NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 19950008456: NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 44: Becoming an aerospace engineer: Some thoughts on the career goals and educational preparation of AIAA student members

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by  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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National Aeronautics and Space Adminis
Department of
INDIANA UNIVER',
BecominganAerospaceEngineer:
SomeThoughtsonthe Career
Goals and EducationalPreparation
of Student Members
Thomas E.Pinelli, NASALangley Research Center, Hampton, VA
Rebecca O. Barclay, Electronic Information Age, Inc., Portsmouth, VA
JohnM. Kennedy andLaura M. Hecht, Indiana University Center for Survey Research, Bloomington, IN
Thisarticleisbasedontheresults and 264 females responded: a male-
ofasurveyofAIAAStudentMembers ences between under- to-female ratio of 5 to l. The propor-
thatwasconductedduringthespring _ igmraidlauraittiees andandgraddiuffaeter- tion of females was greater among
of1993. Thesurveyisa Phase3ac-
engineering students in undergraduates (18.2%) than gradu-
tivity of the NASA/DODAerospace
the context of two general aspects of ate students (13%)
Knowledge Diffusion Research
educational experience are described More undergraduate than gradu-
Project,whichattemptstounderstand
in this article. Considered first is the ate student respondents were U.S.
theuseandflowofinformationatthe
individual, organizational,national, extent to which students differ regard- citizens and spoke English as their
andinternationallevelsintheaero- ing the factors that led to the choice native language. The survey results
space industry.Phase3 focuseson of a career in aerospace engineering, indicate that 84. 1% of undergraduates
theuseofinformationinanacademic their current levels of satisfaction with were U.S. citizens and 86.9% spoke
environmentandexploresthefaculty- that choice, and career-related goals English as their first language. About
student-libraryinformationinterface. and objectives. Second, the importance 73% of graduate students were U.S.
of certain information-use skills for citizens and about 77% spoke English
professional success, and the fre- as their first language.
quency of use and importance of spe-
cific information sources and products Presentation ofthe Data
to meet students' educational needs, First we present data about fac-
are explored. tors that led to the choice of a ca-
reer in aerospace engineering, stu-
Survey Demographics dents' current levels of satisfaction
A range of student members of the with the choice, and students' ca-
AIAA was included in the survey, reer goals and professional objec-
both undergraduate and graduate, tives. Next, we provide data about
male and female. The respondents re- the importance of information-use
flect the demographic composition of skills for professional success and
the AIAA student membership rather the receipt and helpfulness of in-
than the demographic composition of struction in these skills. Finally, we
all U.S. aerospace engineering stu- offer data on the use and importance
dents. Of the respondents, 950 were of specific information sources and
undergraduates and 723 were gradu- products for meeting students' edu-
ate students. By gender, 1,389 males cational needs.
22 AIAAStudentJournal
PAGE BLANK I_IOT Flt.MED
were happier than AIAA student mem-
Table 1 Influence (Importance) of Selected Factors on
bers with their career choices. Thus the
Career Choice of U.S. Aerospace Engineering Students assumption that aerospace engineering
students are concerned about employ-
Undergraduate Graduate ment conditions and are not as happy
with their career choices as are their
Factor Mean a (n) Mean a (n)
fellow students in other engineering
Yourparentsencouragedyour 3.4 879 3.6 666
disciplines is supported.
areaofstudy/major
Students who made a career choice
Otherfamily membersencouragedyour 2.9 853 2.8 636 early or with access to the best infor-
areaofstudy/major mation about a career in aerospace en-
gineering tend to be happiest with their
Teachersencouragedyourareaof 3.7 884 3.7 664
decisions. The students closest to en-
study/major
tering the job market--seniors and
Careerinyourmajor/areaofstudywill 4.6 932 4.3b 690 graduate students--are the least happy
leadtofinancialsecurity with their career choices. Undergradu-
ates who made their decisions in el-
Careerinyourmajor/area ofstudywill 6.3 940 6.tb 700
ementary school--those who always
providemanyrewardingactivities
thought they would be engineers--or
Informationoncareeropportunities 4.5 918 4.2b 671 after they were in college--those who
availableinyourmajor/areaofstudy might have the best knowledge about
careers--are most pleased with their
=Studentsusedseven-poinstcale(where7washighestrating)toevaluateimportanceofeachfactor. choices. The data indicate a strong cor-
bp_<005
relation between the timing of career
choice, the factors influencing career
choice, and students' satisfaction with
Career Choice: Timing, less influence than other factors on the the choice.
