2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work in Progress: Assessing Engineering Students' Behavioral Engagement and Learning; Survey Development and Validation

Presented at Work-in-Progress Session: Emergent Methods for Engineering Education Research

Studies have shown that the more involved students are with their learning, the better their achieved desired educational outcome. However, little is known about the extent to which the existing engineering curriculum and pedagogical strategy implemented elicit engineering students’ engagement in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) of the world. The goal of this study is to examine to what extent the existing engineering curriculum elicits student engagement in self-learning and collaborative learning. This effort is part of the ongoing re-evaluation and redesign of the water engineering curriculum of one of the countries in the MENA region by a research team across five Universities in the United State.
To achieve this, a survey was developed by a team of US experts to evaluate the extent to which the current water engineering curriculum elicited students’ engagement and learning from the faculty’s perspective. In this research paper, the formation and psychometrics of the developed survey are explored. Exploratory factor analysis is conducted to derive latent constructs and refinement of the item list. Factor correlation is also conducted to investigate the association that exists between these constructs. Scree plots, parallel analysis, and factor loading is used in evaluating the final solution. Descriptive analysis is conducted to measure students’ engagement and learning with the current curriculum for instruction.
The outcome of this study will reveal the state of students’ engagement and learning in this region. This provides vital information the curriculum review committee will be working with in developing a state-of-the-art curriculum that will engender the engagement and development of graduates who can function effectively in the workforce in solving the water scarcity and pollution in the MENA region. This work contributes to one of the sustainable development goals which is access to clean water and sanitation.

Authors

Dr. Ibukun Samuel Osunbunmi http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-7821-9059 Utah State University - Engineering Education [biography]

Ibukun Samuel Osunbunmi is an Assistant Research Professor, and Assessment and Instructional Specialist at Pennsylvania State University. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Engineering Education from Utah State University. Also, he has BSc and MSc degrees in mechanical engineering. His research interests include student engagement, design thinking, learning environment, evidence-based pedagogy, e-learning, broadening participation in STEM education, sustainable energy, and material characterization. This work was conducted while he was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Engineering Education at Utah State University, Logan, USA.
Prof. Kurt Henry Becker Utah State University - Engineering Education [biography]

Kurt Becker is a Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Utah State University. His research includes engineering design thinking, systems engineering, engineering education professional development, technical training, and adult learning cognition. He is currently working on a USAID funded project in Egypt, “Center of Excellence in Water”, and Department of Education funded GEARUP projects in the area of STEM education related to engineering education. He has extensive international experience working on technical training and engineering projects funded by the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Countries where he has worked include Armenia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, and Thailand. In addition, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in engineering education for the department.
Young Min Kim The Ohio State University
Dr. Mohammad Al Mestiraihi The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley [biography]

Mohammad Al Mestiraihi got his Ph.D. degree from the Engineering Education Department at Utah State University (USU) in July 2022, under Professor Kurt Becker's supervision. Before getting his Ph.D. from USU, Mohammad was a student at Oklahoma State University, where he received a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Mohammad also received another master’s degree in computer engineering from the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Jordan. Besides, Mohammad also has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Al-Yarmouk University in Jordan. Complemented with his educational degrees, Mohammad has more than four years of teaching experience at Najran University, Saudi Arabia. Mohammad was also working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) for 2.5 years at Oklahoma State University. Right now, Mohammad is working in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) as a Lecturer 2. He started this position in the fall of 2022, right after he got his Ph.D.
Dr. R Ryan Dupont Utah State University [biography]

Dr. Dupont has more than 35 years of experience teaching and conducting applied and basic research in environmental engineering at the Utah Water Research Laboratory at Utah State University. His main research areas have addressed soil and groundwater bio
Dr. David K. Stevens Utah State University

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