Engineering Education Commons^™

Lgbtq+ Safe Zone Ally Workshop, Rocio Chavela Guerra, Stephanie Farrell

Workshops

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals have historically faced harassment, exclusionary behavior, and discrimination in many aspects of their lives, including in educational settings. This workshop will equip participants with the knowledge and tools to (1) recognize the negative impact of bias and heterosexual/cisgender privilege on the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals; (2) recognize challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM fields; (3) identify strategies for creating an inclusive and affirming environment; and (4) formulate a plan to become an ally for LGBTQ+ individuals. The workshop is open to students, faculty, and the professional community in STEM fields and …

Do We Unwittingly Exclude Students? A Case Study To Evaluate An Engineering Test For Inclusivity., Sofie Craps, Mieke Cannaerts, Greet Langie

Research Papers

Engineering stereotypes can hinder different groups to identify with and choose for engineering. The stereotypical image, often characterised as male, white and harsh technical oriented, can negatively impact students’ perception of engineering as a field to which they can belong. Recently, PREFER tests were designed to increase students’ awareness of the different roles an engineer can take on and of the importance of professional competencies in engineering. Research indicated that the tests were gendersensitive, meaning that females had other role preferences than males. These results inspired a follow up project to investigate how the tests can be used as instruments …

How Diverse Are Global Perspectives On Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Engineering Education?, Jan Van Maele, Becky Bergman, Inês Direito, Homero Murzi

Workshops

The SEFI Special Interest Group on Gender & Diversity has recently been renamed as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, broadening the definition from a focus on gender to embrace a wider range of diverse identities – such as language and cultural background, religion, physical ability, and socioeconomic status – and to promote and support equity and inclusive practices within SEFI and beyond. In the process of redefining the Special Interest Group’s mission, it has become clear that definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion may vary considerably between different contexts and institutions. Therefore, it is relevant for the engineering education community to …

Promoting Awareness Of, And Sharing Good Practices On, Supporting Engineering Students With Disabilities, Natalie Wint, Gillian Saunders-Smits, Roger Penlington

Workshops

No abstract provided.

Questioning Implicit Assumptions – Proactively Fostering Inclusion In Engineering Activity Design, Ashlee Pearson, Jessica Deters

Workshops

Within discussions of inclusion work in engineering education, calls have been made to shift to a shared responsibility model where all are responsible for proactively fostering inclusive environments. In an academic setting, it is through pro-active design of learning activities that academics can pre-emptively meet the needs of diverse students such that they may feel included. This design work often relies on academics being educated or aware of what is inclusive or exclusive for different groups that have traditionally underrepresented identities and lived experiences. However, academics do not always possess this information. This workshop proposes an approach that asks academics …

Inclusive Engineering Classrooms: Student Teaching Assistants’ Perspectives, Joelyn De Lima, Siara Isaac, Helena Kovacs

Research Papers

Inclusive teaching is the intentional practice of recognising biases, working to mitigate their impact, and ensuring that students have equitable learning opportunities. In addition to improving students' sense of belonging and self efficacy, inclusive teaching improves retention, improves academic performance, and reduces achievement gaps. In many large enrollment introductory classrooms, student teaching assistants (TAs) contribute to the classroom climate in addition to the teachers and the students. In this qualitative study, 262 TAs were asked about their teaching strengths, areas that need improvement, obstacles, and ideas about their role in reducing incidents of discrimination or harassment. We coded their open-ended …

Disruptions To The “Modeled Minority” In Engineering: Why Do Some Asian American Students Leave Engineering?, Michelle Choi Ausman, Qin Zhu

Research Papers

Asian American students are the largest non-White racial group in US undergraduate engineering, but they are often labeled as the "model minority." This stereotype confines them to STEM majors, limiting their access to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Little attention has been given to why some Asian American students leave engineering. To address this gap, a pilot study using semi-structured interviews aims to explore the reasons behind their decision to leave the field or change their major. The study seeks to contribute to engineering education scholarship by promoting more inclusive learning environments for Asian American students and providing recommendations …

Research Development & Early-Career Faculty: Catalysts Of Change For Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Stem, Monica Castañeda-Kessel, Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, Ryan Berke

Office of Research Faculty and Staff Publications

Problem Statement: Early-career science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) faculty members are often challenged when identifying authentic diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals, objectives, and tasks for their research grant proposals. Advancing DEI has not been one person’s job but rather the responsibility of a highly organized network within a system. Research development professionals have been and will continue to be critical resources for developing DEI plans and broadening participation. Their value is partly due to relationship-oriented processes that research professionals cultivate and shepherd as well as the inherently cross-disciplinary nature of the day-to-day work. Observation: In FY 19, 53% …