Influences, and Satisfaction career decisions of these students. Once students have decided to be-
More than half of the undergradu- Although most survey respondents come aerospace engineers, they for-
ate and graduate students surveyed made well-informed decisions about mulate their career goals and profes-
made their career decisions while in their careers, many respondents are sional aspirations. Survey respondents
high school. Nearly one-third of the not as happy now about that choice were asked to indicate the importance
graduate students surveyed decided to as when they made it. One-fourth of of 15 career goals and aspirations,
pursue a graduate degree after they be- undergraduates and over 30% of which were broadly grouped into en-
gan college, an indication that a gradu- graduate students are less happy with gineering, science, and management
ate education was chosen indepen- their career choices now than when career paths. Table 2 shows the stu-
dently of the decision to pursue a they made their choices (a response dent responses.
career in aerospace engineering. that may indicate pessimism about For both undergraduate and gradu-
The students were asked what influ- employment prospects in the aero- ate students, engineering-oriented ca-
enced their decisions to pursue careers space industry). This assumption reer goals and aspirations---exploring
in aerospace engineering. The data in could be tested by comparing the ex- new technology or systems (X =
Table i indicate that the opportunity for pectations of aerospace engineering 6.3), working on complex technical
a rewarding career was the most im- students with the expectations of their problems (X = 5.7/5.9),learning new
portant factor in career choice among counterparts in other branches of en- technical knowledge (X = 5.9), and
both undergraduate(_" = 6.3) and gineering, such as electrical and utilizing the latest theoretical results
graduate students (X = 6.1). chemical engineering. ( X = 5.6/5.5)---were most important.
Other influential factors were A survey to test this comparison, For the AIAA students, developing a
achieving financial security in the fu- done between A1AA student members strong reputation as an authority in
ture and having access to career infor- and University of Illinois engineering the field (a science-oriented career
mation about aerospace engineering. A students in multiple engineering dis- goal or aspiration) or becoming a
statistical difference exists between ciplines, illustrates the effect of em- technical leader of others (a manage-
undergraduate and graduate students ployment prospects on current levels ment-oriented career goal or aspira-
for these three factors. Teachers, par- of satisfaction with career choice. tion) was not as important. However,
ents, and other family members had Overall, Illinois engineering students graduate students were more con-
Fall23
cerned than were undergraduate stu- graduate engineering students (and tion in technical writing/communica-
dents about enhancing their profes- 78% of the graduate engineering stu- tion. Approximately 69% of the under-
sional reputations. Presenting confer- dents) had received instruction in us- graduates (and 56% of the graduate
ence papers, publishing articles, and ing computer, communication, and in- students) had received instruction in
developing a reputation for technical formation technology. More than 70% using engineering/scientific informa-
contributions inside and outside the of both groups had received instruc- tion resources.
organization appear to be integral el-
ements of graduate students' career
goals and aspirations.
