Section 26.1 Data Collection and Analysis
Qualitative data collection for this study was done using end of the semester surveys. Course surveys are delivered by the University Office of Institutional Effectiveness. The instructor of the course only receives results of the survey. Eight questions in the survey are restricted to a 1-5 Likert scale while four questions are open ended text responses[49]. The surveys are sent to every student taking the course via email. The surveys are optional and as such not all students completed the survey. The data for the course was compiled for all questions and compared against the Departmental average. This provides a base of comparison for this course across the Department of Mechanical Engineering. It is worth noting that the authors do reflect on how their own positionality may affect interpretation of data. This reflectivity is a core characteristic in qualitative research and is important in establishing credibility and showing transparency. A more in depth analysis of the results are examined in the discussion section.
