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Title:
From engineering student to engineering professional: The importance of reflection in becoming an engineer

Abstract:
What does it mean to be an engineer? What does it take to recognize yourself as an engineer? What does it take to be recognized as an engineer? Becoming an engineer – from the kernel of ‘problem solver’ that takes root in the academy to the discovery of its true nature in the profession – is a transformative process that is too often engaged transactionally by engineering students. This talk draws on research from multiple studies that infuse reflective practice with undergraduate engineers in formal and informal problem-based learning scenarios and interviews with early career professionals. I consider elements of classroom discourse and argue for interventions that better support engineering undergrads in understanding their emerging professional identity and the true nature of problem solving.

Bio:
Andrew Olewnik is an assistant professor of engineering education and the director of experiential learning in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at University at Buffalo. In the classroom, he studies the implementation of design and other engineering problem types and their impact on undergraduate engineers' development of problem-solving and related professional competencies. Outside the classroom, he is interested in how experiential and informal learning environments supplement the curriculum in the professional formation of engineers. In 2024, he received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in support of his research into how people form a professional engineering identity (PEI). Through narrative inquiry and survey of early-career engineers he seeks to develop a valid conceptual model of PEI reflection constructs that lead to the integration of cross-curriculum reflection activities to support engineering undergraduates in the transition from student to professional.

Citation:
Olewnik, A., & Muller, K. (2025). From Engineering Student to Engineering Professional: Analyzing Discursive Engineering Identity Enacted in Mock Job Interviews. Studies in Engineering Education, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.21061/see.119