Conference Session

Communication Across the Divisions I: Communication in Engineering Disciplines

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alyssa Catherine Taylor, University of Washington; Stephanie Pulford, Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT)

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

designer and reviewer in peer critique, andtransition to a small-group activity.There is both qualitative and quantitative evidence that the critique provided a novel aspect totheir engineering communication education, and students are willing to engage with the topic.However, presenting this visual design workshop in the last quarter of their senior yearunderscores how little time engineering students have to construct their knowledge of qualitative,design-based visual communication skills before they are asked to perform them in theirprofessional careers. In order to provide students with better scaffolding for building thisknowledge, students should have earlier and more frequent exposures to learning that scaffoldstheir ability to make meaning

Conference Session

Innovation and Reflection

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Irene B. Mena, University of Pittsburgh; Alexander T. Dale, Engineers for a Sustainable World

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

Paper ID #18804Exploring Students’ Perceptions of Complex Problems and StakeholdersIrene B. Mena, University of Pittsburgh Irene B. Mena has a B.S. and M.S. in industrial engineering, and a Ph.D. in engineering education. Her research interests include first-year engineering and graduate student professional development.Dr. Alexander T. Dale, Engineers for a Sustainable World Alexander Dale is a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow hosted at the US EPA, and Board Mem- ber at Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW). His career has included time in academia, nonprofits, and federal policy, focusing on energy, water

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Endeavors: Engineering and Liberal Arts

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katie Evans, Louisiana Tech University; Kirk St.Amant, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Multidisciplinary Engineering

design of technology with a focus on international health and medical contexts and international online education. Kirk is also an Adjunct Professor of International Health and Medical Communication with the University of Limerick (Ireland) and a Guest Professor of Usability Studies at Southeast University (China). c American Society for Engineering Education, 2019 Structure of Professional Components for a Multidisciplinary REU ProgramProfessional Development NeedsThe professionalism of engineering students is key factor to their career success after graduation.Achieving this objective requires integrating training across hard science skills (e.g., calculus,statistics, and mechanics) and softer

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Endeavors: Engineering and Liberal Arts

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alyson Grace Eggleston, The Citadel; Robert J. Rabb P.E., The Citadel

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Multidisciplinary Engineering

, especially in thetechnical writing and communications course. Here, engineering students from four differentmajors can provide early peer feedback and improve their effectiveness. Using a proven leaderdevelopment model and assessment tool in a technical writing course is novel. Using a tool forearly assessment gives team members a voice. This drives student engagement, as they becomeinvested in the projects, reinforcing the idea that students must continually strive to update theirskills throughout their careers. There are many opportunities to support the institution’s goalsand improve student professional skills. Not everything needs to be accomplished within aparticular program. Incorporating leadership in an engineering curriculum is not easy

Conference Session

Flexible Engineering Curricula

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Diana A. Chen, University of San Diego; Gordon D. Hoople, University of San Diego

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

: Revolutionizing Engineering and Computer Science Departments (IUSE/PFE: RED)grant, we are now integrating the liberal arts directly into our engineering courses in a newgeneral engineering curriculum that reframes traditional engineering content around its broadersocietal contexts. Rather than focus on specific disciplinary knowledge students might need for aparticular career, we are developing a curriculum focused on strengthening the critical skillscommon across engineering disciplines, such as design, analytical problem-solving,communication, and the ability to make interdisciplinary connections. In addition, we recognizethat graduates must understand the profound social responsibility that comes with being anengineer. In alignment with the mission of

Conference Session

Embedding Sociotechnical Systems Thinking II

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amber Genau, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Andre Millard, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

Program, the authors invited many of ourcolleagues to join us in creating an interdisciplinary class experience. We have drawn on severaldepartments in the School of Engineering, not only to bring in other fields of knowledge but alsodifferent approaches to pedagogy. We have exploited some interesting new initiatives within theSchool of Engineering, such as the “Smart Cities” project developed by the Department of Civil,Construction and Environmental Engineering. We also encourage guest speakers to tell thestudents a little about their education and career choices, as we feel this provides valuablemodels for our students, most of whom are in their first or second year of studies and havelimited interaction with engineering faculty.In planning

Conference Session

Liberal Education Division Technical Session Session 10

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Karlin, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Rebecca A Bates, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Cheryl Allendoerfer, Shoreline Community College; Dan Ewert

