Learning MBSE Online: A Tale of Two Professional Cohorts

Research has shown that creating an online learning community is vital in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) training programs and can be facilitated via the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. For professional learners, an online learning community is influenced by their organizational affili...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSystems (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 5; p. 224
Main Authors Li, Tiantian, Pollettini Marcos, Leonardo, Huang, Wanju, Kenley, C. Robert, Douglas, Kerrie A., Madsen, Emilee A., Fentiman, Audeen W.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 28.04.2023
Subjects
Analysis
Case studies
Cohort analysis
Collaboration
Communication
community of inquiry
Design
Distance learning
Educational objectives
engineering education
Higher education
MBSE
Model-based systems
Online education
online learning
Organizations
Professional development
professional learners
Professionals
Research methodology
Social factors
Study and teaching
Systems engineering
Teaching
United States
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Summary:Research has shown that creating an online learning community is vital in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) training programs and can be facilitated via the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. For professional learners, an online learning community is influenced by their organizational affiliations. The purpose of this research is to explore learning experiences in groups of professional learners with different and homogenous organizational affiliations in an asynchronous online MBSE module. Through the case study methodology, this research examines four sources of data from two cases: Case 1—learners from different organizations (n = 7); and Case 2—overwhelming majority of learners from the same organization (n = 19). Results showed that learners from the same organization reported higher social presence, which, in turn, corresponded to a higher cognitive presence and higher motivation for future MBSE learning. Based on our findings, we recommend that organizations seeking MBSE adoption coordinate with online course providers to create cohorts to participate in the same offerings to facilitate the process of learning community building. We also recommend MBSE course providers facilitate social interaction on multiple communication platforms and create orientation activities for learners from different organizations to promote social presence.
ISSN:2079-8954
2079-8954
DOI:10.3390/systems11050224