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The!Culture!of!Learning!among!ME!Undergraduates:!Baseline!Ethnographic!Study!
Elizabeth!K.!Briody,!Anthony!Ramos,!Edward!J.!Berger,!Edward!F.!Morrison,!and!Anil!Bajaj!
NSF!RED!Grant!#1519412!Review!with!ME!Faculty!&!Staff!
July!6,!2016!
Outline!
• Overview!of!NSF!RED!Project!• Capturing!the!Baseline!• Undergraduate!(UG)!Study!Groups!• InteracXons!with!Professors!• ImplicaXons!for!Re|course!
• Appendix:!!Baseline!Data!and!Methods!
2!
Overview!of!NSF!RED!Project!
3!
RED$research$ques-ons$link$engineering$educa-on$to$
cultural$change$
4!
1. How!do!UGs!navigate!the!pedagogical!borderland!they!experience!in!consecuXve!or!concurrent!experiences,!and!how!does!their!navigaXon!ability!affect!their!achievement!of!PFE!outcomes?!
2. How!do!faculty!navigate!the!pedagogical!borderland,!create!experiences,!and!calibrate!their!pedagogical!approaches!for!student!achievement!of!PFE!outcomes?!
3. What!are!the!most!useful!and!effecXve!tools!for!revoluXonizing!engineering!educaXon!at!scale,!most!importantly!assessment!tools?!
1. How!do!ME!department!members!describe!and!evaluate!the!current!culture,!how!does!that!culture!compare!to!the!envisioned!future!culture,!and!what!are!the!key!barriers!to!a`aining!the!ideal!future!culture?!
2. Using!Strategic!Doing,!can!a!leadership!team!design!and!guide!agile!networks!needed!to!scale,!sustain,!and!replicate!researchabased!pedagogies!that!revoluXonize!PFE!outcomes?!
3. How!does!the!Purdue!ME!Skunkworks!enable!broaderascale!cultural!change!by!driving!conversaXons!at!the!borderlands?!
Engineering!EducaLon!RQs! Culture!and!Change!RQs!
The$Skunkworks,$now$rebranded$as$Re|course,$
emphasizes$four$key$areas$for$cultural$transforma-on$
• A!separate!organizaXon!within!ME!that!designs!pilot!studies!of!educaXonal!innovaXon/propagaXon!
• Small!teams!of!students,!faculty,!and!staff!unified!by!their!energy!to!solve!a!specific!problem!
• Agile,!short!Xme!scale,!and!clearly!defined!metrics!
5!
Capturing!the!Baseline!
6!
We$use$the$three$phases$of$“rites$of$passage”$to$
understand$the$ME$UG$experience$
7!
1)!!SeparaLon!! • Graduate!from!high!school!• Get!accepted!to!Purdue!First!Year!Engineering!
3)!!IncorporaLon! • Graduate!from!Purdue!ME!• Accept!job/go!to!graduate!school!
2)!!TransiLon!! • RecogniLon!of!a!shared!experience!with!other!ME!UGs!
• Take!required!ME!coursework!• Build!base!of!knowledge!and!skills!(e.g.,!job,!global)!
This$word$cloud*$represents$the$top$nine$words$UGs$
use$to$describe$Purdue’s$ME$program$
8!
*!!The!bigger!the!word,!the!more!frequently!it!was!menXoned!(e.g.,!“hard”!menXoned!224!Xmes)!!
9!
We$draw$aKen-on$to$two$aspects$of$ME$culture$to$
highlight$the$“transi-on”$phase$of$the$rite$of$passage$
• Opposite,!complementary!forces!• Interconnected!and!interdependent!
Professor!Avoidance!
Study!Groups!
Study!Groups!
10!
11!
Study$groups$are$a$way$to$manage$the$common$
academic$challenges$ME$students$face$$
• Tend!to!form!spontaneously,!with!Faculty!encouragement!• Vary!in!size,!composiXon,!and!frequency!• ParXcularly!evident!during!Sophomore!and!Junior!years!
“(It’s!important!to)!find!a!good!group!of!people!to!work!with!because!it’s!infinitely!easier!and!beZer!(than!working!alone).”!!Male!Junior$
RelaLve!Ease!of!Learning!Help!from!peers!
“We'll!just!all!group!together!and!be!working!on!a!pracXce!exam.!!Some!will!know!how!to!do!one!quesXon!and!be!willing!to!explain!it!to!the!group.!!Someone!will!know!how!to!do!another!quesXon!…!We!have!a!lot!of!informal!collaboraXon.”!!Female!Junior-
Study$groups$exhibit$communitas$(community$spirit),$
support,$and$friendships$
12!
