Centering Social Justice in Engineering: A New Course Model for First-year Engineering Education

Jill Davishahl

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: First-Year Programs Division (FYP) - Best Of FPD
Tagged Division: First-Year Programs Division (FYP)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 17
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43150
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43150
Download Count: 335

Paper Authors

biography

Jill Davishahl Western Washington University

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Jill Davishahl is Assistant Professor and First Year Programs Director in the Engineering + Design department at Western Washington University. Jill’s teaching, service, and research activities focus on enhancing the first -year student experience by providing the foundational technical skills, student engagement opportunities, and professional skill development necessary to improve success in the major. Her current research focuses on creating inclusive and equitable learning environments through the development and implementation of strategies geared towards increasing student sense of belonging.

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Abstract

This complete evidence-based practice paper shares a new model for a first-year engineering course that centers social justice within first year engineering education. The course combines technical and social justice content with a goal of developing student understanding of the relevance of social justice to their future as engineers. Included in the course are social topics related to belonging, identity, inclusion, privilege, power, oppression, and allyship as well as technical topics such as 3D visualization, design process, orthographic projection, and the role of failure in design. This paper presents the course model, shares learning objectives, details the unique features of the course, and shares research findings related to the course. Course assignments make use of a flexible grading structure that allows students to tailor their learning to align with their prior knowledge and educational goals. The paper discusses how the authors blend the social and technical to create continuity and connection between the course topics to help students develop a sociotechnical mindset. A student survey was developed to assess the impact of the new curriculum on student understanding of social justice and students’ perception of the relevance of social justice to the profession. Student evaluations and written reflections were also examined to gauge how students perceived the integration of social justice into an introductory engineering course. Survey results indicate that student awareness of the relevance of social justice to the engineering profession increased over the course of the quarter. In addition, findings indicate an increase in understanding of social justice concepts along with an increase in ability to identify social injustice. As seen through course evaluations and written reflections, student response to the course has been positive and most students are receptive to social justice education being part of the introductory engineering education experience. The results of this study provide insight into the impact of integrating social justice into engineering coursework and can help provide rationale and support for creating new or updated intersectional curriculum. This work may be of interest to faculty and programs looking to integrate social justice into the first-year engineering experience.

Citation
Format

Davishahl, J. (2023, June), Centering Social Justice in Engineering: A New Course Model for First-year Engineering Education Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43150

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This complete evidence-based practice paper shares a new model for a first-year engineering course that centers social justice within first year engineering education. The course combines technical and social justice content with a goal of developing student understanding of the relevance of social justice to their future as engineers. Included in the course are social topics related to belonging, identity, inclusion, privilege, power, oppression, and allyship as well as technical topics such as 3D visualization, design process, orthographic projection, and the role of failure in design. This paper presents the course model, shares learning objectives, details the unique features of the course, and shares research findings related to the course. Course assignments make use of a flexible grading structure that allows students to tailor their learning to align with their prior knowledge and educational goals. The paper discusses how the authors blend the social and technical to create continuity and connection between the course topics to help students develop a sociotechnical mindset.  A student survey was developed to assess the impact of the new curriculum on student understanding of social justice and students’ perception of the relevance of social justice to the profession. Student evaluations and written reflections were also examined to gauge how students perceived the integration of social justice into an introductory engineering course. Survey results indicate that student awareness of the relevance of social justice to the engineering profession increased over the course of the quarter. In addition, findings indicate an increase in understanding of social justice concepts along with an increase in ability to identify social injustice. As seen through course evaluations and written reflections, student response to the course has been positive and most students are receptive to social justice education being part of the introductory engineering education experience. The results of this study provide insight into the impact of integrating social justice into engineering coursework and can help provide rationale and support for creating new or updated intersectional curriculum. This work may be of interest to faculty and programs looking to integrate social justice into the first-year engineering experience. 
AU  - Jill Davishahl
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Centering Social Justice in Engineering: A New Course Model for First-year Engineering Education
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/43150
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--43150
ER  -