teaching, instructors reported their emotions to be more similar to pre-disruption times. By studying engineering instructors’ emotions during a disruption that impacted teaching, the groundwork has begun to help identify supports needed for instructors to adapt to sudden change and continued uncertainty.

Authors

Dr. Grace Panther University of Nebraska, Lincoln [biography]

Dr. Grace Panther is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln where she conducts discipline-based education research. Her research interests include faculty change, 3D spatial visualization, gender inclusive teamwork, and studying authentic engineering practice. Dr. Panther has experience conducting workshops at engineering education conferences both nationally and internationally, has been a guest editor for a special issue of European Journal of Engineering Education on inclusive learning environments, and serves on the Australasian Journal of Engineering Education advisory committee.
Prof. Heidi A. Diefes-Dux http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3635-1825 University of Nebraska, Lincoln [biography]

Heidi A. Diefes-Dux is a Professor in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL). She received her B.S. and M.S. in Food Science from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Food Process Engineering from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University. She was an inaugural faculty member of the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Her current role in the College of Engineering at UNL is to lead the disciplinary-based education research initiative, growing the research enterprise and the engineering education research graduate program. Her research focuses on the development, implementation, and assessment of modeling and design activities with authentic engineering contexts; the design and implementation of learning objective-based grading for transparent and fair assessment; and the integration of reflection to develop self-directed learners.
Mrs. Katie Mowat http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0222-4422 University of Nebraska, Lincoln [biography]

I am an engineer who loves to work with people, learn about new ideas and developments in my field, and spend quality time with friends and family. My goal is to inspire the next generation of engineers to be curious, excited, and passionate about engineering and life. In my free time I enjoy playing flag football, crocheting, cooking, and gardening.

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