2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Abstract

To better prepare undergraduates for the STEM industry which struggles with workforce shortages, academia-industry collaboration offerings and engagements are facilitated by professors. Professional identity development (PID) theories link well-designed engagements with increments in undergraduates’ thinking, feeling, and performing as professionals. However, existing PID studies focus on long-term engagements such as internships and disregard short-term engagements such as guest lectures. As a preliminary effort to bridge this gap, the purpose of this study is to explore how short-term academia-industry guest lecture engagement moments (SAIs) interact with self-definitions to influence PID in construction undergraduates. Our constructivist grounded theory methodology engaged 10 construction undergraduates in semi-structured interviews regarding their SAI-driven professional identity development (SAI-PID). We utilize constant comparative analysis for coding, categorization and theory development.

Preliminary findings from this work-in-progress indicate that guest lectures facilitate PID in construction undergraduates. The novelty of our work lies in our introduction of the first multi-dimensional and multi-phase SAI-PID grounded theory. Our SAI-PID framework utilizes four sequential phases of important guest lecture moments and three personality types to explain how varied student-GL psychological distance perceptions are associated with varied types and levels of attentiveness, responsiveness, PID, and regulation of professional aspirations. SAI-PID is characterized by increments in cognition and affection towards professional aspirations. However, increments in performance are not as prevalent. This signals a key difference between short- and long-term engagements as short engagements provide sparse opportunities for professional practice and socialization.

We bridge critical gaps in literature by positioning SAIs and self-definitions as viable for PID in undergraduates. To enhance SAI contributions to PID, student-GL psychological distance perceptions can be reduced by increasing the practical and interactive components of SAIs to include hands on engagements and personal stories. Furthermore, inviting alumni guest lecturers or a panel of guest lecturers with diverse attributes will ensure that more students perceive similarities with GLs to reduce psychological distance perceptions. Institutions should provide opportunities for undergraduates to strengthen their self-regulation skills as this would give them more control over psychological distance perceptions to facilitate PID. The diverse identity content, process, and context variables in our framework inform future dialogues, investigations and interventions to improve SAI-PID. In the long term, stronger professional identities will strengthen transitions into the workforce and reduce persistent STEM workforce shortages.