2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Instructor Experiences Teaching Model-Based Systems Engineering Online Modules to Professional Learners

Presented at Faculty Development Division (FDD) Technical Session 11

This work-in-progress shares some preliminary findings on identifying and characterizing instructor experiences when teaching online Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) modules. Although online learning modules are widely used in professional education because of their flexibility, research on such modules generally focuses on the learner experience rather than the instructor experience. Understanding instructor experiences is important to improve content delivery, to aid in the development of future online learning experiences, and to better communicate the pedagogical design to instructors. Therefore, we sought to answer the research question: What are the experiences like for instructors who used our pre-designed MBSE modules to teach professional learners? The modules used in this study were developed by our team of content experts primarily for engineering professionals’ continuing education. We conducted semi-structured interviews with four instructors and used thematic analysis to investigate the interview transcripts. Our preliminary analysis suggests that instructors’ attitudes toward online learning—particularly as they relate to asynchronous interactions—and their comfort level with MBSE subject matter affected their teaching experience. Our future research will investigate the experience of instructors who were not at all involved in the module design process and instructors who used the modules as part of their undergraduate/graduate courses. We expect our findings to have implications for future designers and instructors of online modules in the MBSE subject area and beyond. We intend to present this work as a lightning talk.

Authors

Mr. Leonardo Pollettini Marcos Purdue University, West Lafayette [biography]

Leonardo Pollettini Marcos is a 2nd-year PhD student at Purdue University's engineering education program. He completed a bachelor's and a master's degree in Materials Engineering at the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil. His research interests are in assessment instruments and engineering accreditation processes.
Ms. Tiantian Li http://orcid.org/0009-0001-4870-6008 Purdue University, West Lafayette [biography]

Tiantian Li (Olivia) is a dedicated Ph.D. student in Engineering Education at Purdue University. She received her Bachelor's degree in Biological Engineering, with a concentration in Pharmaceutical Processing Engineering. Currently, she is pursuing her Master's degree in Industrial Engineering. Tiantian has significant research experience in instrument development and validation analysis. Her research interests lie in developing reliable and valid measures for assessing complex engineering competencies, such as systems thinking skills. More particularly, she’s interested in assessing engineering students’ socio-technical systems thinking skills during their design process. In addition to her work on instrument development, Tiantian is also passionate about exploring the experiences of international scholars in the United States
Kristin Bartlett http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3577-8034 University of Kentucky [biography]

Dr. Kristin Bartlett is an Assistant Professor of Product Design at the University of Kentucky. She has a Ph.D. in Technology from Purdue University, an M.S. in Industrial Design from The University of Houston, and a B.A. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Rice University. Kristin's primary research interest is equity in engineering and design education.
Dr. Wanju Huang Purdue University, West Lafayette [biography]

Dr. Wanju Huang is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Learning Design and Technology at Purdue University. Prior to joining the LDT program, she was an instructional design manager at Teaching and Learning Technologies, Purdue Online, where she led a team
Dr. Kerrie A. Douglas http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2693-5272 Purdue University, West Lafayette [biography]

Dr. Douglas is an Associate Professor in the Purdue School of Engineering Education. Her research is focused on improving methods of assessment in engineering learning environments and supporting engineering students.

Download paper (693 KB)

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