“I!usually!hit!a!rut!more!open!than!not,!take!a!step!back,!then!consult!with!everybody!else!to!see!who's!got!what,!who's!farther!on!another!...!Everybody's!got!a!piece!of!informaLon!for!the!puzzle.!!Then!hopefully!you!put!it!together!and!it!makes.”!!Male!Junior-
“It's!a!very!Lght]knit!community.!!Some!of!that!is!you!bond!with!everyone!through!a!shared!sense!of!suffering!because!there!are!certain!classes!in!ME!that!are!very!difficult!and!require!a!lot!of!work!…!Everyone’s!really!willing!to!help!each!other!out.!Male-Grad-Student-–-Staff,-speaking-of-his-Purdue-UG-experience-!
“My!sophomore!year!second!semester!we!had!a!class!that!had!a!semesteralong!design!project!in!teams!of!four.!!And!honestly,!the!three!other!group!members!–!!they've!become!some!of!my!best!friends.!!Like!I!sXll!talk!to!them!all!the!Xme.!!We'll!get!together!and!we'll!do!things!or!study!together.!!So!that!was!honestly!something!I!wasn't!expecXng!…!I!thought!that!was!really!cool.”!!Female-Senior$
Yet,$study$groups$cannot$overcome$the$downsides$of$
ME’s$intense$program$
• Sleep!deprivaXon,!menXoned!17x!in!the!UG!interviews,!is!the!norm!
• Li`le!“down!Xme”!exists!
13!
• References!to!“busy/intense”!have!a!strong!negaXve!connecXon!with!other!dimensions!of!student!life!
“As!you!get!farther!and!farther!down!the!track!of!ME,!it's!just!been!exponenXally!more!difficult.”!!Senior-male-
InteracLons!with!Professors!
14!
Study$groups$and$professor$avoidance$are$
highly$correlated,$diminishing$by$Senior$year$
15!
1)!!SeparaLon!! • Graduate!from!high!school!• Get!accepted!to!Purdue!First!Year!Engineering!
3)!!IncorporaLon! • Graduate!from!Purdue!ME!• Accept!job/go!to!graduate!school!
2)!!TransiLon!!
Study!Groups! Professor!
Avoidance!
Study!Groups! Professor!
Avoidance!
The$paKern$of$professor$avoidance$is$counterintui-ve$in$
a$university$sePng$
16!
• 1st!choice!–!8/10!• 2nd!choice!–!2/10!!
• 1st!choice!–!2/10!• 2nd!choice!–!2/10!• 6/10!did!not!suggest!
their!professors!
• None!listed!as!1st!choice!!• 1/10!listed!as!2nd!choice!• 4/10!listed!as!3rd!choice!• 5/10!did!not!suggest!their!
professors!
UGs!rank!ordered!from!whom!they!would!seek!academic!help!
Peers!
TAs!
Professors!
1) “Honestly,!first!would!be!group!of!friends.!‘Hey,!have!you!guys!done!this!problem,!do!you!understand!it?’!!
2) “Second!would!be!the!TA!hours!…!whatever!Xmes!those!are!at.”!!
3) “And!then!if!those!fail!then!just!Internet.”!
Is-the-professor-on-that-list?--
-“Not!really.”!!Male!Junior-
Faculty$report$a$mixed$record$of$interac-on$with$UGs$
outside$class!
See!UGs!Outside!Class!“I!don't!really!keep!office!hours.!!I!let!people!come!anyXme!they!want,!and!I'll!work!with!them!anyLme.!!I!like!the!students.”!!Male-Faculty-!
“Many!Xmes!at!lunchXme,!I!go!out!to!lunch!with!students.”!!Male-Faculty!!
“I’ve!been!able!to!Le!(UG!program!X)!that!we!do!to!the!research!we!do!in!the!lab.”!!Male-Faculty-
Do!Not!See!UGs!Outside!Class!“Only!a!few!actually!interact!with!them!(UGs)!outside!class.”!!Female-Faculty-!“One!of!them!(UG)!was!trying!to!get!female!faculty!to!interact!with!female!undergraduates!so!I!went!to!that!event.!!Actually!nobody!else!(no!faculty!member)!did…!I!felt!really!bad.”!Female-Faculty!!“When!students!come!in!to!ME!…!they're!usually!some!of!the!best!students!in!their!high!schools!…!They're!very!resistant!oaen!to!asking!for!help.!!They're!used!to!helping!everybody!else,!but!they're!not!used!to!asking!for!help!themselves.”!!Male-Faculty-!