Engineering Society: The Role Of Intersectional Gender And Diversity Studies For A Sustainable Transformation On The Case Of Interdisciplinary Engineering Education, Jennifer Bosen, Sebastian Bernhard, Evamaria Fauster, Marie Decker, Miriam Lämmerhirt, Carmen Leicht-Scholten

Practice Papers

Technological innovations are impacting societies in manifold ways and can accelerate a transformation toward sustainability. To enable a sustainable transformation through engineering, engineers educated to create technological solutions for global challenges must be educated in sustainability principles as postulated under ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ (ESD) in the Agenda for Sustainable Development. In technological fields, the ecological, as well as the economical perspective of sustainability, are often addressed, but as recent research has highlighted, sustainability needs to be addressed holistically; this means including the social dimension to a greater degree and applying an intersectional understanding of gender and diversity throughout all …

Inclusion In Computing Via The Early Research Scholars Program At Uic, Renata Alejandra Revelo Alonso, Diana Diaz Herrera, Anastasiia Rozhkova, Joseph Hummel

Practice Papers

For a sustainable world, all people who aspire to be engineers should have an equitable opportunity to achieve their engineering education. In the United States, groups of individuals continue to be minoritized in engineering and computing specifically. This practice paper addresses inclusion and diversity efforts in the computing field, within two departments of a college of engineering, to 1) increase the number of minoritized students in computing, 2) introduce research as a career path to undergraduates early on in their education, and 3) nurture a sense of community (within the department and the computing field) for students. These efforts are …

A New Approach To Encourage The Next Generation Of Female Engineers In Spain: A Young And Fresh Podcast To Attract More Girls To The Field: “Clau, Quiero Ser Ingeniera”, Marta Olea, Francisco Javier Jiménez Leube, Claudia Rebollo

Practice Papers

The underrepresentation of women in STEM fields is a complex issue with multiple factors that remain unclear. At Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), we have dedicated years to devising strategies aimed at attracting more girls to this domain. As the coordinating institution of the EELISA alliance, where we endeavor to define the European engineer, we confront gender inequality as one of the foremost challenges. To address this need, a 4th year student at UPM conceived an initiative: a podcast with three primary objectives. Firstly, it aims to highlight the accomplishments of female engineers who can serve as role models for …

The Immersive Placement Experience: Sink Or Swim?, Mohammed Shaikh, Abed Alaswad, Sarah Junaid

Practice Papers

To excel in their respective engineering fields, engineering students need to be equipped with a combination of technical and interpersonal skills. Central to excellent interpersonal skills is good communication. The aim of the study is to evaluate how well-prepared mechanical and design engineering students felt entering into their industrial placements, using a UK university as a pilot case study. For the study interviews were carried out with final year students who had previously completed an industrial placement year, focussing on communication, workplace diversity, technical working methods and university teaching styles. Reponses were anonymised, coded and analysed using quantitative and qualitative …

Using Systems Thinking To Design Education To Make A Difference – A Progress Report, Bruce J Elliott, Merve Ersoy, Zena Green

Practice Papers

The Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education (BCRRE) delivers research and education to benefit the international rail industry, including an MSc programme which is designed to equip students with the skills needed to lead multidisciplinary engineering projects. The authors are trying to apply some of the systems thinking taught in the programme to the programme itself. It is established practice to maintain learning outcomes for an educational programme and we do that, but we describe how we are trying to improve the information available to us about what the industry wants and the varying needs of our student population. …

Using The Hero’S Journey Monomyth Framework To Understand Students’ Engineering Experiences, Shannon Chance, Inês Direito, Bill Williams

Conference Papers

The Hero’s Journey framework has been used by prior scholars to conduct research in engineering and science education. This framework, when used for motif coding, can help identify and organize crucial aspects of a student’s narrative about their trajectory in engineering education. Following this coding technique with narrative smoothing provides a way to convey the story meaningfully and memorably. Our research team recently used this method to study a longitudinal set of interviews conducted with an Irish woman, and we herein extend the value of that work by analyzing the interview of a Kuwaiti woman studying at the same institution …

Supporting Women In Engineering And Technology Through A Collaborative Practice And Support Network Using Targeted Interventions, Michelle Looby, Marie Armstrong, Una Beagon, Emma M Dunne, Svetlana Hensman, Farrah Higgins, Paula Kelly, Isabelle Killane, Susan Lynott, Orla Mcmahon, Bahareh Pahlevanzadeh

Practice Papers

Despite ongoing efforts to recruit and retain women in third level engineering programmes in Ireland, there is still a lack of diversity in these programmes with typically fewer than 20% of students being female. This paper will describe the evolution of a female focused university wide network called WITU (Women in Technology United), which aims to retain female students in engineering and technology programmes, and to increase the number of gender minorities coming onto these programmes. It is also a response to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly, SDG 4 (quality education), and SDG 5 (gender equality), and addresses actions highlighted …

