The goal of this Work-in-Progress study is to explore the emotive responses of seven engineering students as they worked on spatial and engineering statics problems. The research team used multi-modal approaches that combined the validated Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) scale with an electrodermal wrist sensor that students wore as they solved the problems. The electrodermal sensor measured participants’ electrical skin conductivity and events were timestamped and normalized to participants’ baseline electrodermal readings. These values were correlated to self-reported emotion before and after participants solved each problem set. Also, using the PANAS scale, emotion and its potential correlation to performance in rotations (Purdue Spatial Visualization Tool Revised-PSVT: R) and sectioned surface visualization (Mental Cutting Test-MCT) were explored. Preliminary findings suggest that the time spent as well as the difficulty of the problems influenced the magnitude of physiological arousal students experienced in the exam. Recording and analyzing such physiological arousal opens a door to an alternative method of investigating student performance to different engineering problems-sets. Extensions of this work in the future can help inform engineering educators on how certain problem-types can be more or less conducive to emotional responses that may deter or encourage student learning and performance.

As the call to increase entrepreneurial training within academic engineering institutions increases, understanding the target audience and its motivations becomes increasingly important. This qualitative research study provides insight into the backgrounds and motivations of engineering students who exhibited high entrepreneurial interest during their sophomore or junior year. Students taking a Technical Communication for Engineers course were given a series of entrepreneurial interest questions. Those students whose scores indicated high interest were invited to participate in interviews to discuss their interest. Some of the students received entrepreneurship peer mentoring, while others did not. Grounded Theory analysis was performed, and the central theme of family role models was identified. Additional themes include other role models, communication, persistence, and overlap of skills between engineering and entrepreneurship.

This work in progress initiated an investigation into an intervention focused on entrepreneurial training that was implemented in the delivery of a “Technical Communication for Engineers” course at a western research university. The course was delivered through multiple separate sections and was taught by two instructors using the same curriculum. The control-group approach utilized an established method to help engineers and computer scientists learn technical communication by writing a technical proposal as a team. The treatment-group approach included providing entrepreneurial training and consulting through lectures and one-on-one consultations provided by student consultants from the university's Entrepreneurship Club. Student consultants were trained in Glauser's NERCM principles for business consulting. The impact measurement of the intervention focuses on the results of students taking the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA) creativity assessment and Dweck's growth-vs-fixed Mindset survey. Lagged regression in quasi-experimental statistics will be utilized to compare results from a pre- and post-delivery of the test instruments taken before the entrepreneurial lectures begin and then again at the end of the course. Random selection of students from a convenience sample with an opt-out enrollment process was utilized. Additionally, a task value survey and an entrepreneurial intent survey were given to the students to develop an understanding of their views of this teaching method based upon the perceived value of the course.

Spatial intelligence is often linked to success in engineering education and engineering professions. The use of electroencephalography enables comparative calculation of individuals' neural efficiency as they perform successive tasks requiring spatial ability to derive solutions. Neural efficiency here is defined as having less beta activation, and therefore expending fewer neural resources, to perform a task in comparison to other groups or other tasks. For inter-task comparisons of tasks with similar durations, these measurements may enable a comparison of task type difficulty. For intra-participant and inter-participant comparisons, these measurements provide potential insight into the participant's level of spatial ability and different engineering problem solving tasks. Performance on the selected tasks can be analyzed and correlated with beta activities. This work presents a detailed research protocol studying the neural efficiency of students engaged in the solving of typical spatial ability and Statics problems. Students completed problems specific to the Mental Cutting Test (MCT), Purdue Spatial Visualization test of Rotations (PSVT:R), and Statics. While engaged in solving these problems, participants' brain waves were measured with EEG allowing data to be collected regarding alpha and beta brain wave activation and use. The work looks to correlate functional performance on pure spatial tasks with spatially intensive engineering tasks to identify the pathways to successful performance in engineering and the resulting improvements in engineering education that may follow.