17!
18!
Our$analysis$indicates$that$status$differences,$and$its$
corollary$social$distance,$explain$professor$avoidance$
“I!just!feel!like!weird!just!going!to!them!(faculty)!for!like!basic!homework!quesXons!I!guess!…!I!don’t!want!to!waste!(their)!Lme!with!something!super!trivial.”!!Male-Junior-
“The!professor!hasn’t!been!the!best!to!ask.!!They!(sic)!haven’t!been!very!communicable!(sic)!or!haven’t!had!the!Lme.”!!Male-Senior-
“Undergraduate!students!have!an!awestruck!relaLonship!with!a!lot!of!our!faculty.!!It's,!‘You're!a!PhD!professor.!!You're!exalted.!!You!know!this!and!that.’!!It's!common.”!!Male-Staff--
Don't!be!afraid!…!A!lot!of!people!avoid!conflicts,!especially!with!someone!they!see!as!a!very!much!established!authority!figure,!and!aren't!willing!to!go!to!them!and!say,!‘I!think!you!did!this!wrong.’”!!Male-Grad-Student-–-Staff--
“I!prefer!when!a!peer!would!explain!a!problem!to!me,!just!because!we!are!talking!the!same!language!and!if!I!cannot!add!and!subtract!numbers!at!least!I’m!not!doing!it!in!front!of!the!professor…!it!feels!a!waste!of!their!Xme!that!you!don’t!know!how!to!do!math.”!!Female-Sophomore-
“As!far!as!relaXonships!with!professors,!they!(UGs)!seem!open!–!distant!is!not!the!right!word.!!It's!like!there's!this!level!of!separaLon!that!they!feel.”!!Male-Grad-Student-–-Staff---
At$least$two$status$hierarchies$are$evident$within$the$
broader$ME$organiza-onal$culture$$$
19!
Professors!
Staff!
UGs!
Management!
AdministraLve!
Advising!
ProgrammaLc!
Other!
Named!Full!
Associate!Assistant!
Chair!
Post!Docs!
Grad!Students!
Junior!Sophomore!
Senior!
Technical,!ProgrammaLc,!&!AdministraLve!
Support!FuncLons!
Academic!FuncLons!
Wielding$power$inappropriately$because$of$status$can$
have$detrimental$effects$on$ME$and$its$reputa-on$$
20!
Technical,!ProgrammaLc,!&!AdministraLve!
Support!FuncLons!
Academic!FuncLons!
“My!observaXon:!!the!Assistant!and!Associate!Faculty!members!seem!to!relent!(defer)!to!Full!Faculty!members!or!(the!)!main!Chair.”!!Male-Staff--
“There's!a!caste!type!system.!!I!hate!to!say!it!…!The!Grad!Students!are!very!much!abused!at!Lmes!by!our!Faculty!with!workloads.!!It's!similar!to!the!expectaXon,!‘Well,!you're!in!grad!school.!!You're!supposed!to!commit!your!enXre!life!to!this!process.!!You!have!30!to!60!hours,!above!and!beyond!classwork.!!That's!just!what!you're!supposed!to!do.!What,!you!weren't!here!on!a!Sunday!to!work?’”!!Male-Staff--
“It's!not!uncommon!for!a!Faculty!member!to!go,!‘You!guys!(Staff)!need!to!do!this.’!!…!‘All!you!have!to!do!is!just!...!‘!!That's!what!we!hear!...!Yeah,!it!looks!really!simple!but!you!don't!have!any!idea!what!else!we're!doing.”!!Female-Staff--
Why$should$Faculty$mi-gate$status$differences?$$
• For!UGs!it!would!mean:!
– Overall!improvement!in!UG!learning!– Rise!in!collaboraXve!interacXons!with!Faculty!– Growth!in!relaXonships!with!Faculty!–!leading!to!a!posiXve!evaluaXon!
of!the!ME!program!and!the!School’s!reputaXon!
– AlleviaXon!of!some!of!the!downsides!of!the!intense!ME!program!
• !For!Staff!it!would!mean:!– Improved!communicaXon!
– Be`er!understanding!of!current!job!tasks!– Increased!support,!collaboraXon,!and!respect!– Greater!job!saXsfacXon!
21!
It!is!easier!for!higher!status!individuals!to!cross!status!barrier!
How$can$Faculty$mi-gate$status$differences$with$UGs$
to$improve$their$educa-onal$experience?$$
22!
