bearingeducational experience in which students (a) participate in an organized service activity thatmeets identified community needs, and (b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gainfurther understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and anenhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility” (p. 112). Service-learning has beenadopted into higher education curricula for many of its proven benefits, including improvedstudent civic engagement [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], critical thinking [8], and interpersonal skillslike communication skills [9], [10] and collaboration skills [11], [12], [13]. Based on this well-accepted definition, in spring of 2017, we designed and launched theHunger-Free Texas
; Inclusion. He is investigating university-community engagement as empow- erment settings and working to further the research agenda of the global community of practice within Diversity and Inclusion in Engineering Education. His research laboratory aims to support an inclu- sive, global pipeline of STEM talent and to unify the needs of the engineering education stakeholders in order for engineering education to more accurately reflect societal needs. Diversity and inclusion, univer- sity/community engagement, informal learning, action research, and student led initiatives fall within the scope of his academic endeavors. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2018 A pilot study
. Jacoby conciselydescribes service learning as “a form of experiential education in which students engage inactivities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunitiesintentionally designed to promote student learning and development” [1].The main components of community engaged learning are service, academic content, partnershipand reciprocity, and finally, analysis or reflection [2]. The service should provide support andsolutions for overcoming a community identified need, while also deepening students learning ofengineering concepts. The community engagement work provides an opportunity for students toapply their classroom learning in a real world setting, with the intention of enriching theirunderstanding of
LawrenceAmanda Coleman c American Society for Engineering Education, 2020 Reauthoring Engineering Identities as Belonging to a Community-Engaged ProfessionAbstract: In this scholarly practice paper, we critically examined if and how engineeringstudents in a first-year design course internalized their professional identity as engineers whowere engaged in their communities. We describe the course, which used human-centered designprojects as a mechanism to partner with community organizations. Based on a thematic analysisof three reflective essays (n = 105) for each student (n = 35), we found four distinct patternsrelated to identity development in relation to community engagement. We
. “Service learning is anintentional and collaborative pedagogical practice that engages students in structured service toaddress an identified community need and help them ‘gain further understanding of coursecontent, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility[4]’[5].” Support documents for our QEP go on to highlight the importance of service learningbeing academically integrated with the course learning objectives while focusing oncommunity needs, involvement of the community partner in the design of the service learningproject, the importance of structured student reflection throughout the project, and a preferencefor the service learning experiences to last the majority of the semester. A service
reflection component on personal development, social impact, academic enhancement,university mission, and ethics. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine differencesbetween first-year engineering students who participated in service-learning projects during thefall semester of 2014 and those who did not. Students participating in service-learning projectsshowed significantly higher gains in confidence in both technical and professional engineeringskills. Female students in particular showed the most dramatic gains, with an average increase of81.6% in technical engineering confidence as a result of their service-learning course. The highergains in confidence can be attributed to the students learning more about how to identify andunderstand
. Inaddition, a subset of the students in the course present their own experiences with the course andhow their participation has affected their view of engineering and their future careers. Thesestudents first reflected on their own unique experiences with the course, specifically focusing onworking in a multidisciplinary and vertically-integrated team, the development of teamwork andtechnical skills, and the impact of the course on their view of engineering. After reflecting, eachstudent analyzed the reflections of the other participating students and the commonalities anddifferences in the experiences were identified and are presented, with implications for similarcourses/programs.Background:One of the significant issues facing engineering over the
. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2020 Aspirations: Overcoming barriers to success and developing character through pre- and post-secondary school partnershipsAbstractThe goal of this study is to improve understanding of how participation in learning and teachingpartnerships between elementary classrooms facing high barriers to success and collegeclassrooms can: 1) influence the knowledge of, interest in, and aspirations toward post-secondaryeducation in populations less likely to explore college; 2) impact college students’ sense of civicknowledge, civic learning, civic reflection, and civic efficacy. Qualitative evaluation methodsdesigned by Lafayette College’s Landis Center for Community Engagement in
emphasis. Students arerequired to (i) engage in 16 hours of community-based learning experiences and (ii) performcritical reflection and evaluation of their experiences. A primary goal of the ELSJ requirement isto foster a disciplined sensibility toward power and privilege, an understanding of the causes ofhuman suffering, and a sense of personal and civic responsibility for cultural change.The specific learning objectives of an ELSJ class are as follows:ELSJ LO1. Recognize the benefits of life-long responsible citizenship and civic engagement inpersonal and professional activities (Civic Life);ELSJ LO2. Interact appropriately, sensitively and self-critically with people in the communities inwhich they work and appreciate the formal and informal
