Conference Session

Sociotechnical Integration and Programmatic Reform

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Tomblin, University of Maryland, College Park; Nicole Farkas Mogul, University of Maryland, College Park; Christin J. Salley, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division (LEES)

©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024Countering Passive Engagement: STS Postures and Analyzing Student Agency in Everyday EngineeringAbstract “A culture of disengagement” is what Erin Cech [1, see also 4,9] has named the phenomenonthat, within engineering schools, students graduate with less interest in societal issues than whenthey arrive. Much of this disengagement is attributed to mindsets ([2]: centrality of military andcorporate organizations, uncritical acceptance of authority, technical narrowness, positivism andthe myth of objectivity) and ideologies ([1]: technical-social dualism, depoliticization,meritocracy) that create a socio-technical divide that encourages many students to marginalizesocial issues related

Conference Session

Identity Formation and Engineering Cultures

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Duane Reedy, University of Maryland, College Park; David Tomblin, University of Maryland, College Park

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division (LEES)

: Engineering identity formation is not simply the result of technical knowledgeacquisition, but also that of enculturation. Both processes are intricately linked to the places (i.e.,physical infrastructures) in which they unfold such as laboratories, classrooms, communal areas,and other engineering spaces on a university campus. Places act as a conduit for engineeringenculturation, as it is within these settings that students are inundated with value-laden symbols& representations, participate in engineering activities and rituals, and are expected to adopt andembody dominant engineering mindsets and attitudes towards technical problem solving.Recognizing that the physical infrastructure of a place can serve as a tangible manifestation ofbroader