Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T23:33:29.407Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

SURVEYING DESIGN SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING EXPERIENCES: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

Gregory Litster*
Affiliation:
University of Waterloo
Ada Hurst
Affiliation:
University of Waterloo
T. Judene Pretti
Affiliation:
University of Waterloo
*
Litster, Gregory, University of Waterloo Management Sciences Canada, [email protected]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is an educational approach that intentionally scaffolds work experiences throughout undergraduate education. This approach has been proven to provide many benefits to students, including increased grade point averages, better job prospects after graduation and skill development. As such, we expect WIL experiences to contribute to engineering student's ability to design, a central aspect of both engineering education and practice. We found little evidence of research related to WIL experiences in the design literature, so we conducted a secondary data analysis on 33 publications from engineering education literature focusing on student WIL experiences with design. The review found evidence of students using a design process and recognizing the importance of designing within context, focusing on health, safety and ethical concerns of being an engineering designer. However, there was little evidence found of what students actually designed (i.e., components, systems or processes). We highlight some interesting areas for future research, specifically for design researchers to investigate how student work experiences are contributing to their development of design knowledge, skills and abilities.

Type
Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

References

*Anderson, K. J., Prem, K. J. and Courter, S. S. (2011), “Comparing the Learning Experiences of Male and Female Engineering Students in Internship and Co-operative Educational Opportunities.” Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Vancouver.Google Scholar
*Bailey, R. (2007), “Effects of Industrial Experience and Coursework During Sophomore and Junior Years on Student Learning of Engineering Design”, Journal of Mechanical Design, Vol. 129, pp. 662-667.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blair, B., Millea, M. and Hammer, J. (2004), “The Impact of Cooperative Education on Academic Performance and Compensation of Engineering Majors”, Journal of Engineering Education, pp. 333339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blicblau, A. S., Nelson, T. L. and Dini, K. (2016), “The role of work placement in engineering students academic performance.” Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 3143.Google Scholar
Canadian Engineering Accredidation Board, (2019), “2019 Accreditation Criteria and Procedures”, Ottawa: s.n. Accessed from https://engineerscanada.ca/sites/default/files/2021-03/Accreditation-Criteria-Procedures-2019.pdfGoogle Scholar
Cash, P. J., Hicks, B. J. and Culley, S. J. (2013), “A comparison of designer activity using core design situations in the laboratory and practice”, Design Studies, Vol. 34, No. 5, pp. 575611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
*Chen, H. L., Powers, K., Prasad, K. V., Anderson, M., Royalty, A., Gilmartin, S. K., and Sheppard, S. D. (2018), “A mixed methods approach to understanding how colleges, universities, and employers prepare and support undergraduates in engineering internships”, Proceedings of the IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE ).Google Scholar
Education, Co-operative and Canada, Work-Integrated Learning, n.d. “What is WIL?” [Online] Available at: https://www.cewilcanada.ca/What_is_WIL_.html [Accessed 18 November 2020].Google Scholar
Daly, S. R., Adams, R. S. and Bodner, G. M. (2012), “What Does it Mean to Design? A Qualitative Investigation of Design Professionals’ Experiences”, Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 101, No. 2, pp. 187219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
*Dansberry, B. E. (2012), “Examining outcomes data from an undergraduate internship program”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, San Antonio.Google Scholar
*Dehing, A., Jochems, W. and B, L.. (2013b), “The Development of Engineering Students Professional Identity During Workplace Learning in Industry: A study in Dutch Bachelor Education”, Engineering Education, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 4264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
*Dehing, F., Jochems, W. and Baartman, L. (2013a), “Development of an engineering identity in the engineering curriculum in Dutch higher education: an exploratory study from the teaching staff perspective”, European Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drysdale, M. T. B. and McBeath, M. (2018), “Motivation, self-efficacy and learning strategies of university students participating in work-integrated learning”, Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 31 No. 5-6, pp. 478-488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
*Eliot, M. and Turns, J. (2011), “Constructing Professional Portfolios: Sense-Making and Professional Identity Development for Engineering Undergraduates”, Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 100, No. 4, pp. 630654.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Canada, Engineers, (2019), “The Engineering Design Task Force Report”. Ottawa, s.n.Google Scholar
Fenwick, T. J. (2000), “Expanding Conceptions of Experiential Learning: A review of the five contemporary perspectives on cognition”, Adult Education Quarterly, Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 243272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finnie, R. and Miyairi, M. (2017), “The Earnings Outcomes of Post-secondary Co-op Graduates: Evidence from Tax-linked Administrative Data”, Ottawa: Education Policy Research Initiative.Google Scholar
*Fisher, E. (2017). “Sharing Student Learning from Individual Internship Experiences”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Columbus.Google Scholar
Fleming, J. and Zegwaard, K. E. (2018), “Methodologies, methods and ethical considerations for conducting research in work-integrated learning”, International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, Special Issue, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 205213.Google Scholar
*Gordon, A. S., Plumblee II, J. M. and Dancz, C. L. (2017), “Developing Leadership through an Immersive Service-Oriented International Internship”. Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Pittsburgh.Google Scholar
