Learning experiences that facilitate innovation and workforce preparation: exploring the impact of in-class and extracurricular activities

• Autores: Catherine T. Amelink, Kirsten A. Davis, Bevlee Watford
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 35, no. 6 (Parte A), 2019, págs. 1642-1655
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The ability to think innovatively is necessary for important workforce outcomes and is linked to the production of successfulentrepreneurial endeavors. Gaining a better understanding of in class activities and extracurricular experiences that facilitatedevelopment of innovative thinking plays a critical role in developing engineering graduates who can contribute innovative ideasand solutions in the workforce. A mixed-method study (N = 595 survey, N = 52 focus group) was undertaken to understand whatclasses, groups, activities, or other resources influenced students’ innovative thinking. Our findings indicate that as engineeringstudents progress through their undergraduate career they feel more prepared to contribute innovative solutions in futureworkplace settings. However, our study indicates that students do not engage in activities that facilitate development of innovativethinking skills until their fourth year of study. Educators would benefit from weaving opportunities throughout students’undergraduate experience including those that incorporate increased opportunities for students to share ideas, gain differentperspectives, and solve problems in environments inside and outside of an engineering classroom.