A Preliminary Time Study Among First-Year Engineering Undergraduates: Toward Understanding the Curricular and Co-Curricular Divide

The motivation for this work comes from the tension that students experience when considering participating in co-curriculars and meeting their curricular obligations. There is evidence highlighting a range of benefits from student involvement in co-curricular experiences, including cognitive gains, development of professional competencies, and sense of belonging. Despite these benefits, many undergraduate students have little or no co-curricular involvement. This research seeks to better understand how engineering undergraduates balance their time and navigate educational opportunities. Using the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) as a guide, we implemented a daily time-tracking survey and piloted it in a first-year engineering course. The survey included 14 items to capture data on how students spend their time. As part of coursework focused on time management, students were asked to complete the survey once-per-day for five days during the fourth and seventh weeks of their first semester. These weeks were intentionally selected to allow students to be acclimated to the university experience while avoiding weeks of peak work. We used statistical analysis (n=75) to investigate two questions: How do first-year engineering students use their time? How do students' time-use profiles evolve during the semester? Using k-means clustering, analysis of variance, and pairwise comparisons we found three different time-profiles (assignment flexible, downtime flexible, and regulated), which generally held the same characteristics over the two weeks. Additionally, we found that nearly half of the students transitioned between clusters from between the fourth and seventh weeks. No clusters reported co-curricular involvement as a significant activity. Limited engagement in co-curriculars has been attributed to the rigors of the engineering curriculum and students' perceptions about the time required for involvement. Yet, little is known about how students spend their time, limiting our ability to develop interventions or policies that improve access to co-curriculars. While exploratory, our analysis suggests that even as time necessary for curricular obligations fluctuates, students may lack interest or ability to allocate time to co-curriculars. Situated among first-year students, one implication of this work is that supporting engagement in co-curriculars may best be accomplished through interventions that help students in developing routine. Additionally, implications as it pertains to pedagogical design and developing more equitable engineering programs are considered.