2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress (WIP) research addresses gaps in current understanding of engineering doctoral student identity development. Specifically, the research will explore the application of user experience (UX) methods to explore several issues involved in the process of developing engineering identity in doctoral students (primarily, researcher identity): the differences that may be present in the process of identity formation of on-campus versus on-line doctoral students, other factors (e.g., gender, ethno-racial background, previous professional experience, etc.) that may also be contributors to researcher identity formation, and how insights generated from longitudinal user experience methods such as (UX) methods, (journey mapping, and other insights) inform doctoral program design and assessment.
The research will contribute to fill three key gaps in current literature: 1) the limited existing longitudinal research on the topic of engineering identity development; 2) the limited existing research on engineering identity development in doctoral students, and 3) the limited existing research on the process of engineering identity development. The practical impacts from this study will be related to understanding the way engineering doctoral programs are designed and how this design may improve student mental health and attrition rates and bridge the gender and ethno-racial gaps in graduation rates, making doctoral education a more viable career path for engineers in all walks of life.
To address the research concerns this research employs UX methods to document and understand the experience of identity development in doctoral engineering students. UX studies evolved to engage with, discover, and explain users’ more holistic experiences. They were first applied in manufacturing, industrial engineering, and automotive design [1]. Until recently, UX methods have rarely been applied in academic research, including programmatic assessment and curriculum design. Drawing from the many methods available to UX researchers, the methods in this research were chosen to capture doctoral engineering student perceptions of their own identity development process and the interaction between this process and doctoral program design, among other factors. From the many methods used in UX research, our study employs user profiles, personas, journey mapping, surveys, and focus groups. SPSS and Excel are being used as tools for analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data collected with these mixed methods.
The purpose of the proposed paper and presentation will be to provide conference attendees with insights into UX methods as a means of research and assessment and offer preliminary findings from the research in progress, in particular the journey mapping data collection. Doctoral students created journey maps to identify program experiences that ranged from highly positive to highly negative in their personal identity development as engineering researchers. Among the most frequent experiences identified as developmental were courses, projects and assignments, and individual research; less important but nevertheless key experiences were mentorship, scholarship, and external factors. Over the next two years, additional data will be collected to determine how students' experiences may be modified as they progress through their doctoral programs.
References
[1] B. Nunnally and D. Farkas. UX research: practical techniques for designing better products. Boston, MA: O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2016.