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

Paper ID #25887Building Your Change Agent Tool-Kit: Channeling the Power of StoryDr. Jennifer Karlin, Minnesota State University, Mankato Jennifer Karlin spent the first half of her career at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where she was a professor of industrial engineering and held the Pietz professorship for entrepreneur- ship and economic development. She is now a professor of integrated engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato, in the Bell Engineering program and the managing partner of Kaizen Consulting.Prof. Rebecca A Bates, Minnesota State University, Mankato Rebecca A. Bates received the

Conference Session

Studying Engineering Education Research & Institutions

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Justin L Hess, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Nicholas D. Fila, Purdue University; Senay Purzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Johannes Strobel, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

Education. She is the recipient of a 2012 NSF CAREER award, which examines how engineering students approach innovation. She serves on the editorial boards of Science Education and the Journal of Pre-College Engineering Educa- tion (JPEER). She received a B.S.E with distinction in Engineering in 2009 and a B.S. degree in Physics Education in 1999. Her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees are in Science Education from Arizona State University earned in 2002 and 2008, respectively.Dr. Johannes Strobel, Texas A&M University Dr. Johannes Strobel is Director, Educational Outreach Programs and Associate Professor, Engineering & Education at Texas A&M, College Station. He received his M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Information Science

Conference Session

Communication Across the Divisions III: Writing as Social–Technical Integration

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tatiana Teslenko, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Tagged Divisions

Computing & Information Technology, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

their professional career. However, there are much fewerattempts to introduce the theme of sustainability in first-year courses4,17, particularly in anengineering communication course.Graduate AttributesCommunication instruction at the Faculty of Applied Science started with a stand-alonemandatory second-year course, APSC 201: Technical Communication. The topics of this coursedid not include sustainability. At first the learning objectives were limited to CEAB graduateattributes outlined in Criteria 3.1.7 and 3.1.6: communication skills, as well as individual andteamwork skills. In 2010-11 they were expanded to include three additional attributes5 : 3.1.8

Conference Session

Integrating Social Justice in Engineering Science Courses

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna M. Riley, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

preparationsignificantly.Motivating Social Justice Topics. Helping students understand why questions of social justiceare being posed in the course is crucial. Connecting to student experience, contemporary issuesof interest to a variety of student backgrounds and career aspirations can broaden the receptiveaudience. Outside authorities who represent destinations to which students aspire, or whom theyrespect, can carry more weight than the course instructor many times. Helping them connect tostudents in other majors, or faculty in future courses they might take, can be motivational. Inboth Mass and Energy Balances and Thermodynamics, students were asked to reflect regularlyon their learning, which created opportunities for students to find within themselves a place

Conference Session

Social Responsibility and Social Justice I: Pedagogical Perspectives

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jon A. Leydens, Colorado School of Mines; Juan C. Lucena, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

to give students time to challenge (invisible) engineering educational norms.Future workAs this research evolves, the focus will center on two main issues. First, more assessment datawill help us understand student perceptions on the sociotechnical emphasis and on making SJvisible. Also, more in-depth knowledge of student performances on assignments that seek topromote SJ visibility can help bolster the ability of those (revised) assignments to challengecommon assumptions about engineering and engineering education. Finally, we would like toevaluate how our courses impact students’ professional careers in the short and long terms, fromtheir choices about employment to their encounters with social injustices in the

Conference Session

Research on Diversification, Inclusion, and Empathy I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine Haas, Engineering Ambassadors Network; Michael Alley, Pennsylvania State University - University Park; Joanna K. Garner, Old Dominion University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

within the Engineering Ambassadors helps diversify theengineering field by addressing two areas of the pipeline: the ambassadors and the students theyreach. By focusing on recruiting a diverse set of Engineering Ambassadors and training them, wegive a voice to underrepresented groups in engineering. By providing examples of near-peer rolemodels in the field, we hope to show K-12 students that engineering is for everyone and inspirethem to consider engineering as a potential career option. A survey is sent annually to all advisors of EAN member programs, and was last sent inAugust 2015. The survey was completed by about half the member universities. According to theresponses from this EAN survey, there are nearly 500 active Engineering

