Psychological safety plays a key role in student learning and success, especially for traditionally marginalized populations. Hence, it becomes important to understand power differentials in engineering classrooms and how comfortable students are when navigating the uncertainties associated with learning in engineering disciplines. We used Hofstede’s dimensions of national culture theory to gather students' perspectives to understand the predictive nature of uncertainty avoidance and country national culture on power distance in the context of U.S. higher education. This paper argues that understanding these two constructs among engineering students can inform classroom interactions in very complex engineering settings.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5430-9327
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
[biography]
Johnny C. Woods, Jr. is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Higher Education and Research Group Coordinator for the Engineering Competencies, Learning, and Inclusive Practices for Success (ECLIPS) Lab in the Department of Engineering Education at Virgi
http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-3849-2947
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
[biography]
Dr. Homero Murzi is the Director of Engineering Education and Associate Professor in the OPUS College of Engineering at Marquette University and honorary Professor at the University of Los Andes (Venezuela). Homero is the leader of the Engineering Competencies, Learning, and Interdisciplinary Practices for Success (ECLIPS) Lab. His research focuses on developing engineering education practices that prepare graduate students and faculty members with the tools to promote effective and inclusive learning environments. Homero has been recognized as a Diggs Teaching Scholar, a Graduate Academy for Teaching Excellence Fellow, a Global Perspectives Fellow, a Diversity Scholar, a Fulbright Scholar, a recipient of the NSF CAREER award, and was inducted into the Bouchet Honor Society. Homero serves as the Chair for the Research in Engineering Education Network (REEN). He holds degrees in Industrial Engineering (BS, MS) from the National Experimental University of Táchira, Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Temple University, and Engineering Education (PhD) from Virginia Tech.
Andrea Schuman is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at Cal Poly. She holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Education and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. Her research interests include experiential teaching and learning in ECE and global engineering.
Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.