Joachim Walther | The University of Georgia (original) (raw)
Papers by Joachim Walther
Journal of Engineering Education, 2014
Background Cross-cultural studies contribute to engineering education as a globally interconnecte... more Background Cross-cultural studies contribute to engineering education as a globally interconnected field. The methodological challenges posed by research across cultural boundaries must be explored to ensure the quality of such studies.
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
2015 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2015
Journal of Engineering Education, 2016
Background: There is a growing interest in STEAM (STEM 1 the Arts) education as a means to enhanc... more Background: There is a growing interest in STEAM (STEM 1 the Arts) education as a means to enhance the creativity of STEM students and broaden interest in STEM fields. Many art educators, however, object to the instrumental justification for study in the arts as a way to improve student performance in other areas. Purpose: Drawing on the first two authors’ engagement in an interdisciplinary design studio, this study develops an expanded view of how STEAM might enrich engineering education in ways that more closely align with the pedagogical commitments of the arts. Design/Method: This article is written as a collaborative autoethnography between the first two authors, educators in environmental engineering and art education, respectively. The study is grounded in the educational philosophy of arts advocate Maxine Greene, who views learning as an active, collaborative search for meaning, “wide-awakeness,” and social change. Results: Our dialogue reveals the potential for STEAM to provide students and educators with opportunities to explore personally relevant connections between materials, design, society, and the natural environment and to critically engage with implicit and explicit facets of disciplinary identity. Conclusions: This view of STEAM simultaneously complements and challenges current conceptions of this emerging educational movement that, almost without exception, are underpinned by calls for competitive economic growth and technological development. We hope future research will build on our perspectives to continue a conversation about STEAM that considers the diverse contributions of, and mutual benefits to, all parties involved.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 03043797 2011 622038, Dec 1, 2011
... 200623. Jonassen, DH, Strobel, J. and Lee, CB 2006. ... “Innovative learning and teaching met... more ... 200623. Jonassen, DH, Strobel, J. and Lee, CB 2006. ... “Innovative learning and teaching methods”. In Teaching and research in engineering in Europe (TREE) , Edited by: Borri, C. and Maffioli, F. Florence, , Italy: Florence University Press. chapter 3 View all references). ...
International Review of Qualitative Research, 2014
A decade ago, major reviews of engineering education in Australia and the USA resulted in a new, ... more A decade ago, major reviews of engineering education in Australia and the USA resulted in a new, outcomes-based approach to program accreditation in engineering. These outcomes are based on a set of Graduate Attributes derived to meet the perceived needs of industry into the future. However, recent reports suggest that engineering graduates may not have the competencies required for contemporary practice, even though program outcomes have been designed to meet the stated needs of industry. This observable gap between education and practice points to a set of underlying causes that we call the competence dilemma in engineering education. This paper reviews the fundamental assumptions on which outcomes-based education is built, in a way that was not considered at the time of the earlier changes to program accreditation. It also critically examines the nature of this perceptual gap between the Graduate Attributes that universities are striving to produce in their graduates and the competencies needed in practice in order to perform satisfactorily in industry. This entails the inclusion of the students' attitudes and self-concept in the conception of professional competence. This analysis of this competence dilemma suggests a more holistic view of competence formation. On this basis, the paper presents the results of an exploratory study into identifying alternative ways in which students' competence is formed and influenced in education. The analysis of the empirical study leads to a multi-scale systems model of engineering competence, where the attitudes and self-image are located on a meta-level, and organise and contextualise the individual's particular set of competencies in a specific work situation. At a time when authorities in both countries are reviewing the operation and success of outcome based education in engineering, this paper points to an evidence-based way forward to address the competence dilemma.
This paper presents a critical comparison of major changes in engineering education in both Austr... more This paper presents a critical comparison of major changes in engineering education in both Australia and Europe. European engineering programs are currently being reshaped by the Bologna process, representing a move towards quality assurance in higher education and the mutual recognition of degrees among universities across Europe. Engineering education in Australia underwent a transformation after the 1996 review of engineering education 1 . The paper discusses the recent European developments in order to give up-to-date information on this fast changing and sometimes obscure process. The comparison draws on the implications of the Bologna Process on the German engineering education system as an example. It concludes with issues of particular interest, which can help to inform the international discussion on how to meet today's challenges for engineering education. These issues include ways of achieving diversity among engineering programs, means of enabling student and staff mobility, and the preparation of engineering students for professional practic e through engineering education. As a result, the benefits of outcomes based approaches in education are discussed. This leads to an outlook for further research into the broader attributes required by future professional engineers.
