Abstract:

Students who see themselves as engineers early on in their academic journey are more motivated and engaged in engineering tasks. This paper describes the process of designing and evaluating a novel learning experience for undergraduate engineering students, in a Higher Education setting. The primary aim of the learning experience is to promote the development of engineering role identity (ERI). Discussion is offered on the systematic design, development, and the anticipated impact of the Rethinking Engineering Education in Ireland (REEdI) ‘Design an Engineer’ workshop as a pedagogical innovation for championing the emergence of engineering role identity. The design process which was guided by the ADDIE (Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate) model, was marked by iterative refinement, ensuring the encapsulation of key stages vital for curating an effective learner-centric approach to the workshop. The workshop's conception is anchored in the premise that through deliberate design and thoughtful pedagogical strategies, students can be facilitated in engaging with a process that promotes the development of an engineering role identity. Initial findings indicate that the REEdI ‘Design an Engineer’ workshop helps to align students to the multi-dimensional responsibilities and ethos of the engineering profession. Additionally, the workshop generates data that reveals how participants conceptualise an engineer.

Keywords:

Engineering role identity, constructivism, pedagogy, higher education.