Survey Study of Student Self-Efficacy and Professional Skills One Year After Undergraduate Engineering Design Course

• In Event: Research on Undergraduate Science Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Students’ academic self-efficacy maximizes likelihood for success and retention, yet prior work suggests that undergraduate students who are historically underrepresented (minoritized) in engineering show lower self-efficacy. This work examines the effect of a new first-year undergraduate engineering design course on students’ self-efficacy and attitudes regarding engineering, as well as professional skills, through a survey study that examines these outcomes into the year following the course with participants and non-participants. Analyses indicate clear effect in self-efficacy and professional skills during the course semester, continued effects in engineering design self-efficacy and tinkering self-efficacy one year following course participation, and difference for specific racial and gender subgroups including specific effect for female students.

Authors

• Jessica Sperling, Duke University

• Ann Saterbak, Duke University

• Megan Gray, Duke University

• Menna Mburi, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Lorrie Schmid, Duke University