2-D and 3-D Deconstruction Strategies, Solutions and Misconceptions in Introductory Statics ProblemsSophomore engineering students’ cognitive abilities, skills, and experiences represent the nativelevel of knowledge for students endeavoring to learn Statics. Within this stage of students’academic careers, initial engineering courses are being taken and the foundations for futureengineering work is being laid. The Engineering Statics course – the first class in the engineeringmechanics series and one of the first engineering courses offered to many engineering students –presents a prime environment to understand fundamental issues regarding students strategies andmisconceptions in a problem solving process. Gaining an understanding of these students’approaches to Statics problems, and the possible accompanying misconceptions, is motivated bytheir direct correlation and impacts on future engineering coursework and success.This study aims to discover cognitive strategies and misconceptions exhibited by engineeringstudents as they are introduced to 2-D and 3-D equilibrium concepts. Qualitative initial, axial,and selective coding methods, following a constant comparative analysis technique imbedded ingrounded theory, will be used to analyze the responses of students as they solve 2-D and 3-Dequilibrium problems recorded through a transcripted Talk Aloud protocol. An expanded pilotstudy – where the initial group of students solved traditional equilibrium problems and a follow-on group of students solved segmented equilibrium problems – will be discussed in this paper.The study aims to identify mental models for problem solving that can be used to frameinterventions, as well as areas of need where such interventions would help students solvingStatics problems. Procedural and conceptual aspects of students’ strategies and misconceptionswill be discussed individually and interactively. Results will foster future research, refine thequalitative methods applied, and direct pedagogical descriptions of the Statics problem-solvingprocess.

Introductory engineering problems set foundational knowledge required by students. While statics is a course that is typically offered during the start of an engineering student's sophomore year, it is one of the first pre-professional engineering courses students are exposed to and is important to their persistence in engineering. An understanding of the strategies and misconceptions that students employ to solve 2-D and 3-D force problems in statics is warranted due to its ties to their success and thus persistence. This study hopes to reveal some of the strategies and misconceptions engineering students implement and encounter when introduced to 2-D and 3-D concepts in Statics. The research design will focus on a qualitative approach where participants will engage in a Talk Aloud protocol implemented during problem solving activities. Data will be collected, segmented, and coded to determine misconception themes, strategies, and procedural understanding associated with solving equilibrium problems. A pilot study focusing on the experiences of 12 participants (3 female and 9 male) will be discussed in this paper. The study aims to identify areas where interventions may be strategically instituted facilitating students' success in solving Statics problems. Results will foster future research and refine the qualitative methods that will be applicable to such research.

This research paper investigates the potential existence of and implications for a ceiling effect observed in sophomore engineering students' spatial ability scores when using a common spatial ability instrument. Repeated use of the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotations (PSVT:R) – shown herein over the course of two semesters – has revealed potential limitations when using the assessment with undergraduate engineering students during their sophomore year. The correlation between spatial ability and academic performance in engineering education has been thoroughly established. The PSVT:R and its revision are commonly used in academic spatial ability research. However, with the observed high average performance typical of engineering students on the PSVT:R, a ceiling effect may pose limitations to its utility. Sophomore engineering students in a Statics class the first class in the Engineering Mechanics series were each given the PSVT:R and Mental Cutting Test (MCT) assessments twice per semester. Results showing that the MCT may be more capable of differentiating student abilities, despite having a lower possible maximum score, are presented. Scores from similarly aged students in an Anatomy class are provided for comparison. The impact of ceiling effects for the education of high-performing populations, such as Engineering Mechanics students, will be discussed and actions for improvements in spatial ability measurement will be proposed. An argument is also put forth to understand how these tests relate to students' engineering capabilities.