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Engineering Education: An Exploration Of European Higher Education Institutions’ Strategic Frameworks, Resources, And Initiatives, I. Direto, Shannon Chance, L. Clemmensen, S. Craps, S.B. Economides, S.R. Isaac, A.M. Jolly, F.R. Truscott, N. Wint

Conference papers

Significant efforts have been made to promote gender equality in higher education (HE) in Europe. Examples include the establishment of the Athena Swan Charter in the UK in 2005 and the 2019 launch of the Irène Curie Fellowship scheme by Eindhoven University of Technology. But which initiatives address broader diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) challenges in HE? And which are specifically focused on engineering education? This exploratory study aims to improve our understanding of the ways in which a set of European HE Institutions engaged in engineering education address DEI at an organisation level, and how this is communicated within …

Women Studying Engineering Abroad: Intersectionality And Student Support, Shannon Chance, Bill Williams, Inês Direito

Conference papers

What is it like to study engineering in Ireland when you are female and you come from somewhere far away, in the Middle East, which has different social customs and norms? What is your lived experience? What aspects of the experience are common to Middle Eastern women across your course? As education researchers, we aim to understand the essence of the experience these foreign women have had studying engineering in Ireland-what life has been like for them and what unique challenges they have faced that may be invisible to us as instructors. This article reports preliminary analysis of 13 interviews …

Critical And Liberative Theories: Applications In Engineering Education, Corin L. Bowen, Aaron W. Johnson

ASEE North Midwest Section Annual Conference 2020 Publications

Background. Higher educational programs in engineering today are seeking to correct disproportionately low enrollment and success rates of minoritized students. However, most diversity-related programming fails to address systems of structural oppression that cause particular students to be underrepresented in higher education. In addition, typical engineering pedagogical methods fail to address the reality and impacts of structural oppression, as educators cannot overcome the effects of structurally oppressive systems through traditional methods of controlling classroom and curriculum.
Purpose. This paper explores the relationship between existing critical and liberative theories and engineering educational systems and re-frames the goals and problems of diversity and …

Revolutionizing The Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum, Shelby Ann Mcneilly, Krishna Pakala, Donald Plumlee

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the age of technological advancement and occupational opportunity continues to progress, companies must be constantly adjusting and transforming in order to accommodate industry demands. With these quickly developing requirements comes an expectation of employee experience and skill sets. For individuals seeking a career in mechanical engineering, moving forward with the tools necessary for success in this continuously evolving world begins with higher education. This paper is the first of a three-part series to report on the progress of Boise State University’s Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Department’s mission to implement a revolutionized curriculum in their academic program. This paper will …

Review Of Educational Technology: Closing The Gap Between Modern Technology And The College Engineering Classroom, David Pinkerton, Krishna Pakala

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper aggregates information from past and current studies regarding the implementation of technology in engineering classrooms and identifies the most promising ideas, technologies, and techniques. This paper provides insight into best practices for implementing technologies to improve the education of engineering students. This paper provides recommendations to adopt non-traditional teaching methods. Educational tools and techniques are evaluated on the basis of: Adoption and Assimilation, Access, Community, Intellectual Presence, Student Perception, and Development of Social and Professional Skills. Best practices are highlighted with descriptions of the technologies and techniques that were found most promising.

Integration Of An Electrical Engineering Capstone Course With Social Justice And Global Studies, David Parent, Patricia Backer

Faculty Publications

A four course package (six units total) consisting of two general education (GE) classes and two electrical engineering capstone classes that are taught in a highly integrated manner, that not only meets university GE requirements, but also meets the new ABET criteria in which the need to address a societal need is embedded with design criteria. The prompts for the new integrated GE/capstone Assessment results are also presented, along with methods to increase student motivation for studying GE.

A Retention Model For Community College Stem Students, Jennifer Snyder, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The number of students attending community colleges that take advantage of transfer pathways to universities continues to rise. Therefore, there is a need to engage in academic research on these students and their attrition in order to identify areas to improve retention. Community colleges have a very diverse population and provide entry into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, regardless of student high school preparedness. It is essential for these students to successfully transfer to universities and finish their STEM degrees to meet the global workforce demands. This research develops a predictive model for community college students for degree …

Establishing Doctoral Programs In Electrical Engineering, Materials Science And Engineering, And Computing In An Emerging Research Institution: Lessons Learned And Best Practices, Janet Callahan, Cheryl B. Schrader, Darryl P. Butt, Timothy Anderson, Tammi Vacha-Hasse, Amy J. Moll

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the past decade, three doctoral programs have been launched at Boise State University. The first doctoral program established was in Electrical and Computer Engineering, selected because of the need for a trained workforce in the region. The other two doctoral programs, Materials Science and Engineering, and Computing, were from the start designed as interdisciplinary degree programs. That is, they were designed for the participation of not just program faculty within the division, but for the participation of program faculty with related research interests in other departments at the university. This paper presents the steps taken to launch the programs, …

