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Educating Future Engineers in the Art of Communication through Presenting

Description
Effective communication and engineering are not a natural pairing. The incongruence is because engineering students are focused on making, designing and analyzing. Since these are the core functions of the field there is not a direct focus on developing communication skills. This honors thesis explores the role and expectations for…

Effective communication and engineering are not a natural pairing. The incongruence is because engineering students are focused on making, designing and analyzing. Since these are the core functions of the field there is not a direct focus on developing communication skills. This honors thesis explores the role and expectations for student engineers within the undergraduate engineering education experience to present and communicate ideas. The researchers interviewed faculty about their perspective on students' abilities with respect to their presentation skills to inform the design of a workshop series of interventions intended to make engineering students better communicators.
ContributorsAlbin, Joshua Alexander (Co-author) / Brancati, Sara (Co-author) / Lande, Micah (Thesis director) / Martin, Thomas (Committee member) / Industrial, Systems and Operations Engineering Program (Contributor) / Software Engineering (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05

Frontline Supervisor Communication Efficiency in the Construction Industry

Description
The efficiency of communication in the construction industry is crucial for the successful management of construction projects. Frontline Supervisors are construction professionals that have daily impact on physical construction. These supervisors have the unique challenge of managing various tasks, schedules, and people in order to complete their scope of work…

The efficiency of communication in the construction industry is crucial for the successful management of construction projects. Frontline Supervisors are construction professionals that have daily impact on physical construction. These supervisors have the unique challenge of managing various tasks, schedules, and people in order to complete their scope of work on time. With many methods of communication today, construction managers are searching for the most effective way to communicate with supervisors on all levels. This research project aims to study the quality of communication and quantity of communication methods among front line supervisors working on construction sites in Phoenix, Arizona. Findings may inform what types of communication, e.g., face-to-face individual conversations, in-person meeting, cell phone conversations, emails, etc., are most effective for frontline supervisors. The results of this research paper will be used to aid general contractors in their communication decisions. This research will also serve as a jumping point for future research on construction communication. Researchers at Arizona State University will be able to use the information collected in this research paper to continue communication surveys in the Phoenix metro area. By continuing this project, researchers will be able to inform contractors to make decisions that benefit trade partners and contractors.
ContributorsBorgman, Harrison (Author) / Becker, Timothy (Thesis director) / Sullivan, Kenneth (Committee member) / Parrish, Kristen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Del E. Webb Construction (Contributor)
Created2024-05
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Trust-Building Communication and Climate Risk Decision Making

Description
A lack of public trust in governance institutions such as governments, federal agencies, and public health organizations limits national capacities to mitigate climate-related risks. Trustworthy sources of risk information are theorized to be more persuasive and more likely to motivate adaptive behaviors. Accordingly, this dissertation addresses relational and translational challenges…

A lack of public trust in governance institutions such as governments, federal agencies, and public health organizations limits national capacities to mitigate climate-related risks. Trustworthy sources of risk information are theorized to be more persuasive and more likely to motivate adaptive behaviors. Accordingly, this dissertation addresses relational and translational challenges of risk communication to support public health and safety by making climate science more accessible to communities at risk from extreme heat. This project developed and applied a theory-driven model of trust determination to understand how United States residents evaluate the trustworthiness of state governments and emergency management agencies. Using confirmatory factor analysis, a two-factor model of trustworthiness as self-reliability and source reliability was strongly empirically supported. This measurement model of trustworthiness was translated into experimental trustworthiness manipulations capable of creating statistically significant differences in perceptions of source reliability. The dissertation then tested the persuasive efficacy of trust-building risk messaging using randomized controlled trials, finding that when controlling for political ideology, message trust condition had a significant effect on attitudes toward extreme heat risk and preparedness as well as intentions to prepare for extreme heat events. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
ContributorsMattson, LD (Author) / Adame, Bradley (Thesis advisor) / Corman, Steven R (Committee member) / Eakin, Hallie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024