program and the Haas Centerfor Public Service to build both an educational program and research agenda that emphasize the value ofreciprocity, partnership, reflection, evaluation, and respect for diversity. In this paper, we present thelessons learned from our pilot year, including: the results from our feasibility evaluation, an assessment ofour partnership model, and our approach to scaling. Assessment of the students and their progress isongoing.Project Background and MotivationUnderrepresentation of women in computer science and engineering fields is a persistent phenomenon. Inthe US, while women earn 53% of undergraduate bachelor’s degrees overall, they represent only 18% ofcomputer science graduates [1], [2]. Underrepresented minority women
is characterised by the use of realworld problems as a context for students to learn critical thinking skills and problem solvingskills and to acquire knowledge of the essential concepts of the course.” In fact, it has beenshown that learning to apply theoretical principles is much better done when given real problemsand hands-on activities in projects [2].Overall, PBL has been described as ‘reflecting the way people learn in real life’[11] and lendsitself as a teaching strategy that leads students to ‘learn to learn’ and encourages students todevelop critical thinking and problem solving skills that they can carry for life [12]. The goals ofPBL include fostering active learning, interpersonal and collaborative skills, open inquiry
technical and club advisors forthe EWB-USA. The local club already had professional mentors who travelled in-country theprevious summer on an assessment trip with a team of students. These mentors continued withthe class and supported the faculty for EPICS who was an added advisor and managed the courseand assessments along with a graduate teaching assistant. He was also added as an advisor for theclub to keep him informed about activities and also to make it easier on the student members toobtain required signatures within the university system. A second club advisor was kept from theprogram that had overseen EWB-USA previously and still had responsibility for the organization.This shared ownership has worked well.Student Reflections and
inequities they sought to address.Freire characterized this as “false generosity”—as charity offered that does not empower, butinstead fosters dependency. While such aid may help individuals, it also sustains inequities [10].Addressing inequality in engineering education means interrogating the origins of inequalities.Efforts to unravel those systems requires the knowledge of decolonization and engaging indecolonizing methodologies [11]. This is important to reflect on because when organizationsenter a community, they often act in colonizing ways and extend oppressive systemsmasquerading as aid. Decolonizing methodologies center community knowledge and needs andforeground the community’s own purposes.Such work is effortful and time consuming, but
their own experience through immersion and examination. Teams documentedtheir observations using blogs that focused on the same general area of inquiry they wouldpursue in Lumbisi. The blogs were available to the garden community and organizers, as well asother teams, allowing them to dialogue about their understanding of the subject. Research teamsalso were required to review other teams’ blogs and comment on observations.During the course development, coordination across educational units, universities, organizationsand countries flowed surprising smoothly and without issue. Perhaps the greatest challenge of theentire effort came when devising a course name that would reflect the interests of engineers,social scientists, planners and
c American Society for Engineering Education, 2018 Bringing Sustainable Development Challenges into the Engineering Classroom: Applying Human Centered Design Protocols to Artisanal and Small-Scale MiningAbstractIn the United States, the growth of programs in the past decade such as HumanitarianEngineering and Engineers Without Borders reflects student interest in understanding thechallenges facing communities in the developing world and applying engineering designprinciples to address these challenges. These programs also provide students with uniqueopportunities to engage with stakeholders, a critical element of any sustainable developmentinitiative. Although there is no substitute for taking students to
students worked with clientsfrom the local community to design a solution to meet their rehabilitation needs. In addition tothe projects, student assignments included reflection prompts, four hours of community service,and several empathy “immersion” experiences (i.e., wearing a blindfold while trying to completebasic tasks). Seven students opted to participate in the study, all in their 4th or 5th year in eitherbiomedical or mechanical engineering. Students completed pre- and post-course surveys aimedto measure changes in self-reported levels of empathy. One student participated in a personalinterview, aimed at understanding the different ways in which the course activities influenced hisdevelopment of empathy. All seven students who participated
facilitation of activities (before and while visiting K-12 students), writing skills used when preparing an outreach activity proposal (to includespecific instructions on how to adapt it to fit the needs of the community partners) and withwritten reflections of the experiences from the visits to the K-12 classrooms. The schedule of thecourse included four to six visits to the K-12 selected schools to nurture the development of atrusting learning environment. The EGR 299 S course was also a creative way to engage andimprove retention of CPP engineering students.E-Girl eventIn 2013, when funding was obtained to develop the “Hispanics in Engineering” program, the E-Girl event was created by two CPP female engineering students (Hadasa Reyes, a
. Dating back to the 1960s, researchershave explored the theoretical characterization of intercultural competence and the effectivenessof varying classroom practices [24]. More recently, various researchers have explored theefficacy of CEL and research immersion experiences. Research shows that teachers learn tonavigate complex, intercultural encounters through challenging CEL experiences promoting,“reflective, critical and ethical practices” [25].Since international engineering CEL has the potential benefit to both increase interculturalawareness, while also demonstrating engineering as a career that helps humanity, engagingteachers in this type of experience may prepare them to encourage and inspire their students,particularly females and other
