Building Technical Capital Among Community College Students in Advanced Technological Education

Abstract

This dissertation is comprised of three papers that address the following question: What is the role of problem-oriented pedagogical strategies in affecting professional identities among community college students in advanced technological education? Paper one explores community college student perspectives on ill-structured projects. It has been submitted to the Journal of Engineering Education. Paper two identifies the positive impact of ill-structured problems on student professional identities. It has been submitted to the Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning. Paper three examines whether well-structured problem-oriented learning has an impact on students’ professional identities. It has been submitted to the Journal of Technology Education.