scholarly journals First-Year Engineering Student Perceptions in Programming Self-Efficacy and the Effectiveness of Associated Pedagogy Delivered via an Introductory, Two-Course Sequence in Engineering

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Lewis ◽  
Brian Robinson ◽  
Nicholas Hawkins
Author(s):  
Lauren Dent ◽  
Patricia Maloney ◽  
Tanja Karp

Service-learning presents exciting new ways for students to enhance their learning.  Educators and scholars agree that service-learning is connected to self-efficacy, which affects student performance.  This research tests the development of self-efficacy in students enrolled in service-learning and traditional sections of a first-year engineering course. Using a previously developed metric, the Engineering Skills Assessment (ESA), students enrolled in service-learning (SL) and “traditional” (non-SL) sections quantified self-efficacy on 11 skills previously deemed important for engineering.  Student responses were compared between SL and non-SL students at the beginning and end of the semester.  Analysis of the collected data using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) grouped self-efficacy ratings for the 11 skills into three meaningful constructs: (1) Job-related skills (2) Interpersonal skills and (3) Life skills.  Mean self-efficacy scores were significantly better at the end of the course for non-SL students in all areas and for SL students in four of the 11 skills and two of the three constructs.  Self-efficacy growth was significantly higher for non-SL students, which may be due to the Dunning-Kruger effect.  However, similar percentages of both populations self-reported that their skills were improved at the end of the semester due to the class.  This research also supports the use of the ESA as a reliable psychometric tool to evaluate student self-efficacy and its relationship to service-learning.


Author(s):  
Christine A. Toh ◽  
Connor S. Disco ◽  
Scarlett R. Miller

Product dissection activities are widely practiced in engineering education as a means of increasing student learning and understanding of core engineering concepts. While recent efforts in this area of research have sought to develop and utilize virtual dissection tools in order to reduce and mitigate the costs of physical dissection activities, little data exists on how virtual dissection impacts student learning and understanding. This lack of data makes it difficult to draw conclusions on the utility of virtual dissection tools for enhancing engineering instruction. In this paper we present the results of a controlled experiment conducted with first-year engineering students developed to examine the impact of virtual dissection on engineering student learning and self-efficacy. Our results revealed that student learning appeared to be unaffected through the use of virtual dissection environments. However, electro-mechanical self-efficacy gains were smaller for students who performed virtual dissection compared to students who performed physical dissection. These results add to our knowledge of the impact that virtual dissection tools can have on student learning and understanding and enable us to develop recommendations and guidelines for improving the effectiveness of these tools in engineering education.


Author(s):  
Matthew A. Hagler ◽  
Kirsten M. Christensen ◽  
Jean E. Rhodes

Non-parent mentoring relationships are important protective factors for first-generation college students. Previous research has focused on singular mentoring relationships measured at one time point, failing to capture the breadth and dynamic nature of social networks. The current study is a longitudinal investigation of first-generation students’ mentoring networks during their transition to college at a four-year, predominantly minority-serving commuter university. At the beginning and end of their first year, students (N = 176) responded to online surveys on their mentoring relationship(s), attitudes toward help-seeking, and college experiences. Cumulative support from pre-college mentoring relationships retained across the first year was positively associated with self-efficacy. Support from newly acquired mentoring relationships was positively associated with psychological sense of school membership. Network orientation was positively associated with self-efficacy and sense of school membership. These findings highlight the importance of diverse mentoring networks and demonstrate the utility of collecting longitudinal data on multiple mentoring relationships.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412199778
Author(s):  
Maria Manolika ◽  
Rigas Kotsakis ◽  
Maria Matsiola ◽  
George Kalliris

Increasing consensus among information systems researchers suggests that personality accounts for the effective use of several technologies, yet less is known about the process through which personality affects user perceptions of technology acceptance. This study, therefore, examined whether personality is associated with student perceptions of audiovisual technology acceptance, and whether general self-efficacy mediates this association. In total, 244 students completed an online survey including measures of personality, general self-efficacy, and perceptions of audiovisual technology acceptance. Canonical correlation uncovered significant associations between personality and student beliefs about technology use. Results further revealed that general self-efficacy fully mediated the effects of openness to experience and neuroticism on Perceived Ease of Use, whereas the association between agreeableness and Perceived Usefulness was partially mediated by self-efficacy beliefs. The fact that personality influences students’ perceptions of technology acceptance both directly and indirectly should not remain unnoticed, especially when designing intervention programs to enhance their academic performance.


Author(s):  
Johnathan Emahiser ◽  
John Nguyen ◽  
Cheryl Vanier ◽  
Amina Sadik

AbstractDeclining lecture attendance has been an ongoing concern for educators involved in undergraduate medical education. A survey was developed (a) to gain insight into the reasons students skipped class, (b) to identify the type of study materials they were using, and (c) to determine what they thought would motivate them to come to class. The survey was sent to 317 first-year and second-year medical students, and 145 (45%) responded. Only 63% of first-year students and 53% of second-year students attended any lectures that were not mandatory. The attendance was higher for students who aspired to less competitive specialties such as pediatrics and family medicine. The most popular reasons for not coming to class were related to the efficiency of information intake and instructor or class style. The most heavily used resources (> 60%) were materials or recorded lectures provided by the instructor. The second-year students also heavily used outside study materials for Board exams, such as Pathoma (50%). Students’ ideas for what might increase their attendance suggest that they perceive that the lectures may not prepare them for Board exams, and they would like faculty to address Board related content more often in class and on assessments. Respondents also suggested that teaching practices might be improved through faculty development. Faculty awareness of and references to Board exam content, embedded in strong teaching practices, may help students find more value in live lectures. Carefully designed active learning sessions may change students’ minds regarding the relevance and value of these sessions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. JMECD.S17496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Wisco ◽  
Stephanie Young ◽  
Paul Rabedeaux ◽  
Seth D. Lerner ◽  
Paul F. Wimmers ◽  
...  

A series of three annual surveys of David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA students and UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences students were administered from 2010 to 2012 to ascertain student perceptions of which anatomy pedagogy—prosection or dissection—was most valuable to them during the first year of preclinical medical education and for the entire medical school experience in general. Students were asked, “What value does gross anatomy education have in preclinical medical education?” We further asked the students who participated in both prosection and dissection pedagogies, “Would you have preferred an anatomy curriculum like the Summer Anatomy Dissection during your first year in medical school instead of prosection?” All students who responded to the survey viewed anatomy as a highly valued part of the medical curriculum, specifically referring to four major themes: Anatomy is (1) the basis for medical understanding, (2) part of the overall medical school experience, (3) a bridge to understanding pathology and physiology, and (4) the foundation for clinical skills. Students who participated in both prosection and dissection pedagogies surprisingly and overwhelmingly advocated for a prosection curriculum for the first year of medical school, not a dissection curriculum. Time efficiency was the dominant theme in survey responses from students who learned anatomy through prosection and then dissection. Students, regardless of whether interested in surgery/radiology or not, appreciated both pedagogies but commented that prosection was sufficient for learning basic anatomy, while dissection was a necessary experience in preparation for the anatomical medical specialties. This suggests that anatomy instruction should be integrated into the clinical years of medical education.


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