Engineering Student Development: Supporting Self-Authoring Engineers

Abstract

In this study, engineering undergraduate students constructed a preparedness portfolio in a portfolio studio--the pedagogy at the center of this study. To explore and understand this pedagogy, the construct of self-authorship was used. Through a constructivist grounded theory approach, this study explored the applicability and usefulness of the construct of self-authorship to engineering education. The purpose of this study was to (1) demonstrate the applicability of self-authorship to engineering education; (2) connect this perspective with an actual pedagogy (i.e., preparedness portfolios in a portfolio studio); and (3) offer implications for educational practice. The study findings indicate that students described their participation in the pedagogy in terms of self-authorship, which suggests that this pedagogy supports students' development toward self-authorship. Through connecting these findings to implications for educational practice, this study demonstrates the broad applicability and usefulness of self-authorship as a perspective to guide educational practice.