Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

0009-0001-5441-1644

Advisor

Strawderman, Lesley

Committee Member

Elder, Anastasia

Committee Member

Johnson, Jenna

Committee Member

Smith, Brian

Date of Degree

8-12-2026

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Engineering (Engineering Education)

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Department

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Abstract

Engineering education extends well beyond the engineering classroom. Engineering undergraduates progress through general education courses, institutional support structures, and enrichment opportunities operating outside their major. The administrative offices that shape these non-engineering experiences typically operate independently of engineering departments, and the structural decisions they make can shape the engineering student's experience without engineering's input. This dissertation examines three settings in which decisions outside engineering matter for engineering students. Study 1 reports a PRISMA-format systematic review of nudge interventions in higher education, developing a four-category typology of nudge types (informational, environmental, process-oriented, and in-name-only) and a six-category typology of application domains. Study 2 reports a retrospective evaluation of a text-message nudge initiative in selected general education courses at a large four-year residential university; no statistically significant effect was detected on course success or tutoring engagement, and descriptive multiplicative-change tables show substantial course-level variation that could not be attributed confidently to the intervention. The chapter proposes a five-stage paradigm for designing future behavioral interventions to support rigorous evaluation. Study 3 reports a multi-institutional survey of honors program administrators. Engineering honors participation rates vary by nearly two orders of magnitude across the seven sample institutions, freshman-to-senior change is negative across pooled, unweighted, and median summaries, and administrator ratings suggest that engineering-specific barriers are institutionally variable rather than uniformly high. Across the three studies, a recurring theme emerges: limited coordination between engineering departments and the non-engineering administrative offices that shape general education, academic support, and honors enrichment affects which student supports are accessible, measurable, and sustainable. The findings suggest that engineering deans and engineering education researchers should be involved earlier in the design of the non-engineering programs that shape engineering students' educational experience.

Download

Share

COinS