A key event in many engineering and design learning environments is the design review, in which students present project work to solicit feedback from reviewers like instructors, peers, and outside visitors. Previous research on design reviews demonstrates how feedback affects student growth and task achievement. However, there is limited research within engineering education that examines the relationship between feedback and other features of a design review. One such feature is the power dynamics between the student and the instructor, which may be germane to the review outcome. The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate the extent to which the power dynamics within the design review are related to the design review feedback. Using previously-collected video recordings of design reviews in an undergraduate mechanical engineering design course and an undergraduate industrial design course, an in-depth exploration of two formative design reviews (one from each course) was conducted. Open coding methodologies were applied to examine power structures and to capture the critical incidents related to power dynamics, while existing classification schemes were used to identify the types of feedback that occur within and around these incidents. Some feedback types were found to be commonly used by instructors to disrupt design reviews. Furthermore, the findings suggest that students have a relatively restricted set of approaches to interact with the reviewers in design reviews, and that, even in more-equitable reviews, students can have limited effect in achieving their discursive goals. Overall, the results of this exploratory research study can be used to provide educators with an increased awareness of the relationships among feedback, power dynamics, and project contexts and to support future research about power dynamics within design learning environments.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6068-2662
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
[biography]
Mitchell J. Cieminski was born in Fontana, CA in 1995 and grew up in Greeley, CO. He received a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, MA in May 2017, and currently studies science and technology studies at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 2014, he worked at Insper University in São Paulo, Brazil as a Junior Partner and visiting student to their developing engineering program. His research interests include community education and the relationship between technology and society. Mr. Cieminski is a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has previously served as President of Olin College’s SWE chapter.
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4988-361X
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
[biography]
As an associate professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Systems Engineering Program at Cornell University, Dr. Alexandra Coso Strong works and teaches at the intersection of engineering education, faculty development, and complex systems design. She joined Cornell University after co-founding the School of Universal Computing, Construction and Engineering Education at Florida International University (FIU). As an assistant professor at FIU, she co-developed two degree programs, a Ph.D. in Engineering and Computing Education and a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Engineering. Prior to working at FIU, Alexandra served as an Assistant Professor of Systems Design and Engineering at Olin College. Alexandra completed her graduate degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech (PhD) and Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia (UVa).
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