A decade ago, major reviews of engineering education in Australia and the USA resulted in a new, ... more A decade ago, major reviews of engineering education in Australia and the USA resulted in a new, outcomes-based approach to program accreditation in engineering. These outcomes are based on a set of Graduate Attributes derived to meet the perceived needs of industry into the future. However, recent reports suggest that engineering graduates may not have the competencies required for contemporary practice, even though program outcomes have been designed to meet the stated needs of industry. This observable gap between education and practice points to a set of underlying causes that we call the competence dilemma in engineering education. This paper reviews the fundamental assumptions on which outcomes-based education is built, in a way that was not considered at the time of the earlier changes to program accreditation. It also critically examines the nature of this perceptual gap between the Graduate Attributes that universities are striving to produce in their graduates and the competencies needed in practice in order to perform satisfactorily in industry. This entails the inclusion of the students' attitudes and self-concept in the conception of professional competence. This analysis of this competence dilemma suggests a more holistic view of competence formation. On this basis, the paper presents the results of an exploratory study into identifying alternative ways in which students' competence is formed and influenced in education. The analysis of the empirical study leads to a multi-scale systems model of engineering competence, where the attitudes and self-image are located on a meta-level, and organise and contextualise the individual's particular set of competencies in a specific work situation. At a time when authorities in both countries are reviewing the operation and success of outcome based education in engineering, this paper points to an evidence-based way forward to address the competence dilemma.
This paper presents results of an interpretive study into engineering students' formation of prof... more This paper presents results of an interpretive study into engineering students' formation of professional competence from the interaction of learning activities and other influences from the learning environment. Data was collected in focus groups with students from Germany, Australia, the United States and Thailand. Using the qualitative analysis tool NVivo7, the interpretive data analysis categorised factors influencing the formation of students' competence and derived seven competency clusters that were found to be significant in the students' transition from university into professional practice. A particularly important cluster contained competencies related to the students' ability to flexibly and creatively solve engineering problems. The analysis revealed that a number of educational influences such as schematic learning approaches in single-discipline lectures have a negative impact on the development of this competency cluster. In order to mitigate these negative processes we propose a holistic perspective on the educational process combined with measures to support reflective awareness of the complexities of competence formation in both teachers and students.
Sustainable design education is vital for engineering students. This is to allow them to meet the... more Sustainable design education is vital for engineering students. This is to allow them to meet the challenges both engineering and the wider community will face in the future. This need has not only been mandated by Engineers Australia’s graduate attributes from an Australian perspective, but more widely the issue of sustainability is one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. Engineers need to be at the forefront of this challenge, because we can not only do the greatest good, but have the potential to cause the greatest harm. The biggest question with respect to the education of engineers about sustainable design is what do engineers need to know, and how best to enable this learning. This paper argues that since the entire phenomenon of sustainable design is constantly growing and changing, it is only by looking at practitioners currently trying design sustainably, and their ways of experiencing sustainable design, can we hope to articulate what it is, and therefore w...
This paper explores the role of empathy as a core aspect of engineering communication which serve... more This paper explores the role of empathy as a core aspect of engineering communication which serves to integrate multifaceted information about, and make sense of, complex socio-technical contexts. We argue that empathy, which we understand to entail both the intuitive emotional, as well as, cognitive aspect of "perspective taking", enables engineering students to develop a nuanced, critical understanding of the multiple perspectives which characterize contemporary engineering problems.
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
The engineering education community is adopting an increasingly diverse range of qualitative meth... more The engineering education community is adopting an increasingly diverse range of qualitative methods. This rapid expansion in required methodological expertise has sparked a vibrant discourse around ways to foster and articulate research quality in qualitative and mixed-methods studies. This paper describes three engineering education scholars' engagement with a processoriented framework for interpretive research quality. Set in the context of a collaborative inquirybased approach to reflecting on and improving research practice, this paper presents five instances when we turned to the framework to address quality challenges that emerged in our own research projects. Analysis of these experiences demonstrates the exploratory and explanatory power of the existing framework. At the same time, however, our collaborative process revealed the need to consider another dimension of research quality, specifically concerned with the human experience of the researcher and the researched throughout the inquiry. In this context, we propose Ethical Validation as a validation construct that, we argue, lies at the heart of conducting and evaluating interpretive research.