Conference Session

Panel: Embedding Writing in Experiential Learning

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lindsay Corneal, Grand Valley State University; Debbie Morrow, Grand Valley State University; Tracy Volz, Rice University; Ann Saterbak, Duke University; Susan Conrad, Portland State University; Timothy James Pfeiffer P.E., Foundation Engineering, Inc.; Kenneth Lamb, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; William A. Kitch, Angelo State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

Nevada Las Vegas (BSCE and PhD) and from Norwich University (MCE). c American Society for Engineering Education, 2018 Paper ID #22876Dr. William A. Kitch, Angelo State University Dr. Kitch is Professor and Chair of the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering at Angelo State University. Before starting his academic career he spent 24 years as a practicing engineer in both the public and private sector. He is a registered professional engineer in both Colorado and California. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2018 Panel: Embedding Technical Writing with

Conference Session

Communication, Professional Development, and the Engineering Ambassador Network

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Johanna Gretchen Hatzell, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Melissa Marshall, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Michael Alley, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Karen A. Thole, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Christine Haas, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Renata S. Engel P.E., Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Joanna K. Garner, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

. Karen A. Thole, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Dr. Karen A. Thole is the head of the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. She holds two degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. After receiving her Ph.D., she spent two years as a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute for Thermal Turbomachinery at the University of Karslruhe in Germany. Her academic career began in 1994 when she became an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1999, she accepted a position in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Virginia Tech where she was promoted to Professor in

Conference Session

Advances in Assessment of Communication and Interdisciplinary Competence

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa R. Lattuca, University of Michigan; David B. Knight, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Inger M. Bergom, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

. For his dissertation research, he is developing an outcomes-based typology of undergraduate engineering students and is working to- ward understanding the conditions and experiences associated with developing the engineers of 2020.Ms. Inger M. Bergom, University of Michigan Inger Bergom is a doctoral student at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE) at the University of Michigan. She has an M.A. from CSHPE and a B.A. from Grinnell College. Her research interests include learning and teaching in college, faculty careers and roles, and program evaluation. Page 25.415.1

Conference Session

Advances in Communication Instruction

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth A. DeBartolo, Rochester Institute of Technology; Margaret B. Bailey, Rochester Institute of Technology; Risa Robinson, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

-3 Similarly, RIT students working as lab instructors on-campus or participating inteaching activities off-campus report that they viewed teaching experience as a valuable part oftheir college careers.4 However, in order to teach, we must first prepare our students tocommunicate their ideas clearly.Within the mechanical engineering curriculum at RIT there has been past work done tostrengthen the communication abilities of engineering students. Namely, a team-basedpresentation project has evolved within an advanced thermodynamics course as a way tointroduce upper-level engineering students to an engineering outreach opportunity while alsostrengthening communication skills and deepening engineering knowledge.5-6 Formativeassessment results

Conference Session

Advances in Communication Instruction

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Holly M Matusovich, Virginia Tech; Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech; Andrea M. Motto, Virginia Tech ; Kelly J. Cross, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

engineering, construction of engineering identities, and faculty development.Dr. Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech Marie C. Paretti is an Associate Professor of engineering education at Virginia Tech, where she co-directs the Virginia Tech Engineering Communications Center (VTECC). Her research focuses on communica- tion in engineering design, interdisciplinary communication and collaboration, and design education. She was awarded a CAREER grant from NSF to study expert teaching practices in capstone design courses nationwide, and is Co-PI on several NSF grants to explore identity and interdisciplinary collaboration in engineering design.Ms. Andrea M. Motto, Virginia Tech Andrea Motto is a Ph.D. student in social

Conference Session

Innovations in Promoting Technological Literacy II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William R. Loendorf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

working knowledge of technology, and technology and careers” (Ritz16, 2011).“In the broadest sense, technology is the process by which humans modify nature to meet theirneeds and wants” (Young, Cole, & Denton22, 2003). But over time this has led to a type oftechnological paradox. That is, as Pearson and Young14 (2002) noted, as technology has becomemore important and critical to our daily lives, it has actually disappeared from our sight andbecame mostly invisible. Then adding to the dilemma “there is a lack of research on studentconceptions about the nature of technology,” (DiGironimo2, 2011). As a result “adults andchildren alike have a poor understanding of the essential characteristics of technology, how itinfluences society, and how

