The Pedantic 21
st
Century Engineering Student: SomeObservations
Mani Mina and Ryan Gerdes
Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringIowa State University Ames, Iowa 50011{mmina@iastate.edu, rgerdes@iastate.edu}
Abstract
This paper reviews many of the observed characteristics and study habits of first- year students in Iowa State University's electrical engineering program. Thestudying and problem solving practices of the students are discussed to identify dominant traits, strengths and weaknesses and critical symptoms thereof, whichcan affect learning in technical fields, as well as life-long learning. The affects of the Internet and the use of computer games have on student thinking andproblem-solving approaches are also discussed. Contrary to the beliefs of many technologists, it is shown that these technologies often prove detrimental to thelearning process in practice.
Introduction
It has been the experience of the authors that most freshman electricalengineering students have a wonderful understanding of computer tools. Ingeneral they have been exposed to more technology than any students beforethem; however, this technical advancement has caused them to develop certainhabits and general attitudes, unique to their age, which present especialchallenges that we as educators must address. The extent to which these habitsand attitudes shape a student depend upon the way in which the students matureduring the first year, and especially during the first term, at the university.Our observations indicate that these traits are, at least partially, related tothe fact that during their junior-high-school and high-school years the students were exposed to extensive amounts of computer time for learning, gaming, e-mailing, chatting and Web browsing, where countless hours were spent searchingfor the
new
and
exciting
. Consequently, we consider the disposition of the studentsto be Web-affected and computer game-influenced. This paper will identify anddiscuss the characteristics of these students and the critical issues concerning theirbehavior. It is our hope that by articulating these observations we will create adialogue that will lead to further research on how to best leverage these liabilitiesand turn them into assets.There are, however, a certain class of students (we shall label them the
competitors
) that do not exhibit these detrimental characteristics to such adebilitating extent. The competitor students have adapted well to the collegiateenvironment and are quite susceptible to new ideas. These special students thriveon being taught, and discovering on their own, new concepts and tend to view
understanding as a personal victory. As such, these students must be treateddifferently and are, in general, not the main focus of these observations.
Common Traits and Behaviors
a.
The students are unwilling to accept challenges.
When learning becomes difficult,or at the portent of a personally unacceptable grade or class performance, the firstreaction of many students is to panic and withdraw from the learning process.This is usually manifested by a change in the field of study but may includedropping the “problematic” class, changing schools or just not working on classesany more and accepting the "defeat."b.
Students do not have respect for or understand the necessity—and function —of an authority figure.
For them, authority can only constrain their activities andcannot be embodied as a figure that has more experience; one that is trying tohelp them deal with difficult problems and mistakes. Consequently, they have nointerest in listening to the solutions, methods and approaches that the teacherssuggest. One of the challenges of the freshman-year instructor is to establishher/himself as a trustworthy authority. In addition, by gaining their trust the roleof the instructor can also develop into that of a mentor. The mentor then has theability to genuinely convey personal experiences to the students and help them tomake use of their talents in constructive ways. Thus, by developing a trustingrelationship the instructor is better able to help students become self-learners andcritics.c.
Unless a class is “fun” the students are unwilling to maintain a committedinterest.
One of the most glaring symptoms of the Web-affected computer-game-influenced students is the fact that unless learning is tailored for enjoyment thestudents become apathetic. This results in a continuous attention span that israrely more than 10 minutes, for the typical lecture. A professor is then forcedcontinuously change to another "interesting" item, approach or presentation;otherwise, they risk losing a hold over the students' attention.d.
The students lack personal mastery
. Perhaps the best definition of personal mastery was given by Peter Senge in
The Fifth Discipline
and
The Schoolsthat Learn
[1, 2].
Personal mastery is a set of practices that support people in keeping their dreams whole while cultivating an awareness of the current reality around them. This dualawareness of what you want and what you have often creates a state of tensionthat by its nature seeks resolution. The most natural desired resolution of theirtension is for your reality to move closer to what you want. To do that anindividual needs to develop a personal vision, the results one wants from life andthe type of person one wants to be. [2]
Through education, research, experience and imagination this vision is able toevolve and mature. As a person grows and creates a better reality in their mind, incombination with acquiring new skills, which is a process of choice, the truenature of personal mastery is achieved. In general, except for a very select few,
students do not understand this concept. Unless guided by a more experiencedperson, they have little chance to create and practice a vision, cultivate theirresources or enhance their capabilities to become who they want to be—theperson of their vision.e.
They lack an understanding of the meaning of hard work.
What does hard work mean to the computer-games mentality students? It means the number of hours one spends on a task, which is much the same way the difficulty of a gamecan be measured. Generally, unless they are captivated by a subject, they will notundertake it in earnest. Consequently, they are unwilling to perform the routine—practices and exercises—necessary to develop their skills. A student may say, "Iplayed this game for 5 hours straight!", which they will inevitably do over andover again, yet they do not realize the necessity of doing the same in real life. Thisis an interesting characteristic; one that shows a dual behavior. If cultivated in thecorrect manner, the students have the ability to perform focused activities forextended lengths of time. This would seem to indicate that they have theattention span for things they define as fun! The challenge then is to makelearning, understanding and practicing the basics fun!f.
They believe that there is always someone better than them, no matter theirefforts.
This trait seems to stem from their experience on the Internet, where they have always been able to find someone that is more capable than themselves.While most of them are interested in being number one, they have also acceptedthat there is always someone better. This mentality is coupled with the belief thatin order for them to understand a topic they need merely to stumble onto thecorrect Website and follow a certain procedure found therein to solve problems.Some of the most competitive students can utilize this characteristic to learn moreand become better; however, most of them use this knowledge for finding facts, while sometimes utilizing a Web expert to solve their challenging homework. In afew cases, the authors' students have utilized Web chats or newsgroup postings toget difficult homework done. The students spend a disproportionate amount of time on the Web accumulating answers, without really solving the problem andthinking about how they would go about solving similar problems. When askedabout their reasoning, they mention that there is no point in working so hard when the answer is already “out there.” They are convinced that someone hasdone it better than they would be able to do.g.
Copying from the Web is not plagiarism.
When assigned a project, for which they need to do research, most of them believe that having access to theinformation is sufficient. Some have mentioned, "Why should I remember this if Iknow where to find it on the Web?" When a project is assigned, the students surf the Internet, browsing for what they think is "cool." In most cases, the material iscopied directly from the site, without giving reference. This is done regardless of copyright issues (“The Internet is free and public domain”) and with a completelack of understanding of issues surrounding plagiarism [3]. Bookmarks aremeticulously maintained and backed-up, as they encompass the students'knowledge base; a place to turn to, in part, for reports, homework and lab
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The Pedantic 21st Century Engineering Student - Some Observations
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Your observations are shared across the continent. See upcoming documentary on the contributing causes, at www.racetonowhere.com where employers describe the same problems in new hires. Thank you, we must attempt to stop this trend because we need creative engineers!