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
There is a growing recognition of the impact of messaging on attracting and retaining a diverse s... more There is a growing recognition of the impact of messaging on attracting and retaining a diverse student body in engineering. Drawing on the notion of autopoiesis from systems theory, this exploratory study examines a non-traditional, freshman college student's experiences of how messaging or, stories 'told' about engineering, function to privilege and perpetuate certain understandings of the field. Autoethnographic techniques are used to construct three accounts of the student's encounters with an upper level administrator, various members of faculty, and an academic advisor. Critical analysis of these experiences using a prior evidence-based model of stories 'told' about engineering in the public discourse reveals tensions between the freshman student's values and career interests and the emergent, dominant discourse he observed in his undergraduate program. These tensions are described in terms of: i) The prioritization of national economic recovery and growth over the life and career goals of individuals; ii) A predominant focus on the quantitative and technical aspects of engineering practice over qualitative and social aspects; and iii) A 'production mindset' that gives precedence to quickly generating a large number of engineering professionals to inject into the workforce over recognizing the broader educational aspirations of students. We argue that the definitions of engineering that emerge across these conversations do not do justice to the diversity of student experiences of becoming, and wanting to become, an engineer. Based on these findings, we invite university administration, faculty, and staff to critically explore implicit messages that are communicated to students in order to be able to better respond to the diverse priorities and values students bring to their education and carry throughout their professional development.
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
Set in the context of an NSF-funded CAREER project, this paper describes a collaborative effort i... more Set in the context of an NSF-funded CAREER project, this paper describes a collaborative effort in the engineering education research community to build social capital and capacity around questions of research quality. To date, this effort has entailed: i) two one and a half-day longitudinal interactive workshops with leading qualitative researchers in the field of engineering education and their graduate students (2013, n = 9 faculty, n = 8 graduate students; 2014, n = 8 faculty, n = 10 graduate students), and ii) three broader participation workshops at national and international engineering education conferences (AAEE 2012, n = 16; ASEE 2013, n = 112; FIE 2014, n = 18). This paper describes the model of the ongoing collaborative engagement process, summarizes findings and insights concerning research quality, and outlines plans for future work.
Journal of Engineering Education, 2014
Background Cross-cultural studies contribute to engineering education as a globally interconnecte... more Background Cross-cultural studies contribute to engineering education as a globally interconnected field. The methodological challenges posed by research across cultural boundaries must be explored to ensure the quality of such studies.
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
2015 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2015
Journal of Engineering Education, 2016
Background: There is a growing interest in STEAM (STEM 1 the Arts) education as a means to enhanc... more Background: There is a growing interest in STEAM (STEM 1 the Arts) education as a means to enhance the creativity of STEM students and broaden interest in STEM fields. Many art educators, however, object to the instrumental justification for study in the arts as a way to improve student performance in other areas. Purpose: Drawing on the first two authors’ engagement in an interdisciplinary design studio, this study develops an expanded view of how STEAM might enrich engineering education in ways that more closely align with the pedagogical commitments of the arts. Design/Method: This article is written as a collaborative autoethnography between the first two authors, educators in environmental engineering and art education, respectively. The study is grounded in the educational philosophy of arts advocate Maxine Greene, who views learning as an active, collaborative search for meaning, “wide-awakeness,” and social change. Results: Our dialogue reveals the potential for STEAM to provide students and educators with opportunities to explore personally relevant connections between materials, design, society, and the natural environment and to critically engage with implicit and explicit facets of disciplinary identity. Conclusions: This view of STEAM simultaneously complements and challenges current conceptions of this emerging educational movement that, almost without exception, are underpinned by calls for competitive economic growth and technological development. We hope future research will build on our perspectives to continue a conversation about STEAM that considers the diverse contributions of, and mutual benefits to, all parties involved.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 03043797 2011 622038, Dec 1, 2011
... 200623. Jonassen, DH, Strobel, J. and Lee, CB 2006. ... “Innovative learning and teaching met... more ... 200623. Jonassen, DH, Strobel, J. and Lee, CB 2006. ... “Innovative learning and teaching methods”. In Teaching and research in engineering in Europe (TREE) , Edited by: Borri, C. and Maffioli, F. Florence, , Italy: Florence University Press. chapter 3 View all references). ...