UGs$have$sugges-ons$–$some$of$
which$some$Faculty$rou-nely$use!
Some$Faculty$already$use$these$three$effec-ve$
strategies$
23!
2.!!“He!or!she!will!remember!my!name.”!
1.!!Engage!more!with!UGs!–!informally!and!formally.!
“He!is!a!really!cool!guy!…!just!because!I!see!him!around,!he!just!always!(says)!like,!“How!are!things!going?”!!Male-Junior!
3.!!!Demonstrate!a!mix!of!technical!and!people!skills!UGs!value!
Teaching!Ability!InteresLng! Open!!
Caring!
Knowledgeable!
ImplicaLons!for!Re|course!
24!
Issues!idenLfied!from!interviews!
• One!does!not!get!the!sense!that!UGs!are!the!“customer”!
• “Insanely!busy”!UG!workloads!have!social!and!developmental!costs!
• Li`le!Xme!available!for!UG!socializing!and/or!community!events!
• Peer!learning!has!its!limits!
• Professors!generally!have!limited!contact!with!UGs!–!not!always!by!choice!
• Status!differences!create!barriers!between!UGs!and!faculty!
PotenLal!Re|course!teams!• ComposiXon!
– Include!a!mix!of!parXcipants!including!UGs!and!faculty!
– Incorporate!UG!voices!(e.g.,!via!surveys,!Xme!diaries)!in!those!issues!affecXng!them!
• Focus!– Strategies!for!strengthening!the!
ME!community!– AlternaXve!formats!for!UGa
professor!interacXons!(e.g.,!online!discussion!boards,!acXve!learning)!
– Benchmarking!“world!class”!learning!models,!making!appropriate!adjustments!in!ME!
25!
Re|course$problemXsolving$teams$are$ready$for$ac-on$
Appendix:!!Baseline!Data!and!Methods!
26!
Data$collec-on$involved$several$methods,$in$which$
interviews$were$the$founda-on$
Faculty! Staff! UG!Students! TOTAL!
Number!of!interviews! 11! 15! 12! 38!
Average!interview!length!(in!minutes)!
53! 56! 56! 55!
• Documents/Website!InformaXon!• Electronic!Surveys!• Journaling!by!Researchers!• ParXcipant!ObservaXon!• ObservaXon!
27!
• 38!Interviews!involving!41!individuals!
• Staff!perform!a!variety!of!job!funcXons!
• Several!management!and!teaching/research!posiXons!share!common!ground!with!faculty!role!
We$cast$a$wide$net,$given$the$exploratory$nature$of$
the$research$$
• All!faculty!ranks!are!included!
• Seniors!represent!the!largest!subgroup;!have!the!most!program!experience!of!undergraduates!
28!
Our$interview$ques-ons$were$designed$to$elicit$
cultural$descrip-ons$and$viewpoints$
Current!Culture!• If!you!were!speaking!with!a!friend!
or!family!member!and!that!person!asked,!‘What!is!it!really!like!in!ME?’!what!would!you!say?!!
• To!what!extent!has!the!culture!of!ME!changed!since!you!arrived?!
• What!would!you!say!are!the!current!strengths!of!ME?!!
• What!would!you!say!are!the!current!weaknesses!in!ME?!!!
Ideal!Culture!• Tell!me!what!an!ideal!culture!in!
ME!would!be!like.!
• What!are!your!hopes!and!expectaXons!for!the!future!of!ME?!!
• What!advice!do!you!have!for!ME?!
29!
Content$analysis$helped$us$iden-fy$themes$and$
paKerns$from$the$qualita-ve$data$
• Two!researchers!Independently!coded!data!into!themaXc!categories:!!one!used!kumu.io!and!the!other!coded!manually!
• Differences!in!codes!were!reconciled!
30!
kumu.io!Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping
Reduces!cultural!
complexity!
Triangula-on$across$study$par-cipants$and$across$
methods$helps$to$ensure$analysis$quality$
• Compared!study!parXcipants!for!evidence!of!consensus!or!difference!! Within!groups!(i.e.,!UGs,!or!staff,!or!faculty)!!! Between!groups!(i.e.,!UGs!and!staff,!UGs!and!faculty)!!
• Validate!results!by!gathering!feedback!! Other!RED!grantees!(ongoing,!beginning!Nov.!2015)!! At!U!of!M!(April!2016);!at!NSF!(July!2016)!
! Study!parXcipants!(beginning!July!2016)!– Conference!a`endees!
• Plan!to!compare!baseline!interview!and!baseline!survey!results!
31!
