Incremental Expertise: The Continuum of Expertise in Electrical Engineering Grid Design through the Lens of Epistemic Frames
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| Title: | Incremental Expertise: The Continuum of Expertise in Electrical Engineering Grid Design through the Lens of Epistemic Frames |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Amit Paikrao, Jyoti Shaha, Ramkumar Rajendran, Ritayan Mitra |
| Source: | International Association for Development of the Information Society. 2025. |
| Availability: | International Association for the Development of the Information Society. e-mail: secretariat@iadis.org; Web site: http://www.iadisportal.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 8 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Speeches/Meeting Papers Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Expertise, Engineering Education, Design, Novices, Energy, Epistemology, Undergraduate Students, Skill Development, Thinking Skills, Professional Identity, Power Technology |
| Abstract: | Modern electrical grids are becoming increasingly complex, requiring engineers who can adapt, justify their actions, and exercise sound professional judgment. Yet, many graduates struggle to demonstrate these expert traits despite strong academic performance. A key challenge in engineering education is locating where learners fall along the continuum of expertise and identifying benchmarks that mark their progression. Drawing on Epistemic Frame Theory (EFT), this exploratory study examines the epistemic frames (skills, knowledge, values, identity, and epistemology) of second-year and third-year electrical engineering students engaged in grid operation tasks. Based on a small sample, our preliminary findings suggest that second-year students' frames are dominated by skill-knowledge connections, resembling novice performance. By the third year, students maintain these links while also forming stronger connections to epistemology and identity, signaling a shift toward more integrated professional reasoning and a developing professional identity. We interpret this stage as "incremental expertise," situated within the zone of proximal development. While limited, these findings point to the second and third year as potential milestones for guiding targeted interventions in engineering education. [For the complete proceedings, "Proceedings of the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA) (22nd, Porto, Portugal, November 1-3, 2025)," see ED677812.] |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED677853 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Modern electrical grids are becoming increasingly complex, requiring engineers who can adapt, justify their actions, and exercise sound professional judgment. Yet, many graduates struggle to demonstrate these expert traits despite strong academic performance. A key challenge in engineering education is locating where learners fall along the continuum of expertise and identifying benchmarks that mark their progression. Drawing on Epistemic Frame Theory (EFT), this exploratory study examines the epistemic frames (skills, knowledge, values, identity, and epistemology) of second-year and third-year electrical engineering students engaged in grid operation tasks. Based on a small sample, our preliminary findings suggest that second-year students' frames are dominated by skill-knowledge connections, resembling novice performance. By the third year, students maintain these links while also forming stronger connections to epistemology and identity, signaling a shift toward more integrated professional reasoning and a developing professional identity. We interpret this stage as "incremental expertise," situated within the zone of proximal development. While limited, these findings point to the second and third year as potential milestones for guiding targeted interventions in engineering education. [For the complete proceedings, "Proceedings of the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA) (22nd, Porto, Portugal, November 1-3, 2025)," see ED677812.] |
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