International Review of Qualitative Research, 2014
A decade ago, major reviews of engineering education in Australia and the USA resulted in a new, ... more A decade ago, major reviews of engineering education in Australia and the USA resulted in a new, outcomes-based approach to program accreditation in engineering. These outcomes are based on a set of Graduate Attributes derived to meet the perceived needs of industry into the future. However, recent reports suggest that engineering graduates may not have the competencies required for contemporary practice, even though program outcomes have been designed to meet the stated needs of industry. This observable gap between education and practice points to a set of underlying causes that we call the competence dilemma in engineering education. This paper reviews the fundamental assumptions on which outcomes-based education is built, in a way that was not considered at the time of the earlier changes to program accreditation. It also critically examines the nature of this perceptual gap between the Graduate Attributes that universities are striving to produce in their graduates and the competencies needed in practice in order to perform satisfactorily in industry. This entails the inclusion of the students' attitudes and self-concept in the conception of professional competence. This analysis of this competence dilemma suggests a more holistic view of competence formation. On this basis, the paper presents the results of an exploratory study into identifying alternative ways in which students' competence is formed and influenced in education. The analysis of the empirical study leads to a multi-scale systems model of engineering competence, where the attitudes and self-image are located on a meta-level, and organise and contextualise the individual's particular set of competencies in a specific work situation. At a time when authorities in both countries are reviewing the operation and success of outcome based education in engineering, this paper points to an evidence-based way forward to address the competence dilemma.
This paper presents a critical comparison of major changes in engineering education in both Austr... more This paper presents a critical comparison of major changes in engineering education in both Australia and Europe. European engineering programs are currently being reshaped by the Bologna process, representing a move towards quality assurance in higher education and the mutual recognition of degrees among universities across Europe. Engineering education in Australia underwent a transformation after the 1996 review of engineering education 1 . The paper discusses the recent European developments in order to give up-to-date information on this fast changing and sometimes obscure process. The comparison draws on the implications of the Bologna Process on the German engineering education system as an example. It concludes with issues of particular interest, which can help to inform the international discussion on how to meet today's challenges for engineering education. These issues include ways of achieving diversity among engineering programs, means of enabling student and staff mobility, and the preparation of engineering students for professional practic e through engineering education. As a result, the benefits of outcomes based approaches in education are discussed. This leads to an outlook for further research into the broader attributes required by future professional engineers.
A decade ago, major reviews of engineering education in Australia and the USA resulted in a new, ... more A decade ago, major reviews of engineering education in Australia and the USA resulted in a new, outcomes-based approach to program accreditation in engineering. These outcomes are based on a set of Graduate Attributes derived to meet the perceived needs of industry into the future. However, recent reports suggest that engineering graduates may not have the competencies required for contemporary practice, even though program outcomes have been designed to meet the stated needs of industry. This observable gap between education and practice points to a set of underlying causes that we call the competence dilemma in engineering education. This paper reviews the fundamental assumptions on which outcomes-based education is built, in a way that was not considered at the time of the earlier changes to program accreditation. It also critically examines the nature of this perceptual gap between the Graduate Attributes that universities are striving to produce in their graduates and the competencies needed in practice in order to perform satisfactorily in industry. This entails the inclusion of the students' attitudes and self-concept in the conception of professional competence. This analysis of this competence dilemma suggests a more holistic view of competence formation. On this basis, the paper presents the results of an exploratory study into identifying alternative ways in which students' competence is formed and influenced in education. The analysis of the empirical study leads to a multi-scale systems model of engineering competence, where the attitudes and self-image are located on a meta-level, and organise and contextualise the individual's particular set of competencies in a specific work situation. At a time when authorities in both countries are reviewing the operation and success of outcome based education in engineering, this paper points to an evidence-based way forward to address the competence dilemma.
This paper presents results of an interpretive study into engineering students' formation of prof... more This paper presents results of an interpretive study into engineering students' formation of professional competence from the interaction of learning activities and other influences from the learning environment. Data was collected in focus groups with students from Germany, Australia, the United States and Thailand. Using the qualitative analysis tool NVivo7, the interpretive data analysis categorised factors influencing the formation of students' competence and derived seven competency clusters that were found to be significant in the students' transition from university into professional practice. A particularly important cluster contained competencies related to the students' ability to flexibly and creatively solve engineering problems. The analysis revealed that a number of educational influences such as schematic learning approaches in single-discipline lectures have a negative impact on the development of this competency cluster. In order to mitigate these negative processes we propose a holistic perspective on the educational process combined with measures to support reflective awareness of the complexities of competence formation in both teachers and students.