Calculus Reform: Increasing Stem Retention And Post-Requisite Course Success While Closing The Retention Gap For Women And Underrepresented Minority Students, Doug Bullock, Janet Callahan, Jocelyn B. S. Cullers

Mathematics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Boise State University (BSU) implemented an across-the-board reform of calculus instruction during the 2014 calendar year. The details of the reform, described elsewhere (Bullock, 2015), (Bullock 2016), involve both pedagogical and curricular reform. Gains from the project have included a jump in Calculus I pass rate, greater student engagement, greater instructor satisfaction, a shift toward active learning pedagogies, and the emergence of a strong collaborative teaching community. This paper examines the effects of the reform on student retention. Since the curricular reform involved pruning some content and altering course outcomes, which could conceivably have negative downstream impacts, we report on …

Ten Years Later: Where Are They Now?, Janet Callahan, Donna C. Llewellyn, Vicki Stieha, Ann E. Delaney

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper explores the educational and career trajectories of the alumnae of an outreach activity for girls. The outreach activity was originally developed using an integrated marketing approach to attract girls into engineering programs.¹ The program, a two day, overnight experience for rising 9^th, 10^th and 11^th grade girls, focuses on showcasing engineering as an exciting, creative activity, including activities developed from that perspective. Started in 2005 and held annually since then, a total of over 500 girls have participated, with approximately 85% of them coming from Boise State University’s immediate metropolitan area. Facilitated by …

Jazzing Up Next-Gen Librarians For Freshman Engineering Instruction Delivery, Marian G. Armour-Gemmen, Chanelle Pickens, Robin A.M. Hensel, Mary L. Strife, Mariam Jalalifard

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Because of the need for science and engineering librarians, both nationwide and at West Virginia University (WVU), a model of Introduction to STEM Disciplines’ Information Use and Mentoring

occurred at WVU. The engineering librarians introduced new resident librarians and a graduate research assistant to the Freshman Engineering program and involved them in teaching several engineering information literacy sessions. The goal of engaging the new librarians into the educational activities was to motivate their learning, gain feedback on current teaching strategies and fresh ideas for possible future implementation, and facilitate buy-in of the need for and role of STEM-specific librarians. The …

The Impact Of Volunteering At A Girls Outreach Activity On Community Formation, Donna C. Llewellyn, Janet Callahan, Amy J. Moll, Catherine Rose Bates

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper is focused on exploring the motivation for volunteering at an engineering outreach activity. The outreach activity itself involved a two day, overnight experience for 9th and 10th grade girls that started in 2005, and which has been held annually since that time. The outreach event takes place in Boise, Idaho, and at the time of its onset was the only outreach or camp activity in the state focused on girls or young women. Across ten years, 510 total girls have participated, with approximately 85% of them coming from the immediate metropolitan area. The program was developed with a …

Conversations About Diversity: Institutional Barriers For Underrepresented Engineering Students, Leroy Long Iii, Joel Alejandro Mejia

Publications

The United States is becoming increasingly more diverse. Specifically, demographics are shifting because of growth among historically underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, including African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. At the same time, a declining number of skilled workers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields threatens U.S. global competitiveness and national security. Low participation, representation, engagement, and inclusion continue to reduce the intellectual capacity of the U.S. STEM workforce. The aforementioned societal changes require diversity in STEM education and the nation at large. Past research offers additional support for the importance of diversity. For example, racial diversity can …

Teaching Robot Kinematics For Engineering Technology Students Using A Created Three-Dimensional Robot And Camera, Cheng Y. Lin, Yuzhong Shen

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Teaching robot kinematics is important to engineering technology students in the robot automation. The study can help students not only in the coordinate transformation principles from a joint to its following joint in a robot, but also in relating the coordinate systems between a robot and a machine vision system. While students can utilize math software to compute robot kinematic transformations, they have problems verifying their answers. In this paper, a three dimensional vertically articulated robot is created to help students visualize the location and orientation of the end effector. Students can check their robot kinematic answers based on the …

Measuring The Educational Benefits Of Diversity In Engineering Education: A Multi-Institutional Survey Analysis Of Women And Underrepresented Minorities, Terrell Lamont Strayhorn, Leroy L. Long Iii, Michael Steven Williams, Marjorie Luce Dorime-Williams, Derrick L. Tillman-Kelly

Publications

Changing demographics of the U.S. population drive growing emphases on diversity in engineering education. Still, questions persist about the educational benefits of race and gender diversity within the student population, despite decades of supportive research. The present study sought to estimate the educational benefits that accrue to undergraduate engineering students who interact with diverse peers and perspectives. Furthermore, differences across gender and race were explored. Multi-institutional survey data were analyzed for over 100 undergraduate engineering students using a 2007 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Findings show that encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, or …