Spatial ability has been an area of research for decades. Distinct correlations have been discovered regarding research into spatial ability and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics disciplines (STEM). However, spatial ability is a term that can be confusing to practitioners. For this purpose, spatial ability, a measure of an individual’s capability to exercise a specific construct of spatial thinking, will be defined explicitly in this paper. Spatial ability has been positively correlated to success in the professional engineering world as well as within engineering coursework. In view of this correlational evidence, an argument forms for the academy to develop a more refined understanding of the improvement in spatial ability and underlying impacting mechanisms of spatial thinking within undergraduate engineering courses. This paper presents preliminary research into spatial ability’s correlation to performance in an engineering Statics course. Statics is a fertile engineering course to research as it is a gateway course where students often determine if they will persevere in engineering. It is the first class in the Engineering Mechanics Series and is required by most mechanical, civil, environmental, biological, and aerospace engineering programs. Results indicate that spatial ability does improve significantly in a Statics course for both sexes. Data was collected using two spatial instruments, the Mental Cutting Test and the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotations, and a demographic survey. A pre- and post-test design was used for both tests where tests where given in the first week and in the final week of the course. A series of paired t-tests are used to statistically analyze for improvement and the potential correlation between the spatial pre- and post-tests demographic variables. Additionally, the study was replicated in an Anatomy class to address potential risks to the study. Results indicate that spatial ability of the students in the Anatomy class does not significantly improve. Further research is suggested in looking into the demographic factors of each study including previous and concurrent course experience.

This work seeks to illustrate the process of the research team in adapting an existing, valid, and reliable spatial ability instrument – the widely accepted Mental Cutting Test (MCT) – to assess spatial ability among a blind or visually-impaired population. To adapt the instrument, the team is developing 3-D models of existing MCT questions such that the target population may take the test by feeling the models with their hands. Each model is created by scaling up the MCT figures as seen when printed on paper. The 3-D models of all 25 items of the MCT are created using a solid modeling process followed by an additive 3-D printing process. The answer to each MCT question is the section view defined by a plane-of-interest (POI) intersecting the figure in question. The POI of each figure is identified by a thin plane extending from the prism. The answers will be presented as thin plane extrusions on top of a thin plate. The 3-D answer choices are based on a combination of scaling up the paper-printed test and acquiring accurate dimensions from a section view of the POI. In addition to the models, the team is developing a physical platform on which the test figures and the answers will be displayed to the test-takers in a consistent manner. To improve this adaptation of the MCT instrument, each 3-D model and the respective multiple-choice answers of the MCT test items will be inspected by a spatial cognition expert as well as three blind or visually-impaired professionals. Feedback from these individuals will provide insight into necessary revisions.

This research paper reports on a study that assessed the self-efficacy of undergraduate and graduate students relating to success in the field of engineering. The key selection criteria for participants in this study was engagement in research experiences at their academic institution. The study also investigated the self-efficacy development of graduate student mentors relating to mentoring undergraduates. Interview data was collected, transcribed, and coded. Results of the coding process are analyzed and shared. The authors define self-efficacy as a psychological measure of the confidence an individual has toward their abilities in a specific activity. It is a generative ability that can be developed in an individual through experiences such as mastery experiences and vicarious experiences. Mastery experiences pertain to activities or tasks in which the individual is personally engaged that can help them develop expertise in a particular field, whereas vicarious experiences are experiences the individual has witnessed that can provide insight. These experiences can have either positive or negative effects on the self-efficacy of an individual. A high level of self-efficacy can then be a driving force within the individual to persevere through challenges, while a low level of selfefficacy may hinder them instead. One form of engineering mastery experience that students can engage in is a research project. This type of experience is considered a mastery experience due to the very personal and handson nature of research. These experiences provide opportunities for students to engage in multiple stages of a project and to apply knowledge they have gained in a realistic setting and provide an authentic mechanism where they may observe the direct outcomes of their efforts. Research experiences also require students to search out new knowledge in order to solve and understand the problems they are given. This provides a hands-on approach to learning material, and therefore presents a very powerful mastery experience for students in which they can develop self-efficacy. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of the experience of student researchers with regard to self-efficacy development. Specifically, we look at a construct of self-efficacy based around student research experiences and their impacts on confidence to work as an engineering professional. A phenomenological methodology guides the selection of participants and the interview process. The participants of this study are undergraduate and graduate engineering students at a Utah State University. To track self-efficacy development, the research team conducted semi-structured interviews with ten engineering students involved in authentic research projects. Interviews were transcribed and coded in order to augment a code map developed and presented by the authors in a previous publication [1]. This paper will discuss the themes and important ideas determined from the coding and analysis process. These themes will be interpreted to identify key self-efficacy constructs in experiential engineering education. Future research projects will look to develop these themes into a preliminary self-efficacy instrument to quantitatively assess self-efficacy development in the context of undergraduate research.