Conference Session

Communication: From Pecha Kucha to Bullets

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Isabel Simões de Carvalho P.E., ISEL, Lisbon, Portugal; Christy Moore, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

and society’” as well as “globalization and the relatedinternationalization of enterprise.” As a result, one of the crucial challenges facingengineering educators is the need to train future engineers for careers in a multi-faceted,global community that faces enormous energy and environmental problems (NAE, 2005;2008).Unfortunately, as Carol Del Vitto (2008) points out “university engineering programsoften focus on ‘hard’ technical skills” in spite of the fact that “it is becoming increasinglyevident that in order to compete in a global environment” engineering students mustdevelop “soft skills” that will allow them to understand other cultures and respond to thedemands of the global workplace. Researchers such as Grandin (2006) and Camuti

Conference Session

Rethinking Engineering Writing

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David M. Beams P.E., University of Texas, Tyler; Luke Niiler, University of Alabama; Beth Todd, University of Alabama; Marcus Brown, University of Alabama; Garry W. Warren, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

of creating precise categories forevaluation: Broad, generous categories preclude sharp distinctions, while sharp, highly-focused categories create undue complexity. 6 Given these contingencies, regular re-calibration and discussion of ratings remains key to a robust and reliable evaluation process.In addition to the analysis of laboratory reports, data collection for The Coach includedquestionnaires at both the beginning and the end of the semester that attempted to assessengineering students’ perceptions and expectations of the role of writing in their curriculaand careers. The end-of-semester questionnaire included a section for reactions andcomments of those who had used The Coach. Informed consent was not sought for theseanonymous

Conference Session

Socially Responsible Engineering II: Pedagogy, Teamwork, and Student Experiences

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Larkin Martini, Colorado School of Mines; Jordyn MacKenzie Helfrich, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

industry and job aspirations. Students also gavetheir overall opinions regarding the integration of CSR themes into their coursework. By comparing theviewpoints of professors and students, we identify a new classification of teaching methods and how theyare perceived by students in order to help engineering educators better prepare students to critically reflecton the social responsibility dimensions of their future careers. 1I. Introduction Research has investigated how targeted instruction in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) hasaffected students’ knowledge and opinions about the connection between CSR and engineering

Conference Session

Governance, Diplomacy, and International Comparisons in Engineering Education

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Daniel B. Oerther, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

faculty who wish to offer a similar course is to gain at leastsome first-hand experience in science diplomacy through programs such as Fulbright orperhaps through extensive international, cross-cultural engagement as an active member(or perhaps officer) of an international scientific society.Reflecting on the three-year experience of this pilot project, recommendations for futurework, include: 1) re-connecting with former students to evaluate if the course contentproved useful in their careers (i.e., was science diplomacy a skill that was utilized byengineers after graduation); 2) assessing changes in student attitudes and beliefs frombefore and after the course (i.e., measurements of affective domain learning, or gains inattitudes before and

Conference Session

Engineering Education Culture: Mental Health, Inclusion, and the Soul of Our Community

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Jessica R. Deters, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

communication in engineering design, interdisciplinary communication and collaboration, design education, and gender in engineering. She was awarded a CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation to study expert teaching in capstone design courses, and is co-PI on numerous NSF grants exploring communication, design, and identity in engineering. Drawing on theories of situated learning and identity development, her work includes studies on the teaching and learning of communication, effective teaching practices in design education, the effects of differing design pedagogies on retention and motivation, the dynamics of cross-disciplinary collaboration in both academic and industry design environments, and gender and

Conference Session

Community-Engaged Engineering Education Challenges and Opportunities in Light of COVID-19 Paper Presentations 2

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Juan C. Lucena, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Community Engagement Division, Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

effective, responsible, andaccountable to the communities they hope to serve? How do engineering students understandhow to work in these organizations that historically have not been part of traditionalengineering career pathways – “The Road Less Travelled”? This paper presents a conceptualmodel for understanding, partnering, and building relationships between engineering teamsand NGOs, organizations that rarely figure in the employment landscape of engineering. Itproposes that sustainable community development (SCD) projects require a level ofembeddedness in communities, engagement, continuity and logistical maturity that mostengineering schools with community-engagement programs are ill equipped to provide bythemselves but that in partnership

Conference Session

Community-Engaged Engineering Education Challenges and Opportunities in Light of COVID-19 Paper Presentations 2