with ARC officers and the courseinstructor. After the training students formed teams of three and visited homes in the most fireprone neighborhoods of Philadelphia to install smoke alarms, replace alarm batteries and helpresidents make home fire escape plans. The students also provided education and materials onhome fire preparation. In the past five years they distributed materials and provided informationto over ten thousand people in homes and on the streets of the city.The students were required to submit a technical report about the behavior of steel under hightemperatures (i.e., home fires). The report also required a two-page reflection on the service.“The Environment” class was taught 23 times from Fall 1991 through SP 2013. An
involved in the experience. 2. Reflective Observation: The student groups meet with the faculty advisor every other week to provide an update on what they have done so far. One of the topics during discussion is what topics that they learnt in class used and how that is impacting the social issue. 3. Abstract Conceptualization: The students are collecting data from the agency and also making templates to get already existing data. They are using this data to apply models that they have learnt in various classes. Coming up the right data to use in itself is a great learning experience. 4. Active Experimentation: The students are able to put two different methodologies together to come up with a solution to
product. Another problematicassumption made in the students’ economic proposal was that what works under consumercapitalism in the U.S., where a high percentage of the population has expendable income, wouldwork in the very different economic circumstances of Nicaragua. The project was ultimatelystalled at the proposal stage because of disagreement about this point.By the time they reach their senior capstone, engineering students have often had few- if any-courses that require them to consider empathic approaches to designing for a client orcommunity whose racial, ethnic, national, socioeconomic, or other demographic backgrounddiffers from their own. This experience gap is reflected when students don’t have the tools tounderstand the needs of
which provides a historical contextof not only the Inca people, but also the generations from as early as 3000 BC in that region.Cultural activities are followed by formal discussion and guided reflection to create additionalcontext regarding the technical project and the cultural and geographical influences that areimportant for consideration. Also in country, the students made an initial presentation tocommunity leaders to ensure project objectives were in alignment with community expectations.Course Content – TechnicalThe technical portion of the course is determined by the scope of the project that is identified.During the first two years of the program, using semi-structured interviews, the communityidentified water loss of the crumbling
that 15% of volunteers did so in orderto prepare for a new career or maintain specific career skills. Similarly, Gage and Thapa’s [36]study of volunteer motivations found that college students were more interested in volunteeringto further their career paths than non-student volunteers.Mentoring in STEM FieldsResearch on STEM school-based mentoring programs has focused primarily on the impact ofprogramming on participating students and teachers [37], [38], [39]. However, recent studieshave examined the role of mentors and the benefits they receive as mentors. As an example,Nelson and colleagues [11] studied how STEM undergraduate mentors reflected on theirexperiences working with K-8 low-SES youth. These undergraduates noted that the
afterschool Xplore STEM camp. Due to the increased number ofconfirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan, large gatherings are restricted andparticipants (students, staff, and volunteers) from different schools are unable to meet at a singlelocation. Hence, the afterschool enrichment program includes two schools, who will be virtuallyattending the sessions via zoom. The teacher from each school will facilitate interactions duringthe online sessions conducted by the program director from the university. All Institutional ReviewBoard (IRB) approved paperwork is shared with the schools, and the consenting students willcomplete an online pre-intervention, post-intervention survey and submit a 500-words self-reflection essay about their camp
everyone, even though everything in the society pressures you into sameness – it is a handicap in the end. A handicap to live without knowing the struggle of difference – in all of its pain, its fear, its celebration, its compassion [2].”AbstractThis is an archival record of a proposed panel discussion for the 2021 ASEE Annual Conferenceand Exposition. It reflects a year-long conversation between the six co-authors. Panel attendeeswill be invited to join and expand upon that conversation. Further analyses and integration areplanned after the conference when we will have the benefit of other panel attendees’ commentsand their own narratives.Under ideal circumstances, engineering cultures in academia and industry bring out the best
Core Curriculum cultivates social justice, civic life, perspective, andcivic engagement. It involves community-based learning with a social justice emphasis. Studentsare required to (i) engage in 16 hours of community-based learning experiences and (ii) performcritical reflection and evaluation of their experiences. A primary goal of the ELSJ requirement is“to foster a disciplined sensibility toward power and privilege, an understanding of the causes ofhuman suffering, and a sense of personal and civic responsibility for cultural change.”The specific learning objectives of an ELSJ class are as follows:• Recognize the benefits of life-long responsible citizenship and civic engagement in personal and professional activities (Civic Life
student.Research • 6-page midterm report • end of first semester of projectProject (½ way) • 50-page thesis • end of second semester of project (project completion)For-Credit • 3-page Australian Development • before SummitCourse Context research report(EfaHC) • 1-page Humanitarian Engineering • before Summit Reflection • 3-page appropriate technology • before Summit workshop report • 4-page Design Concept Proposal • completed on Summit, submitted