exercises to inspiresystems thinking. The PILLARS arecompleted first, integrating citizenshipfundamentals and design thinking and theengineering design process into bothPILLARS. Though they both integrate bothskill families, the content is inverselyproportional, as shown in Figure 2. Eachpillar presents students with a case toaddress civically with an appropriatesolution. The solutions may be tangibleproducts, processes, or models. Afterstudents complete both PILLARS, they willpractice both civics knowledge and designthinking skills repeatedly through engaging Figure 2 Graphic showint the composition of PILLAR 1 and PILLAR 2 having both Citizenship and Design Thinking andin the PATHWAYS
illustratedin the following sections, this perspective also makes it possible to critique administrativeapproaches in higher education that privilege classroom activities over other forms ofeducational work that are necessary for developing transdisciplinary curriculums, such as thework of external evaluators. By focusing on external evaluation as an integral component of aneducational system, this paper seeks to highlight the value of this seemingly “peripheral work”(Lederman, 2019). This in turn raises critical questions about how power dynamics and otherasymmetric relationships can be exposed early in the development of an academic plan. Suchexposure is important if the principles of transdisciplinary curriculums are to be fully realized inways that
programdirector worked with faculty from each department to develop an integrated, scaffoldedcurriculum that was delivered by the two graduate teaching fellows per department as part of thecore undergraduate curriculum. The thrust of the program was to incorporate teaching andlearning of context-specific communication, exemplified by the communication-in-the-disciplines (CID) (Dannels, 2001) approach that positions the standards of professionalcommunication within the norms of engineering work. Collaboration occurred in at least onerequired course for each engineering student from Freshman through Senior year. The coursestypically included a team design project, thus necessitating some instruction on teamcommunication, oral presentations, writing, and
and virtual international project experiences.” Jour. of Int. Engineering Education, vol. 3, no. 1, article 5, 2021.[6] Reddy, E. A., Kleine, M. S., Parsons, M., Nieusma, D. (2023, June) Sociotechnical Integration: What is it? Why do we need it? How do we do it? In 2023 ASEE Conference & Exposition.[7] M. D. Patton, "Beyond WI: Building an Integrated Communication Curriculum in One Department of Civil Engineering," IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 313-327, 2008[8] J. L. Craig, N. Lerner, and M. Poe, "Innovation Across the Curriculum: Three Case Studies in Teaching Science and Engineering Communication," Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on
integrate sociotechnical dimensions into engineering solutions throughspecific and intentional design practices.In the same ways that ignoring cost throughout the design processes will not result in an outcomewith no monetary impact, ignoring sociotechnical considerations throughout design will not resultin an outcome devoid of social, political, economic, etc. impact. Indeed, overlooking these 1dimensions can result in real and imagined design solutions that harm the environment, reinforcesystemic inequity and injustice, and/or lead to designs for which there might be “unintendedconsequences” [1]-[3].And while studies from engineering practice
Riddle Aeronautical UniversityKatrina Robertson, Embry Riddle Aeronautical UniversityTrey Talko, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Small Shifts: New Methods for Improving Communication Experiences for Women in Early Engineering Courses Abstract: This paper outlines methods and initial data from an educational intervention based on previous research published at ASEE. Students in introductory engineering courses face challenges communicating and integrating their ideas in team projects. Often these challenges with team communication fall along gendered lines, where women students experience marginalization in team settings. This paper builds from previous research in the field of engineering education which integrated
as they learn effective and relevantprofessional communication skills in the field of engineering. We also discuss the steps forwardto make this collaboration a model for other courses in our curriculum at our institution.IntroductionStrong writing skills are crucial for competitiveness in STEM fields. Clear and cogent writingand communication skills are critical competencies as identified by ABET (Accreditation Boardfor Engineering and Technology) [1], and the National Academy of Engineering [2]. Today’ssuccessful engineer must master more than one competency (see figure 1), includingcommunication and writing skills, which comprise between 20%-40% of an engineer’s workday:writing project proposals, memoranda, business letters, and e-mails
anxiety in engineering students, and the relationship between climateanxiety, environmental action-taking and an interest in pursuing a career in sustainability.Furthermore, this research can contribute to a gap in the literature on climate anxiety anddisciplinary cultures, and contribute to the broader understanding of engineering education andsustainability.Sustainability has been integrated into the engineering curriculum in various ways; throughstand-alone courses and program emphases, as a criterion in the design courses or otherwisethrough engineering design courses [7-8] and through incidental coverage or the inclusion of aspecific module related to sustainability in engineering technical courses [9]. There is arecognition of this work in
intersectionality and disability issues, we feel likewe could have been more intentional with the way that we integrated these concepts. We are thefirst to admit that we could have done more in both arenas. For example, we didn’t budget forprofessional captioning or a sign language interpreter in case these were needed by ourparticipants. We did use an auto captioning service, but we know that those are flawed. Anotherarea where we could have planned to dedicate more resources was to communications. Weseverely underestimated the effort that it took to reach out to the different communities that wewanted to invite, especially since we were not insiders in those fields. Partway through theplanning we brought on one of our colleagues as a communications
engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA. Prior to coming to the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, she was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida, USA. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2023 ‘It gives me a bit of anxiety’: Civil and Architectural Engineering Students’ Emotions Related to Their Future Responsibility as EngineersEmotion is an integral part of teaching and learning, intertwined with students’ responses totopics, reactions to experiences in the classroom, and interactions with peers and facultymembers. However, emotion is under-researched in the context of engineering education. Thisresearch paper
defineepistemologies as “ways of knowing” [36], or individuals’ thoughts surrounding knowledge oracquiring and retaining knowledge. With this definition, we define hidden epistemologies as theunspoken, unacknowledged ways of knowing that guide engineering in educational spaces aswell as the field. Though this terminology may be less common in EER, hidden epistemologieshave been studied in this field as hidden curriculum [37]–[39].The term “hidden curriculum” was coined by Philip Jackson [40], and it has been operationalizedin EER to mean “the unwritten, unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values, andperspectives made by individuals and found in physical spaces within an academic environment”[39, pp. 2–3]. One way researchers have distinguished hidden
Tech.Jan DeWaters, Clarkson University Dr. Jan DeWaters is an Associate Professor in the Institute for STEM Education with a joint appointment in the School of Engineering at Clarkson University, and teaches classes in both areas. Her research focuses on developing and assessing effective, inclusive teaching and learning in a variety of settings. An environmental engineer by training, Dr. DeWaters’ work typically integrates environmental topics such as energy and climate into STEM settings.Lucas Adams, Clarkson University Current Senior at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY majoring in Applied Mathematics and Statistics ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024
partnership, from one directionalpartnership to co-design [10]. However, at each level, even the most equal partnership, thefeedback and design process were initiated by the faculty member. In another study of LApartnerships, similar types of partnerships were identified: (a) students, (b) informants, (c)consultants, (d) co-instructors, and (e) co-creators [11]. The type of partnership that wasexperienced by students was found to be mediated within the discourse, meaning that these rolesthat an LA may take up were fluid and dependent on the context. Partnerships between facultyand students in spaces such as teaching and curriculum design are difficult to be completely openfor students to take the lead.In the NF team, we see something different from
) thecommunity building practices and norms of the STS program and (ii) emergent ways thatstudents talk about STS curriculum and activities (including its service learning experiences).Four salient themes emerge from this study of students’ experiences in the first year of thetwo-year STS program: 1. examining things from multiple perspectives to make sense of issues/systems, 2. making the invisible visible, 3. empowering students to develop moral stances as citizens and scientists/engineers in society, and 4. prioritizing human wellbeing (an ethics of care).Not surprisingly, these four themes are highly interrelated and emerge in different ways and withdifferent degrees of salience for different students, which makes analyzing these themes
programs. Following her PhD, Fatima joined the Physics Education Research Group at the University of Maryland’s Department of Physics as a postdoctoral researcher, and now focuses on the study of ethics and institutional change in STEM higher education.Sona Chudamani, University of Maryland, College Park Sona Chudamani is a junior Computer Science major in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is the co-corporate contact for the UMD Association for Women in Computing (AWC), a club that strives to create an inclusive community to promote gender equality and empowerment in computing fields. She is also the Editor-in-Chief for QUESTPress, a newspaper in
alsoensuring the relevance and value of every component. Moreover, these additions must bedesigned to seamlessly blend with traditional subjects without overwhelming students ordetracting from their primary educational objectives. Incorporating mindfulness into the busyschedules of engineering students also presents a significant challenge. Often, students prioritizeactivities that directly impact their grades, leading to hesitation in participating in activities [37],like mindfulness practices that are optional and not integrated into the core curriculum. Thistendency can widen the gap in mental health support, especially for non-traditional students whojuggle work and study. Addressing this issue is crucial for creating an inclusive
feelings of belonging in modern science. Her research specialties include histories of women, gender, and sexuality in modern science and technology; the interplay between engineers and engineering practices and the infrastructure of everyday life; and the relationship between design, technology, and justice.Dr. Avneet Hira, Boston College Dr. Avneet Hira is an Assistant Professor in the Human-Centered Engineering Program and the Department of Teaching, Curriculum and Society (by courtesy) at Boston College. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024Engineering as Conflict: A Framing for Liberal Engineering EducationIntroductionIn this paper we use the framing of “engineering as conflict” to
all stakeholders.Integrating social justice with engineering in the classroom is difficult, as most engineeringeducators do not possess the requisite social justice background. Some engineering facultymembers have successfully conducted this integration, whether for a thermodynamics [23] orcontrols [13, 24] course. It is incredibly challenging to attempt this integration within an entireengineering program [25].We propose an alternative integration. Rather than adding social justice directly into ourengineering courses, we rely on a social justice core curriculum to provide a thorough socialjustice foundation. Through this core curriculum, students learn how to critically analyze socialconditions. We then administer social justice case study
fellow engineering education researchers on howto design effective programs in this field. Figure 1: A cartoon depiction of an interdisciplinary conversation on responsible AI 1IntroductionFor decades, engineering educators have raised concerns about the need to embrace humanist and liberal artseducation in the engineering curriculum. Researchers have called for integration between technical and humanisticcontent [1], [2], [3] as a path towards achieving “humanistic engineers” who can engage in socio-humanisticcritiques: “Instead of—or alongside—traditional socio-humanistic coursework, we propose to integrate