This research paper reports on an experimentally designed study that investigates whether Conceptual Design Blending (CDB), a new pedagogical approach to engineering graphics instructions, facilitates creativity in engineering graphics students. The demand for curiosity, creative thinking, and innovation is on the rise in workplace with the annual export of an estimated $30 billion in the creative industries. There is hardly any industry or field that does not promote some sort of creativity, and the field of engineering is of no different. Innovative abilities and creative motivation are regarded as essential qualities in engineering profession due to the growing scope of challenges and complexities in the 21st century technologies. Despite the increasing demand for creativity, the importance of developing and implementing creativity-enhanced curriculum is often overlooked in the traditional engineering curriculum. Traditional engineering graphics instruction requires students to replicate existing objects, drawings or models, providing little scope for preparing students to execute their own ideas. The concept of CDB is derived from existing literature on conceptual blending and bisociation. In CDB practice, students integrate features of two or more pre-existing designs to create new design. The results of the study indicate a significant effect of CDB on students’ creativity compared to conventional instruction.

Engineering statics is a fundamental course, and a core building block, that prepares students for subsequent courses such as dynamics and mechanics of materials. This course helps engineering students develop a fundamental understanding of basic mechanics areas of statics critical for the analysis of other core engineering courses throughout the engineering program. However, engineering statics has been characterized as one of the challenging courses for students. Statics remains one of the courses where achievement levels are sometimes not satisfactory. One particular challenging area for instructors is to show “intangible” mechanics principles that may seem too abstract for students. For instance, analysis of internal forces of members in a truss system may be easily procedurally calculated leading to a solution that may not have a true intuitive meaning for the student. Thus, visualization is necessary to help the student move from procedural fluency to conceptual understanding of statics concepts. It is through conceptual understanding that the student will demonstrate her/his ability to reason in settings that involve not only mathematical manipulation but also application of concepts, relations, and representations. Conceptual understanding is the bridge that could enable students to solve new kinds of problems and achieve success in statics. In order to assist students gain conceptual understanding of internal forces, a physical manipulative of a truss was developed in order to help students visualize, feel, and analyze the behavior of the material being manipulated. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how a physical manipulative of a truss contributed to the conceptual understanding of truss analysis in statics. In this study, twelve students were presented with a simple problem of a truss, where no measurements or numerical quantities were provided, and asked to determine which members where in tension or compression. Then, the participants were given a model of a physical manipulative resembling the same problem they were given before and asked the same questions. Finally, an exit interview was conducted with each participant in order to obtain more information about their experience with the physical manipulative. Preliminary results indicated that physical manipulatives helped participants visualize intangible concepts learned in the classroom and provided a venue to gain conceptual understanding of internal forces. Concurrent protocols, in which each participant was asked to think aloud during the process of completing a task, were collected and observations were made as another form of data collection. These verbal thought processes, as well as follow-up interviews and observations, were audio recorded and transcribed. Constant comparative analysis was used to critically draw important information about the participants and their reactions about the physical manipulative. The implications of the research findings will be discussed, including the lessons learned from this study. The results obtained from this study will be used to modify and expand further research using manipulative models in engineering mechanics courses.