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Title:

Reframing Technology Adoption in Engineering Education: A Human-Centered Perspective

Abstract:
Emerging technologies (ETs) are increasingly integrated into engineering education, valued for enhancing student engagement, visualization, and problem-solving. While these tools hold significant promise for teaching and learning, existing research tends to focus on technocentric metrics, such as functionality and adoption rates, often at the expense of deeper pedagogical inquiry and long-term learning outcomes.

My research addresses two critical gaps in the current literature. First, most technology adoption studies rely heavily on predictive models like the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which offer limited insight into how users interpret and integrate technology in real-world settings. Second, studies often neglect the broader purpose guiding technology use, particularly its role in fostering career readiness and the professional identity formation of engineering students.

To address these challenges, I propose a conceptual framework that bridges TAM, Diffusion of Innovations (DOI), and Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). This integrated model offers a user-centered, purpose-driven lens that reconceptualizes adoption as a dynamic, context-dependent process shaped by both technical functionality and human agency. Through a phenomenological study, I illustrate how this framework captures the lived experiences of faculty, revealing new pathways for more meaningful and human-centered technology adoption in engineering education.

Bio:
Deborah Moyaki is a doctoral student in the Engineering Education and Transformative Practice program at the University of Georgia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Educational Technology and is excited about the possibilities technology offers to the learning experience beyond the formal classroom setting. Her research focuses on improving the educational experience of engineering students using virtual reality labs and other emerging technologies.