Dick, Brian

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https://hdl.handle.net/10613/26094

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Developing and implementing a comprehensive survey tool to understand persistence in engineering education
(Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2024) Dick, Brian; Rivera, Kodi; Sjoerdsma, Michael
Engineering education faces significant challenges related to addressing student persistence and retention within engineering programs. Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are stated areas of priority for post-secondary institutions (PSIs) in British Columbia (BC) with the goal to ensure that students of all backgrounds, identities, and demographics are provided an opportunity to thrive without compromise. However, there continues to be a lack of appropriate, desegregated demographic data that can inform how well this goal is being achieved by engineering programs at public PSIs in BC. The purpose of this poster is to describe the second-stage of the development and delivery of a survey instrument that intends to fill this information void, and more broadly capture the engineering student experience from their entry into first-year through to graduation.
Understanding persistence in engineering education through a comprehensive survey tool
(American Society of Engineering Education, 2024-06-23) Dick, Brian; Rivera, Kodi; Sjoerdsma, Michael
The purpose of this practice paper is to describe the development of a survey instrument aimed to broadly capture the engineering student experience from their entry into first-year through to graduation. Engineering education faces significant challenges related to addressing student persistence and retention within engineering programs. Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are stated areas of priority for post-secondary institutions (PSIs) in British Columbia (BC) with the goal to ensure that students of all backgrounds, identities, and demographics are provided an opportunity to thrive without compromise. However, there continues to be a lack of appropriate, desegregated demographic data that can inform how well this goal is being achieved by engineering programs at public PSIs in BC. This paper describes the pilot study that was used to develop a survey instrument that intends to fill this information void through a comprehensive, student-facing, and voluntary questionnaire that is made available to engineering students in their first year and their final year of study. Through a set of defined and open-ended survey questions, coded as addressing autonomy, competency, or relatedness to align with the self-determination theory (SDT) framework, and in-person interview sessions, the survey more broadly seeks details -- such as physical and mental health, home life, sexual orientation and gender identity, and belonging -- to better contextualise the student experience than what may typically be captured. Direct-entry students to the engineering science program at Simon Fraser University and first-year engineering students from Vancouver Island University, one of SFU's incoming transfer pathways, were invited as survey respondents. As a follow-up, these students were given the option to take part in a one-on-one, in-person interview to better understand the general survey responses, as no survey response was linked to a specific individual. These conversations uncovered, gathered, and represented the direct student perspective and academic experience and, with the general survey responses, played a crucial role in honing the instrument. It is suggested that by analysing changes within the student cohort from their first to final year of study, an improved picture of the complex dynamics of persistence and retention can be obtained, while the efficacy of initiatives intended to address underrepresentation of specific demographic groupings may be examined. Further, this paper suggests how SDT may provide a framework for understanding the characteristics of those students who persist within their studies through graduation. The next stage of this project is to expand the use of the survey instrument to other PSIs within the BC Transfer System, including both those hosting engineering schools and those from which students transfer to engineering schools after their first year of studies. It is expected that the instrument will continue to evolve, and support work to develop resources for engineering programs that enhance equity, allyship, and representation. Additionally, these tailored resources provide opportunities for like-minded students to establish support systems, fostering a sense of belonging that produces a unified and resilient student body of persisters.
Enabling hands-on, team-based project work during COVID-19
(American Society of Engineering Education, 2021-08-09) Dick, Brian
COVID-19 has impacted delivery of the first-year engineering design curriculum throughout the post-secondary system. At Vancouver Island University (VIU), instruction of the first-year curriculum shifted to an entirely remote learning environment where students were not expected to be in physical contact at any point during the term. This presented a significant challenge to delivering its learning outcomes and activities, particularly hands-on, team-based project work. At VIU, students typically complete a cornerstone design project in the second term of their first year of studies. Due to COVID-19, this project was modified to allow for completion within a virtual learning environment. Teams of three or four students were tasked to cooperatively create a rolling ball structure, built in isolation, but delivered and assembled at the University campus by the course instructor and its technician. This structure was required to form a path for a rolling ball, and interact with its neighbouring structures to create seamless track. Collectively, all team structures (a total of ten) formed a ring allowing for continuous ball movement once started. These pass-off points between each structure were determined collaboratively between both teams and individuals. This paper describes how a team-based cornerstone project experience was managed, and its impact on the student experience.
Long-term impact of COVID-19 on the first-year engineering experience at a mid-sized teaching focused university
(American Society of Engineering Education, 2022-08-23) Dick, Brian
This paper discusses the COVID-19 adaptions made within the first-year engineering design curriculum, and reflects on their impact fulfilling the required learning outcomes, mitigating student mental health issues, and addressing academic misconduct. It will further articulate the adaptations that are planned to be continued within the first-year experience as students return for face-to-face instruction. The impact of these changes will continue to be studied over the coming academic year.
First-year core engineering curriculum for the BC post-secondary sector: Final report
(British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer, 2016-09) Dick, Brian
The BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) Engineering Articulation Committee expressed its desire to explore the feasibility of developing a common, first-year engineering curriculum within the BC post-secondary sector in May-2014. In February 2015, the BCCAT approved this initiative as a Transfer Innovation (TI) project.

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