[11]. This process is typically focused on understandingenough to make a productive change to a situation rather than primarily seeking to understand theroot cause.The problem-solving mindset is also prevalent in engineering education, but there are critiquesthat assert the curriculum isn’t fully representative of the profession [12]. In the UK, MacLeodsuggests that engineering education is geared toward developing an academic mindset rather thanan engineering mindset [13]. He mentions that the education that engineers receive doesn’t helptheir ability to innovate because it centers around a theoretical approach where problems arewell-defined. This approach differs greatly in comparison to the engineering practice, whereengineers must often
Material Culture. It presents a configuration andtriangulation of ethnographic methods to reveal concealed relations of design, the designer’sethical and caring thought and practice, and how, if at all, design relationships were valued. Thismethodology was tested throughout three semesters with undergraduate students in acommunity-engaged Architectural Technology course.IntroductionIn August 2015, I began an ethnographic study at a large, urban, Midwestern University on how,if at all, concerns with ethics were expressed within an architectural technology course forinterior design majors. Entitled Commercial Construction, the course utilized community-engaged pedagogy. My research aimed to identify whether and, if so, how ethical thought
about gender and thegender binary (per Caroline Perez and Cordelia Fine). Assignments in Race & Technologyinclude an “infrastructure exploration” [25] in which students plan and execute a local journeyinformed by readings from Langdon Winner, Rayvon Fouché, Simone Browne, and others, thenpresent their observations to their classmates in ways that facilitate further discussion. For thecapstone project in Race & Technology, students may choose to propose a redesign of either aspecific technology or a STEM curriculum, drawing on the course readings and discussions. Thereadings lists for both classes are included as Appendices A and B.The Gender & STEM course was developed and taught by Mary Armstrong, a scholar ofliterature and gender
that community problems cannot be solved through technological orsociological deterministic solutions, STS can also provide students with an understanding onhow to avoid projects that prioritize the cultural enrichment of students from the Global Northat the expense of the empowerment of less-powerful groups, and how to disrupt unjuststructural forces that result in the advantage of some groups at the expense of the less-powerful. But this positioning of STS, as scholarship that can provide many critical insights,raises the following questions: How should this knowledge be shared with students? What kindof theoretical and pedagogical framework should guide STS-knowledge exchange betweenfaculty and students, so it does not become an exercise of
situations.The study highlights the critical deficiency in engineering education at preparing students forethical and professional responsibilities in the workplace. Students expressed that theirundergraduate and graduate programs overly emphasized technical skills while neglectingprofessional development, communication skills, and ethics training. We found that thesecurricular priorities affected students’ perception of the culture of academic engineeringdepartments and, subsequently, shaped their own professional values and understanding ofengineers’ duty to society.Despite a handful of students viewing ethics as an unnecessary distraction to their curriculum,the majority expressed a desire for more expansive professional and ethics training
early sciencefiction that cautions against misguided and unethical science and engineering. As such, the novelshould be poised to help engineering undergraduates cultivate moral imagination and acommitment to socially responsible techno-science. However, despite recent critical editions ofthe novel that highlight its relevance for scientists and engineers, some instructors have faceddifficulties successfully integrating the novel into an undergraduate engineering curriculum, andstudents have struggled to appreciate its value to their ethical formation as engineeringprofessionals. Nevertheless, the novel’s potential to address ethical aspects of engineeringpractice calls for further attempts at integrating it into engineering education. In
in ways that reinforce existing power structures. This underscores theimportance of critically assessing educational materials for their role in upholding or challenginghegemonic narratives within the engineering discipline and broader society–an avenue that wewish to explore further.From an STS perspective, policy is considered an integral part of infrastructure, as it shapes thecontext of the specific places in which scientific and technological work unfolds. Policies dictatewhat is built, how it is used, who has access to it, and the norms of its use and conversely, theconsequences of a lack of transparent policy around how spaces are regulated. Yet, policies alsomust be translated and performed, and those performances are in part guided
. Eddington, Kansas State University Sean Eddington (Ph.D., Purdue University) is an assistant professor of Communication Studies at Kansas State University. Sean’s primary research interests exist at the intersections of organizational communi- cation, new media, gender, and organizing.Dr. Carla B. Zoltowski, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) Carla B. Zoltowski is an assistant professor of engineering practice in the Elmore Family School of Elec- trical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and (by courtesy) the School of Engineering Education, and Director of the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program within the College of Engineering at Pur- due. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in
the director of the Learning Resource Center at Penn State Behrend for 20 years, where she is also an affiliate instructor of English. She has been involved in a number of federal grants, including two NSF STEM grants, an EU-AtlantDr. Corinne C. Renguette, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis Corinne Renguette, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Technical Communication, Chair of the Department of Technology Leadership and Communication, and Director of the Technical Communication Writing Center in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. She is co-coordinator of the Di- versity Equity and Inclusion track of the Assessment Institute and her research focuses on inclusion in STEM