Visualizing Equity: The Motivational Impact of Place-Based Data Use in Systems Engineering Classrooms

• In Event: Motivation and Identity in Engineering Education: Pathways from Childhood to University

Abstract

Many entrepreneurship and systems-engineering programs prioritize profit over social responsibility when teaching location-based decision-making. This study explored means of fostering other-oriented, self-transcendent purpose and motivation among systems-engineering undergraduates using place-based data visualizations. Industrial and Systems Engineering students in Mexico (N=61) participated in a quasi-experimental study with a pre-post control group design. Participants in the treatment classroom engaged with geospatial visualization software to select a location for a hypothetical restaurant in ways that balanced profit with social responsibility for providing accessible services to the community. Compared to a business-as-usual comparison classroom, students demonstrated lower levels of self-oriented motives and cost perceptions, but shared that the technology was difficult to use. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Authors

• Ian Thacker, University of Texas - San Antonio

• Francisco Benita, Tecnológico de Monterrey