Using genres for laboratory work, report writing and design projects: comparing second and fourth year undergraduate engineers
| Date | 17 September 2024 |
| Pages | 173-191 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-03-2024-0031 |
| Published date | 17 September 2024 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
| Author | Samuel Dodson |
Using genres for laboratory work,
report writing and design projects:
comparing second and fourth year
undergraduate engineers
Samuel Dodson
Department of Information Science, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to investigatepatterns of information use among undergraduateengineers as they
progress through theiracademic programs. The primary objective was to discern how secondand fourth-year
students differ in their use of different types of information while performing specific tasks, namely,
conductinglabs, composing reports and undertaking projects.
Design/methodology/approach –The research used an online questionnaire to collect data, focusing on
the comparative analysis of second and fourth-year engineering students’information use. The analytical
framework comprised a chi-square test, residual analysis and exploratory data analysis, for evaluating
statisticalsignificance and identifying trends overtime.
Findings –The results demonstrated a statisticallysignificant difference in information use between second
and fourth year undergraduates.Notably, fourth year students exhibited a preferencefor disciplinary genres,
such as journalarticles, patents and technical reports.This coincided with a decline in fourthyear students’use
of educational genres, including textbooks and instructors’handouts, notes and slides. These shifts in
informationuse were observed consistently across allthree tasks.
Originality/value –The uniqueness of the studyresides in its innovative approach to exploring information
use by investigatingthe relationship between genresand tasks over the course of students’academicprograms.
The research introduces a novel approach for visualizing changes in information use. By describing the
evolving preferences of undergraduatestudents from novice to emerging professional, this study contributes
valuable insights into the nuanced ways in which information is used throughout the levels of engineering
education.
Keywords Transition, Information use, Engineering education, Genre theory, Information literacies,
Professional readiness
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
In 2022, more than 140,000 undergraduates in the USA graduated with an engineering
bachelor’s degree (American Society for Engineering Education, 2023). Many of these
graduates will join the engineering workforce responsible for designing, building and
maintaining criticalinfrastructure. This includes roads and highways (civil engineers),power
© Samuel Dodson. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the
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Information and
Learning Sciences
173
Received18 March 2024
Revised26 July 2024
Accepted15 August 2024
Informationand Learning
Sciences
Vol.126 No. 3/4, 2025
pp. 173-191
EmeraldPublishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-03-2024-0031
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2398-5348.htm
generation facilities (mechanical engineers), renewable energy systems (electrical engineers),
communication networks (computer engineers), water treatment facilities (chemical engineers)
and biomedical imaging instruments (medical engineers). Considering the need for engineering
expertise, this paper asks, How do undergraduates learn to recognize, create, use, and apply the
information needed to perform these engineering tasks? The paper underscores the significance
of document practices in engineering and advocates for increased focus on the role of genres in
accomplishing engineering goals.
Drawing on previous work on genre awareness (e.g. Artemeva and Fox, 2010;Devitt,
2004;Ford, 2004;Winsor, 2001), I argue that developingthe knowledge of how and when to
use information is an important aspectof undergraduate engineers’transition from novices to
emerging professionals. Engineers must be able to interact with specialized information,
such as proposals, manuals and reports. At the beginning of their programs of study,
undergraduates are newcomers to engineering. As such, their understanding of how to
interact with informationand perform professional tasks is nascent.
In this study, I analyze the information use of undergraduate engineers at the beginning
and end of their programs of study,identifying changes in the genres these students use. I use
a genre theory framework because it offers an understanding of how information interaction
is situated in socio-cultural orientationstoward meaning making and action. Genres are tools
for responding to recurring situations within the engineering profession. My approach
recognizes the context of information use by exploring how students engage in laboratory
work, report writing and designprojects. By comparing how undergraduates use information
at different stages of their programsof study, this study aims to describe how students’ways
of interacting with informationchange and develop. The comparative analysis of second and
fourth year engineeringstudents undertaken in this research project supplements the existing
body of research that has predominantlyfocused on students in the same year of study, often
first year students.
Previous work describes the information behaviors of professional engineers; however,
much less attention has been given to understanding the development of document practices
among students. This gap in the literature is evident in the contextof information use among
students transitioning from novices to emerging professionals, and contributes to missed
opportunities for supporting undergraduate engineers. Numerous studies have identifiedlow
information literacy rates among students, particularly those at the beginning of their
programs of study,underscoring the need for further investigation (Denick et al., 2010;Gadd
et al., 2010;Wertzet al., 2011;Yu et al.,2006). Additionally,the limited focus on the role of
genres in performing engineering tasks –primarily due to the predominant emphasis on
writing in technical communication research –necessitates a closer examination of
information use. To address these gaps, this study analyzes the information use patterns of
students at the beginning and endof their studies.
I addressed the following researchquestions:
RQ1. In what ways do second and fourth year undergraduate engineers exhibit changes
in their use of genres?
RQ2. Which specific genres are used by fourth year students that are not used by
second year students? Are there any distinguishing characteristics of these
genres?
RQ3. In which tasks are differences in information use most apparent between second
and fourth year students?
ILS
126,3/4
174
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