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Camille Velarde, University of New Mexico; Vanessa Svihla, University of New Mexico; Estike Kokovay Gutierrez

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Community Engagement Division, Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

Academy of Educa- tion / Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow and a 2018 NSF CAREER awardee in engineering education research. Dr. Svihla studies learning in authentic, real world conditions, specifically on design learning, in which she studies engineers designing devices, scientists designing investigations, teachers designing learning experiences and students designing to learn.Mrs. Estike Kokovay Gutierrez American c Society for Engineering Education, 2021 A Tool for Informing Community-Engaged ProjectsAbstractWhile research suggests that community-engaged projects can be particularly effective, suchwork is notoriously time consuming and not scalable. The

Conference Session

Identity, Culture, and Socialization

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Atsushi Akera, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Soheil Fatehiboroujeni, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Sarah Appelhans, University at Albany-SUNY; Alan Cheville, Bucknell University; Jennifer Karlin, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Donna M. Riley, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Thomas A. De Pree, Bucknell University; Rafael Julián Burgos-Mirabal, University of Massachusetts- Amherst

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

, followed by 14 years as a faculty member at Oklahoma State University working on terahertz frequencies and engineering educa- tion. While at Oklahoma State, he developed courses in photonics and engineering design. After serving for two and a half years as a program director in engineering education at the National Science Founda- tion, he took a chair position in electrical engineering at Bucknell University. He is currently interested in engineering design education, engineering education policy, and the philosophy of engineering education.Dr. Jennifer Karlin, Minnesota State University, Mankato Jennifer Karlin spent the first half of her career at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where she was a

Conference Session

Writing and Communication

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amanda Simson, University of New Haven; Judy Randi Ed.D., University of New Haven; Amanda Lynn Becker, University of New Haven

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

associated with a response of “Not at all”Survey Question: Before After1. How important are writing skills for a successful career in engineering? 3.07 3.932. How important is it for an engineering student to spend time writing lab reports? 2.86 3.643. How important is it for an engineering student to have good writing skills? 3.23 3.85 4. How much does an engineering student need to know about the lab content to 3.14 3.93 write a successful lab report? 5. How much can your engineering professor assess what you know about content

Conference Session

Assessing Social Responsibility & Sustainability

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nathan E Canney PE, Seattle University; Angela R Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder; Mikhail Russu

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods, Engineering Ethics, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

like this were very uncommon, however. This could point to a missing link withrespect to developing a professional sense of social responsibility in engineers that could drawfrom the existing HSS influences that students reported. One student actually discussed howtheir humanities class influenced them negatively with respect to their views of engineering,saying: “Mostly the humanities, the engineering classes I took made me realize how irrelevant my major (mechanical engineering) is to making a difference in the world. I don't plan on using my major for anything in the future- planning on shifting my career path to the humanities/social sciences.”This response came from a female, senior engineering student who

Conference Session

Diversity and Inclusion

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lorena Colcer, Oregon State University; Christina Smith, Oregon State University; Devlin Montfort, Oregon State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

in engineering programs was good becauseit helped people who weren’t suitable to be engineers find other careers. Drawing on the day’sreadings and discussion I excitedly pointed out that this statement was a great example of themeritocracy fallacy which I learned of from , [8], and that it assumed that people were born intoskills and abilities, similar to a caste system. As Lorena has already noted, my arguments did notseem to have any effect on the student.The student came to talk to me later, however, and I learned that my words had hurt them, andmy enthusiasm was particularly hurtful because it felt like I was gleefully singling them and theirideas out for group ridicule. The student was involved in our activity because they truly

Conference Session

Innovation and Reflection

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Gewirtz, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Lisa D. McNair, Virginia Tech; Kirsten A. Davis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Ramon Benitez, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

their general education requirements. One of these options isto complete a Pathways Minor: an interdisciplinary minor that covers several general educationlearning outcomes that is centered around a common theme. The goal of pathways minors is tohelp students 1) develop their general education skills through classes that are related to andbuild on each other in an intentional way and 2) reflect meaningfully on how these classesconnect to their majors and future careers. This paper will explore the educational environment demonstrated in a three coursesequence that makes up the core of a Pathways Minor in Innovation. The Learning PartnershipsModel, based on self-authorship theory, will be our primary guide for understanding thisenvironment