2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Human activity is mediated by a number of artifacts, both external (like a hammer or computer) and internal (like concepts or heuristics). Artifacts mediate or alter the nature of human activities. These artifacts embody a certain history and culture and meaning within any activity system. Activity theory emphasizes that an artifact morphs into a tool when it is used and that knowing how to use it in a particular situation (time and place) is a crucial part of an activity system; in addition, their use re-creates and transforms them. Furthermore, activity theory sees practices as being influenced by tools and shaped by historical development. Thus, to fully understand mediation within an activity, its context and history should be taken into consideration.

In this study we examine mediation in professional engineering work practices through an investigation of a single site - an activity system - EnergyOne to investigate an often overlooked aspect of engineering practice, maintenance. Engeström has established a simple structural model of the concept of activity and culturally mediated relationships within it (Engeström , 1987) and we use this model for our analysis. In this model, focusing on activity as the basic unit of analysis, emphasis is put on the cultural, institutional and social settings in which these activities occur. The model provides the necessary conceptual resources for capturing essential elements of a complex setting, including the tools, rules, community, subject and the object as the outcome of activity.
Through interviews, participant observations, and secondary data related to the organization collected over a six-month period we delineate the different components of this activity system, how they work, and what might be some contradictions within it. EnergyOne is a long-established utility company and therefore an interesting case to study maintenance of practices in a steady state. Through three mini case studies developed inductively from the data, we delineate different aspects of mediation within engineering practice, including: 1) its function in learning within the workplace; 2) its contribution in community involvement and engagement; and 3) its contribution to identity and role development within the organization.

Early findings indicate that learning is rather standardized and passed down from senior to junior engineers via traditional mentoring, procedure manuals, and experiential learning by doing – “We look back at past designs . . .[If]there’s not a lot of info to look back through, we look outside at what other utilities do.” Findings also show how practices unfold in the contexts of communities, including community residents and various other communities of related contractors, suppliers, and government agencies – “it’s easier to work with a landowner or city/town when compared to [another state] - there are so many people involved.” Finally, the way that engineering activities and practices play out in various roles influenced the identities of different engineers – “The lead engineer arrangement changed to manager/supervisor type of system.” These are a few examples of how the context and activity system mediates the work of engineers in this organization.

We conclude with a discussion of the findings and how engineering practices are mediated and coordinated as activity systems in this organization. General conclusions are related to previous studies of engineering practice and implications for engineering education. The main audiences for this work are both faculty and students as results showcase how engineers conduct work in industry and highlight aspects of engineering work that students may not yet see from academic studies.