Designing Introductory Industrial Engineering Courses to Improve Student Career Efficacy

摘要

This study sought to examine the design of Industrial Engineering introductory courses with students' career outcomes in mind. Specifically, this study focuses on career efficacy, or students' perceptions of their ability to succeed in a particular career field. Syllabi were reviewed in order to gain knowledge of variations in introductory course content and structure. 231 undergraduate Industrial Engineering students in the United States completed a 41 question survey that included four parts: student information, career efficacy, course information, and course evaluations. Survey responses indicated a significant increase in career efficacy in discipline-specific courses when compared with general introductory courses. Upperclassmen also reported significantly higher career efficacy than underclassmen. Students who reported enjoying the introductory course, as demonstrated by measures of satisfaction with the course, also had higher efficacy scores. The implications of study findings on the design of introductory courses in Industrial Engineering are discussed.