Engineering and Information Technology Collected Works - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 6 of 6
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableHow to choose the right career path?( 2022-08-31)Invited panel discussion for the IEEE Women in Engineering group at the University of Melbourne
-
ItemInternational contextual reliability of the Empathy and Care Questionnaire: the Australian context(Australasian Association for Engineering Education, 2022)Context: Empathy has been identified as a key employability skill for professionals, underlying many skills and attributes anticipated as required by future engineers. The relevance and development of empathy and care as perceived by engineers has been quantitatively described in the USA and Germany using the Empathy and Care Questionnaire (ECQ). Cross—national variations in empathy have been reported outside of the engineering context. Purpose or Goal: Building on research from the US and Germany, the aim of this paper is to confirm the transferability of the factor structure of the ECQ (Hess, Strobel, Pan, et al., 2017) in the Australian context. Given the influence of national culture on the development and experience of empathy, establishing contextual reliability of the ECQ is important to ensure conceptual consistency before conducting data analysis. Approach or Methodology/Methods: This paper presents a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the ECQ using data collected from engineers practicing in Australia. Engineers’ perceptions of empathy and care within Australian engineering practice were collected using an online version of the ECQ (N = 183). A CFA was conducted to establish transferability of the item structure to the Australian context. Outcomes: A marginal fit of the structure of Hess, Strobel, Pan, et al. (2017)‘s five-factor model was indicated. Modification through incorporation of covariance errors improved the fit. These errors were observed to be associated with the wording of the items. The ECQ structure comprising of factors: i) existence of empathy and care within engineering work and practice, ii) importance of empathy and care within engineering practice, iii) potential benefits of a greater inclusion of empathy and care into engineering, iv) the value of empathy and care in relational aspects of engineering work, and v) the extent to which empathy and care are considered learnable, was found to transfer to the Australian context. Additionally, the factor relating to learnability of empathy and care exhibited comparatively lower internal consistency than other factors. Conclusions/Recommendations/Summary: The ECQ can be used with confidence in the structure transferring from the US context, for describing perceptions of empathy and care of engineers practicing in Australia. There are opportunities for further research to explore national context, and to enhance the structure and internal reliability of the instrument.
-
ItemActor perceptions of gender quotas for Australian boards(ANZAM, 2022)Understanding actors’ perceptions of quotas provides an indication of how debate and action relating to board gender composition in Australia may progress. This research investigates actors’ attitudes towards gender quotas for corporate boards in Australia. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 27 actors including ASX 200 directors, civil servants, investors, journalists, executive search firms, shareholder, and advocacy organisations. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. The research uncovered a stark polarisation between actors “for” and “against” board gender quotas. Quotas remain an emotive topic where actors appear to find reasoned debate and discussion difficult.
-
ItemQuality and benefits of engineering industry placements: insights from students and graduates.(ACEN, 2022)Engineering relevant work experience is required for graduation with a tertiary engineering qualification from many Australian institutions. This requirement is frequently met by completion of industry placements. A collaborative workshop in 2021 hosted by Engineers Australia with current engineering students and industry supervisors revealed engagement with engineering practice through placements has been challenging due to COVID and other issues. A multi‐stakeholder study of engagement with engineering practice was undertaken, involving industry, recent graduates, and engineering students. The study aimed to better understand these issues with a view to improving the experience for all stakeholders. This paper draws on responses to a survey of student engineers and recent engineering graduates (N = 777) exploring their experiences of industry placements in the current climate. The findings provide insight into what makes a good placement from the perception of student engineers and recent graduates and highlights opportunities for improving placement quality and outcomes.
-
ItemEarly Career Patterns, Experiences, and Influences: Reflections from Women Engineers in Senior Roles(SEFI, 2022)Early career experiences provide the foundation for career progression and inform career choices and decisions. For women in the engineering profession, positive early career experiences have been linked to persistence and retention within the profession A recent focus on early careers within engineering has provided insight into early career role types and related competencies, competency and capability gaps experienced by novice engineers, and their perceptions of meaningful engineering work. There is opportunity to diversify and contextualise this understanding by exploring early career experiences of women working within the engineering profession, and by considering the influence of gender on early career experiences and decisions. This paper reports on an empirical investigation of the career experiences of 22 women engineers in senior roles within engineering organisations in the Australian context. Phenomenological and temporal analysis of their career reflections provides evidence of three early career patterns of varied sequence and focus. The influences shaping these career paths are described. By making explicit possible, diverse early career paths, determinants and outcomes, this paper aims to continue to bridge the engineering education-practice gap and to contribute to greater equality, diversity, and inclusion within the profession.
-
ItemEngineers' perceptions of the importance of empathy and care: initial insights from engineers practicing in Australia(SEFI, 2022)Empathy and care influence aspects of engineering practice including collaboration and teamwork, stakeholder engagement, and quality of work. Empathy has been identified as a key employability skill for professionals, and is the foundation for many skills and attributes anticipated as required by future engineers. Therefore, the understanding of empathy and care, and consideration of the development of empathetic and caring competencies are increasingly relevant for engineering education. Recent studies have explored the conceptualisation of and value placed on empathy and care in engineering practice, from the perspectives of practicing engineers in US and German contexts. We broaden this to include the Australian setting. Engineers’ perceptions of empathy and care within Australian engineering practice were collected using an online version of the Empathy and Care Questionnaire (ECQ) instrument developed by Hess, Strobel, Pan and Wachter Morris (N = 183). Statistical analysis of survey questions relating to the perceived importance and benefits of empathy and care to engineers, and relevance within a range of engineering practice situations was undertaken. Analysis of gender, years of experience, and organisational role indicated that female engineers perceived empathy and care to be more important, and more impactful on engineering practice than male engineers. Perceptions of empathy and care did not vary with duration of engineering work experience, however engineers in positions of organisational leadership placed greater importance on empathy and care in their roles than others. These differences contrast with results of the US and German studies. Further analysis is required to understand where, when and why these differences occur.