Information-Use Skills:
Importance, Instruction, and
Undergraduate Graduate
Helpfulness
Goal Mean a (n) Mean a (n)
The production, transfer, and use of
information is a significant component Engineering
of engineering work. Employers expect Opportunitytoexplorenewideasabout 6.3 942 6.3 700
engineering graduates who enter the technologyorsystems
world of work to possess certain infor-
Advanceto high-levelstafftechnicalpositions 5.4 928 5.4 695
mation-use skills that enable entry-level
engineers to be productive immediately Opportunitytoworkon complextechnical 5.7 946 5.9b 702
upon being hired. A survey of the lit- problems
erature, and input from engineering
Workonprojectsthatutilize latesttheoretical 5.6 943 55b 699
professionals, produced a list of six fun-
damental information-use skills that resultsinyourspecialty
entry-level engineers should possess. Workonprojectsthatrequire learningnew 5.9 946 5.9 703
Respondents were asked to rate the im- technicalknowledge
portance of these six skills for profes-
Science
sional success, using a seven-point
scale, where 7 was the highest rating. Establishreputationoutsideyour 5.3 938 5.4 697
Their responses appear inTable 3a. organizationasauthority inyourfield
For both undergraduate and graduate
Receivepatentsforyourideas 4.5 923 4.1b 686
engineering students, using computer,
communication, and information tech- Publisharticlesintechnicaljournals 4.5 937 5.2b 697
nology; communicating technical infor-
Communicateyour ideasto othersinyour 4.8 941 5.2t} 704
mation orally and in writing; and under-
professionthroughpapersdeliveredat
standing how to use engineering/
professionalsocietymeetings
scientific information resources are the
most important information-use skills Beevaluatedonbasisofyourtechnical 5.3 930 5.5t} 700
needed for professional success. With contributions
two exceptions (communicating orally
Management
and in writing), undergraduate engineer-
Becomemanagerordirectorinyourlineofwork 5.1 928 4.7b 690
ing students attributed a higher level of
importance to the information-use skills Planandcoordinatework ofothers 5.1 932 4.8b 688
than did their graduate counterparts.
Advancetopolicy-making position in 4.7 924 4.5b 688
Survey respondents were asked if
management
they had received instruction in the six
information-use skills and to rate the
Planprojectsandmakedecisionaffecting 5.4 937 5.2b 693
helpfulness of the instruction. Their re- organization
sponses appear inTable 3b. In general,
Betechnicalleaderofgroupof less 5.3 936 5.1t_ 692
more undergraduate than graduate en-
experiencedprofessionals
gineering students had received in-
struction in the skills that were rated.
"Students used seven-point scale (where 7was highest rating) to evaluate importance of each goal.
Approximately 87% of the under- bp<_0.05.
24AIAAStudentJournal
Using a seven-point scale, where 7 the highest rating to instruction in the also rated highly their instruction in
was the highest rating, survey respon- use of computer, communication, and technical writing/communication, al-
dents were asked to evaluate the help- information technology, although a though a significant difference exists
fulness of the instruction they had re- significant difference exists in the rat- here, as well, in the rating given by
ceived. Overall, both groups rated the ing given by undergraduate and gradu- undergraduate and graduate students.
instruction helpful. Both groups gave ate engineering students. Both groups
Use and Importance of
Information Sourcesand
Products
Table3a Importance ofInformation Skills
forProfessional Success Engineering has been described as
knowledge-intensive work that requires
IMPORTANCE the use of avariety of information sources
and products. The information sources
Undergraduate Graduate
may be individuals or specific resources
Skill Mean a (n) Mean a (n) within which knowledge resides or that
Communicatingtechnicalinformation 6.3 942 6.4b 702 point to the location of the needed in-
inwriting formation. Given a list of specific infor-
mation sources and products, AIAA
Communicatingtechnicalinformationorally 6.3 942 6.3 701
student survey respondents were asked
Knowledge/understandingengineering/ 6.3 936 6.1b 702 toevaluate their use and importance, us-
scientific information resources ing five- and seven-point scales respec-
tively. Table 4shows their responses.
Searchingelectronicdatabases 5.6 919 5.3b 697
Both groups were given alist of five
Usinglibrary 5.8 938 5.7b 701 information sources: your personal col-
lection of information, other students, fac-
Usingcomputer,communication,and 6.6 943 6.5° 701
ulty, library, and librarian. Both groups
informationtechnology
made the greatest use of personal collec-
tions of information. For additional
'Students used seven-point scale (where 7 was highest rating) to evaluate importance of each skill.
