2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Analyzing Student Perceptions of Peer-Led Team Learning Interventions in Asynchronous Online Engineering Courses.

Presented at Reflection

This work is an evidence-based practice work-in-progress that will be followed up with a full paper. This qualitative research analyzes the perceptions of students who participated in Peer-led team learning (PLTL) activities in asynchronous online engineering course environments. PLTL is an intervention in which the peer leader facilitates learning sessions with small groups of students in a course to provide support and clarity on specific concepts and topics on the subject matter. The peer leaders are students who have been identified and recruited for their successful performance and completion in selected engineering courses. PLTL interventions have been successfully implemented in traditional face-to-face course environments, leading to improvement in student performance and persistence. However, there is a gap in the research regarding PLTL interventions in an asynchronous online environment. This work explores qualitative feedback provided by the student participants taking foundational undergraduate engineering asynchronous online courses. The student demographic is mainly adult learners, with a majority of active-duty military and veterans. The qualitative feedback examines the following perceptions: how the students felt supported in the course through the PLTL intervention, the challenges they faced with the PLTL intervention, and how the PLTL intervention helped support their academic and career goals. This is the third year of this research study, which is being conducted at a private university focused on aerospace and aviation-related degrees and is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program.

Authors

Dr. Kimberly A Taylor http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-3998-4567 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide [biography]

Dr. Kimberly Luthi is the Department Chair for Applied Aerospace Sciences at Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University-Worldwide in the College of Aviation.She has made extensive contributions on workforce development research and education training preparation to support an inclusive talent pipeline for the aerospace industry. With over 15 years of experience in talent management and workforce education, she has worked with a diverse range of stakeholders to identify the critical skills gaps in industry. Her background encompasses both her professional experience and research in autonomous systems and successful collaboration with industry to align the curriculum with industry needs. Her work focuses on creating accessible pathways into the space field through innovative training programs that will sustain a future workforce both in the civil and commercial sectors. She holds a Ph.D. from Old Dominion University, a Master of Science in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and my Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida. Her professional background includes serving in various administrative roles on sponsored projects across STEM disciplines. She is a FAA-certified remote pilot, an AUVSI Trusted Operator Program Instructor and holds the AUVSI Trusted Operator Program™ Level I, 2, 3 and Fundamentals of Instruction Certifications.
Monica Surrency Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide [biography]

Dr. Monica Surrency is the Director of Instructional Design Operations at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide campus. She holds a Master's in Instructional Systems from Florida State University and a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas (UNT). She is the 2022 recipient of the Robert M. Gagné Award for Graduate Student Research in Instructional Design for her Ph.D. dissertation at UNT. Currently, she is working on a multi-year NSF grant researching Peer-Led Team Learning in asynchronous online engineering courses for non-traditional military and Veteran college students. Her contributions to this grant include logistical setup for the control and experimental courses, recruiting research participants, conducting interviews, along with collecting, coding, and analyzing the qualitative data from both the student and Peer Leader participants in this unique learning environment.
David Paul Harvie http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2576-3349 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide [biography]

David Paul Harvie is an Assistant Professor in the College of Aviation Graduate Studies Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide Campus. David has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Kansas, a M.S. in Computer Science from North Carolina State University, and a B.S. in Computer Science from the United States Military Academy. He is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
John K Wilson Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide

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