Sustainable design education is vital for engineering students. This is to allow them to meet the... more Sustainable design education is vital for engineering students. This is to allow them to meet the challenges both engineering and the wider community will face in the future. This need has not only been mandated by Engineers Australia’s graduate attributes from an Australian perspective, but more widely the issue of sustainability is one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. Engineers need to be at the forefront of this challenge, because we can not only do the greatest good, but have the potential to cause the greatest harm. The biggest question with respect to the education of engineers about sustainable design is what do engineers need to know, and how best to enable this learning. This paper argues that since the entire phenomenon of sustainable design is constantly growing and changing, it is only by looking at practitioners currently trying design sustainably, and their ways of experiencing sustainable design, can we hope to articulate what it is, and therefore w...
This paper explores the role of empathy as a core aspect of engineering communication which serve... more This paper explores the role of empathy as a core aspect of engineering communication which serves to integrate multifaceted information about, and make sense of, complex socio-technical contexts. We argue that empathy, which we understand to entail both the intuitive emotional, as well as, cognitive aspect of "perspective taking", enables engineering students to develop a nuanced, critical understanding of the multiple perspectives which characterize contemporary engineering problems.
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
The engineering education community is adopting an increasingly diverse range of qualitative meth... more The engineering education community is adopting an increasingly diverse range of qualitative methods. This rapid expansion in required methodological expertise has sparked a vibrant discourse around ways to foster and articulate research quality in qualitative and mixed-methods studies. This paper describes three engineering education scholars' engagement with a processoriented framework for interpretive research quality. Set in the context of a collaborative inquirybased approach to reflecting on and improving research practice, this paper presents five instances when we turned to the framework to address quality challenges that emerged in our own research projects. Analysis of these experiences demonstrates the exploratory and explanatory power of the existing framework. At the same time, however, our collaborative process revealed the need to consider another dimension of research quality, specifically concerned with the human experience of the researcher and the researched throughout the inquiry. In this context, we propose Ethical Validation as a validation construct that, we argue, lies at the heart of conducting and evaluating interpretive research.
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
There is a growing recognition of the impact of messaging on attracting and retaining a diverse s... more There is a growing recognition of the impact of messaging on attracting and retaining a diverse student body in engineering. Drawing on the notion of autopoiesis from systems theory, this exploratory study examines a non-traditional, freshman college student's experiences of how messaging or, stories 'told' about engineering, function to privilege and perpetuate certain understandings of the field. Autoethnographic techniques are used to construct three accounts of the student's encounters with an upper level administrator, various members of faculty, and an academic advisor. Critical analysis of these experiences using a prior evidence-based model of stories 'told' about engineering in the public discourse reveals tensions between the freshman student's values and career interests and the emergent, dominant discourse he observed in his undergraduate program. These tensions are described in terms of: i) The prioritization of national economic recovery and growth over the life and career goals of individuals; ii) A predominant focus on the quantitative and technical aspects of engineering practice over qualitative and social aspects; and iii) A 'production mindset' that gives precedence to quickly generating a large number of engineering professionals to inject into the workforce over recognizing the broader educational aspirations of students. We argue that the definitions of engineering that emerge across these conversations do not do justice to the diversity of student experiences of becoming, and wanting to become, an engineer. Based on these findings, we invite university administration, faculty, and staff to critically explore implicit messages that are communicated to students in order to be able to better respond to the diverse priorities and values students bring to their education and carry throughout their professional development.
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
Set in the context of an NSF-funded CAREER project, this paper describes a collaborative effort i... more Set in the context of an NSF-funded CAREER project, this paper describes a collaborative effort in the engineering education research community to build social capital and capacity around questions of research quality. To date, this effort has entailed: i) two one and a half-day longitudinal interactive workshops with leading qualitative researchers in the field of engineering education and their graduate students (2013, n = 9 faculty, n = 8 graduate students; 2014, n = 8 faculty, n = 10 graduate students), and ii) three broader participation workshops at national and international engineering education conferences (AAEE 2012, n = 16; ASEE 2013, n = 112; FIE 2014, n = 18). This paper describes the model of the ongoing collaborative engagement process, summarizes findings and insights concerning research quality, and outlines plans for future work.