Examining the Replication - or Mutation - Processes of Implementing a National Model for Engineering Mathematics Education at a New Site.

This research paper investigates how a renowned national model for engineering mathematics education is adapted and adjusted for implementation within a new large public university site, and the consequences of these modifications for students, instructors, administrators, and institutions. By examining how elements of the original Wright State Model are replicated or mutated in the process of starting a pilot course, we illustrate not just the challenges inherent to creating a new course in a new place but also the ways seemingly neutral and benign objects (such as course numbers and course titles) are transformed and modified to suit local contexts. Further, we show what is lost and gained through the adaptation and conversion processes of moving an established course model from one institution to another. We argue that these negotiations and local compromises are worthy of detailed examination to understand more about the existing social organization of academic institutions in order to reveal structures that both limit and enable the success or failure of educational initiatives and innovations. This paper integrates ethnographic data, institutional artifacts, and student survey responses to demonstrate how the pilot course implementation is not a one-to-one replication of the original model; rather it is a mutation of how the course exists at Wright State. Viewing the course as a mutation enables a deeper analysis of the institutional processes required to instantiate a new educational initiative within existing systems, curricula, and infrastructures, with implications for engineering educators looking to make positive change within their home institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]