bp_<0.05. sources of information, undergraduates
also consulted other students, faculty,
and the library in that order; graduate
students relied on the library, faculty,
Table 3b Information-Skill Instruction Received and Helpfulness ofInstruction
RECEIVED HELPFULNESS
Undergraduate Graduate Undergraduate Graduate
Skill Instruction Percent (n) Percent (n) Mean a (n) Mean a (n)
Technicalwriting/communicating 73.4 692 71.1 500 5.6 680 5.3° 509
Speech/oralcommunication 64.8 611 58.0 408 5.5 606 5.4 427
Usinglibrary containingengineering/scientific 64.5 608 53.8 378 5.2 604 5.0 381
information resources
Usingengineering/scientific informationresources 68.7 648 55.8 392 5.3 648 5.2 395
Searchingelectronic(bibliographic) databases 55.2 521 43.0 302 5.0 533 4.9 318
Usingcomputer,communication,andintormation 87.1 821 77.9 547 6.0 808 5.8° 543
technology
_Students used seven-point scale (where 7was highest rating) to evaluate helpfulness of skill instruction.
bp_<0.05
Fall 25
Table 4 Frequency of Use and Importance of Sources and Products Used to Meet
Information Needs of U.S. Aerospace Engineering Students
USE IMPORTANCE
Undergraduate Graduate Undergraduate Graduate
Source andProduct Mean a (n) Mean a (n) Mean a (n) Mean a (n)
Source
Yourpersonalcollection ofinformation 3.9 935 4.1_ 699 5.8 938 6.1b 697
Otherstudents 3.4 936 3.2b 697 4.8 936 4.4b 697
Facultymembers 3.2 935 3.4b 697 5.2 938 5.2 698
Library 2.9 932 3.4b 697 4.5 935 5.2b 697
Librarian 1.8 928 2.0b 685 2.6 933 3.0b 695
Product
Textbooks 4.4 937 4.0b 697 6.3 926 6.0b 694
Handbooks 2.9 936 2.8 693 4.6 925 4.4b 689
Journalarticles 2.7 935 3.6b 698 4.2 924 5.6b 695
Technicalreports 2.4 933 3.1b 695 3.8 922 4.8b 693
Conference/meetingpapers 2.1 935 3.3b 699 3.3 924 5.1b 695
"Studentussedfive-pointscale(where5washighestrating)toevaluateuse,Studentsusedseven-poinstcale(where7washighestrating)toevaluateimportance.
bp_<005
and other students. Neither group made other students and the library for un- decision, the quality of information avail-
great use of the services of a librarian. dergraduates, and the library and other able about aerospace engineering careers,
Both groups also were given a list students for graduate students. Again, and perceived opportunities for profes-
of five information products: text- neither group placed great importance sional growth and career satisfaction.
books, handbooks, journal articles, on the services of a librarian. Textbooks The data also indicate that aero-
technical reports, and conference pa- were rated the most important informa- space engineering students are well
pers. Both groups reported the greatest tion product by undergraduate and aware of their need for information-
use of textbooks. To meet their infor- graduate engineering students. Hand- use skills that will enable them to be
mation product needs, undergraduate books, journal articles, technical re- productive members of their profes-
students also used, in descending or- ports, and conference papers followed sion once they are hired. Most of the
der of importance, handbooks, journal for undergraduate students, and journal undergraduate and graduate engineer-
articles, technical reports, and confer- articles, conference papers, technical ing students in this survey have re-
ence papers. Graduate students used, in reports, and handbooks followed for ceived instruction in these skills and
descending order of importance, jour- graduate students. As with the use rat- report that the instruction was helpful.
nal articles, conference papers, techni- ings, significant differences exist The higher level of importance that
cal reports, and handbooks. Significant among the importance ratings of all five undergraduates accord these informa-
differences exist among the use ratings information products for both groups. tion-use skills may be attributable to
of four of the five information prod- the fact that more undergraduate than
ucts for both groups. Concluding Remarks graduate students have received formal
The respondents also were asked to AIAA student members seem rela- instruction in information-use skills. A
rate the importance of these same five tively happy with the choice of a career perceived immediate need for these
information sources and products. Per- in aerospace engineering, despite pessi- skills may also account for the higher
sonal collections of information and mism about the industry's future. Happi- importance rating accorded by under-
faculty members were rated most im- ness with this career choice appears to graduates who expect to enter the
portant by both groups, followed by be directly related to the timing of the workforce upon graduation.
26AIAAStudentJournal