Haddara, M. and Skanes, H. (2007), “A reflection on cooperative education: from experience to experiential learning”, Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 6776.Google Scholar
Howard, P. (2009), “Articulating the learning: professional practice made explicit”, Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 177188.Google Scholar
International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, n.d.Defining Work-Integrated Learning”, [Online] Available at: https://www.ijwil.org/defining-wil [Accessed 16 10 2020].Google Scholar
Jackson, D., (2015), “Employability skill development in work-integrated learning: Barriers and best practice”, Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 350367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
*Jaime, A., Olarte, J. J. and García-Izquierdo, F. (2020), “The effect of internships on Computer Science Engineering Capstone Projects”, IEEE Transactions on Education, Vol. 63, No. 1, pp. 2431.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khampirat, B., Pop, C. and Bandaranaike, S. (2019), “The effectiveness of work-integrated learning in developing student work skills: A case study of Thailand”, International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 127146.Google Scholar
Kolb, D. A., (1984), Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development”. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
*Kovalchuk, S., Ghali, M., Klassen, M., Reeve, D. and Stacks, R. (2017), “Transitioning from University to Employment in Engineering: The Role of Curricular and Co-Curricular Activities”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Columbus.Google Scholar
*Kreth, M. L. (2000), “A Survey of the Co-op Writing Experiences of Recent Engineering Graduates”, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 137152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lave, J. and Wenger, E. (1991) “Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation”. Cambridge University Press, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Little, B. and Harvey, L. (2006), “Learning through work placements and beyond”, A report for HECSU and the Higher Education Academy's Work Placements Organisation Forum.Google Scholar
Liu, Q., Reeve, D., Rottmann, C. and M, E.. (2020), “Examining Workplace Affordance and Student Engagement in Engineering Co-op and Internship Literature”, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 116129.Google Scholar
Nagel, J. K., Pierrakos, O., Zilberberg, A. and McVay, S., (2012), “Understanding industry experiences: From Problem Solving to Engineering Students Learning Gains”, Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference, Seattle.Google Scholar
Nespoli, O., Hurst, A. and Russel, J. (2018), “Facilitating need finding and problem formulation during cooperative workterms through virtual instruction - Pilot implementation results”, DS92: Proceedings of the DESGIN 2018 15th International Design Conference, Design Society.Google Scholar
Nespoli, O. and Lambert, S. (2010), “Engineering design case studies: effective and sustainable development methods”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Louisville.Google Scholar
*Parsons, C. K., Caylor, E. and Simmons, H. S. (2005), “Cooperative Education Work Assignments: The Role of Organizational and Individual Factors in Enhancing ABET competencies and Co-op Workplace Well-Being”, Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 94, No. 3, pp. 309318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
*Peters, D. L. and Arbor, J. (2014), “Student Perceptions of Connections between Statics Class and Co-op Work Experience”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Indianapolis.Google Scholar
*Pierrakos, O., Borrego, M. and Lo, J. (2008), “Preliminary Findings from a Quantitative Study: What Are Students Learning During Cooperative Education Experiences?”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Pittsburgh.Google Scholar
*Powers, K., Prasad, K. V. and Sheppard, S. (2018), “Exploring How Engineering Internships and Undergraduate Research Experiences Inform and Influence College Students’ Career Decisions and Future Plans”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Salt Lake City.Google Scholar
Rampersad, G. and Zivotic-Kukolj, V. (2018), “Work-integrated learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics: Drivers of innovation for students”, International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 193204.Google Scholar
*Renganathan, S., Abdul Karim, Z. A. B. and Li, C. S. (2012), “Students' perception of industrial internship programme”, Education + training, Vol. 54, No. 2/3, pp. 180191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
*Rowe, J. W. and Mulroy, T. J. (2004), “A Qualitative Study of the Student Internship Experience”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Salt Lake City.Google Scholar
*Rulifson, G. and Bielefeldt, A. (2018), “Influence of Internships on Engineering Students’ Attitudes about Socially Responsible Engineering”, IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).Google Scholar
Schon, D. A. (1983). “The reflective practitioner”, New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
*Smith, J. M. and Lucena, J. C. (2016), “Invisible innovators: how low-income, first- generation students use their funds of knowledge to belong in engineering”, Engineering Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
*Tillman, R. (1990), “Professional Ethical Orientation of Civil Engineering Co-op Students”, Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering, Vol. 116, No. 2, pp. 175187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Titus, C. and Oakes, W. C. (2011), “Designing in a social context: Situating design in a human centered, social world”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Vancouver.Google Scholar
Trede, F. (2012), “Role of work-integrated learning in developing professionalism and professional identity”, Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 159167.Google Scholar
Von Treuer, K., Sturre, V., Keele, S. and McLeod, J. (2011), “An integrated model for the evaluation of work placements”, Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 196204.Google Scholar
Walther, J., Sochacka, N. W. and Kellam, N. N. (2013), “Quality in Interpretive Engineering Education Research: Reflections on an Example Study”, Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 102, No. 4, pp. 262659.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
*Yin, A. (2010), “Understanding Cooperative Education and Internships: The Influence of Engineering Students Problem Solving Skills”, Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Louisville.Google Scholar