Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.

Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.

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Description
Based on James Marcia's theory, identity development in youth is the degree to which one has explored and committed to a vocation [1], [2]. During the path to an engineering identity, students will experience a crisis, when one's values and choices are examined and reevaluated, and a commitment, when the

Based on James Marcia's theory, identity development in youth is the degree to which one has explored and committed to a vocation [1], [2]. During the path to an engineering identity, students will experience a crisis, when one's values and choices are examined and reevaluated, and a commitment, when the outcome of the crisis leads the student to commit to becoming an engineer. During the crisis phase, students are offered a multitude of experiences to shape their values and choices to influence commitment to becoming an engineering student. Student's identities in engineering are fostered through mentoring from industry, alumni, and peer coaching [3], [4]; experiences that emphasize awareness of the importance of professional interactions [5]; and experiences that show creativity, collaboration, and communication as crucial components to engineering. Further strategies to increase students' persistence include support in their transition to becoming an engineering student, education about professional engineers and the workplace [6], and engagement in engineering activities beyond the classroom. Though these strategies are applied to all students, there are challenges students face in confronting their current identity and beliefs before they can understand their value to society and achieve personal satisfaction. To understand student's progression in developing their engineering identity, first year engineering students were surveyed at the beginning and end of their first semester. Students were asked to rate their level of agreement with 22 statements about their engineering experience. Data included 840 cases. Items with factor loading less than 0.6 suggesting no sufficient explanation were removed in successive factor analysis to identify the four factors. Factor analysis indicated that 60.69% of the total variance was explained by the successive factors. Survey questions were categorized into three factors: engineering identity as defined by sense of belonging and self-efficacy, doubts about becoming an engineer, and exploring engineering. Statements in exploring engineering indicated student awareness, interest and enjoyment within engineering. Students were asked to think about whether they spent time learning what engineers do and participating in engineering activities. Statements about doubts about engineering to engineering indicated whether students had formed opinions about their engineering experience and had understanding about their environment. Engineering identity required thought in belonging and self-efficacy. Belonging statements called for thought about one's opinion in the importance of being an engineer, the meaning of engineering, an attachment to engineering, and self-identification as an engineer. Statements about self-efficacy required students to contemplate their personal judgement of whether they would be able to succeed and their ability to become an engineer. Effort in engineering indicated student willingness to invest time and effort and their choices and effort in their engineering discipline.
ContributorsNguyen, Amanda (Author) / Ganesh, Tirupalavanam (Thesis director) / Robinson, Carrie (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The engineers of the future are currently in the process of earning their degrees and certifications from engineering programs guided by ABET accreditations. ABET, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, is the voice of reason for the development of engineering programs. Aspiring engineers desire institutions that follow ABET Standards

The engineers of the future are currently in the process of earning their degrees and certifications from engineering programs guided by ABET accreditations. ABET, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, is the voice of reason for the development of engineering programs. Aspiring engineers desire institutions that follow ABET Standards to ensure that their education meets the expectations of industry partners and researchers. However, these standards have not been drastically altered in years to reflect the changing needs of industry. With the advancement of technology in the last two decades, old school engineering and its application is becoming less common.

Science policy and curriculum go hand in. The future engineers are taught hand calculations, lab testing for field work parallels, and methodologies based on the written policies set forth decades ago. Technology today is rapidly changing, and engineering education is struggling to make changes to keep up with these technology advancements. In today’s world, technology drives invention and innovation, whereas some argue it is thought and curiosity. Engineering programs are taking a toll regardless of the point of view. Education is not made to keep up with current societal needs.

This paper a provides an overview of the history of engineering, curriculum standards for engineering programs, an analysis of engineering programs at top universities and large universities alongside student experiences available to engineers. The ideas offered are no means the exact solution; rather policymakers and STEM education stakeholder may find the ideas shared helpful and use them as a catalyst for change.
ContributorsMinutello, Amanda Gabrielle (Author) / Loughman, Joshua (Thesis director) / Huerta, Mark (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
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Description
Educational institutions are in a unique position to take advantage of computers and software in new, innovative ways. The Mechanics Project at Arizona State University has done an exceptional job integrating many new ways of engaging students and providing resources that can help them learn course material in a way

Educational institutions are in a unique position to take advantage of computers and software in new, innovative ways. The Mechanics Project at Arizona State University has done an exceptional job integrating many new ways of engaging students and providing resources that can help them learn course material in a way that they can understand. However, there is still very little research on how to best compose multimedia content for student use.

This project aims to determine what students struggle with in these courses and develop multimedia content to support their education in Dynamics specifically.
Created2019-05