REU: Engineering Education Research

Increasing diversity in engineering has been a major focus in the U.S. for decades, and while significant resources have been invested in improving diversity in engineering, the numbers have remained relatively stagnant. To move forward, research on engineering culture suggests that we must look inside the engineering classroom to understand why engineering remains largely white and largely male (Cech & Sherick, 2019; Lichtenstein et al., 2015). Most of what is known to date about engineering culture was captured during periods of stability. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to higher education, exacerbating challenges around diversity and inclusion in engineering (Addo, 2020; Coley & Holly, 2021; Sealey et al., 2021; Sheppard, 2020) and providing an opportunity to either challenge or uphold the dimensions of engineering culture.

The path to proficiency in engineering is long and difficult, often lacking displays of what it would be like to be an engineer and the positive societal impacts of engineering, weakening students’ interest (engagement) and confidence (self-efficacy) and perpetuating issues of retention and capacity building (National Academies, 2016). Virtual/Augmented-Reality-Based Discipline Exploration Rotations (VADERs) provide students with a platform to explore Architectural Engineering and its subdisciplines through virtual, mock-up healthcare spaces and interactions. VADERs are open-ended, human-computer interactions informed by the Model of Domain Learning (MDL, Kulilowich & Hepler, 2018) framework to help students visualize themselves in their chosen careers and enhance resiliency against the challenges of an engineering degree program. VADERs are embedded into courses through assignments to allow students to better link concepts learned in the classroom to realistic work examples.

Spatial skills have been linked to success in STEM degree attainment (Wai, et al., 2009). Spatial skills have also shown some correlation to successful problem solving (Duffy et al., 2020). This study investigates the links between spatial skills and problem solving by using several spatial measures and engineering problems while collecting eye tracking data and perceived stress (wrist band data). Two research questions guide the project: (1) Do demographic differences exist between students in terms of their spatial skills and engineering problem solving? (2) Do stress levels and eye movements differ between demographic groups when solving engineering problems?

The U.S. construction industry experienced thousands of fatalities and hundreds of thousands of non-fatal injuries in the past five years (USDOL, 2021). These staggering numbers draw attention to the critical need for a better understanding of safety and safety recognition on construction worksites.  Prior researchers have aimed to reduce death and fatalities by using VR platforms for safety training (Le et al., 2015; Schwebel, 2016). While VR can support learners in identifying certain construction safety violations and hazards (Sacks et al., 2013), this does not automatically translate to safer practices. Workers often know safety regulations, but do not follow them because of perceived convenience or time-savings. When they eventually witness or sustain an injury, the experience creates a deep and long-lasting lesson learned (Hallowell, 2010). Therefore, unlike prior VR studies that focused only on hazard recognition, this work examines the emotional responses during experiential learning.