A Strategic Curriculum Design for an Introductory Engineering Course to Encourage Self-Empowerment of Minority Students

Victor Garcia; Peter Golding; Diane Golding; Irma Torres-Catanach; Nora Cuvelier; Crystal Cholewa; Karla Ayala Mendoza

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 10: Best of First-Year Programs Division
Page Count: 21
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41618
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41618
Download Count: 466

Paper Authors

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Victor Garcia

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Victor Garcia holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Victor is currently a research civil engineer at the US Army – Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, MS. He leads research projects sponsored by the US Department of Defense that focus on improving the design and construction practices for military transportation installations. Victor has been also collaborating with UTEP faculty on education programs such as the Yes She Can, STEM Fuerte, and H-AGEP programs, which are sponsored by the US Department of Education and National Science Foundation to improve the quality of education for minoritized students.

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Peter Golding University of Texas at El Paso

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Director, CREATE and Professor of Innovation & Engineering Leadership, University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

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Diane Golding University of Texas at El Paso

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Diane Elisa Golding is an educator, scholar, and mentor who is dedicated to student success. Her areas of interests include educator professional development; educator integration of technology; supporting minoritized student in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); and student and peer mentorship. She is the Director of the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) Yes, SHE Can Program, a Department of Education funded program designed to engage, motivate and support minoritized students, especially women in engineering. Her work continues in the realm of improved STEM education as she leads the Department of Education, STEMSHINE initiative. Diane Elisa is a 2022 recipient of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers Award for her outstanding contributions to teaching and learning at UTEP.

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Irma Torres-Catanach

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Irma Torres-Catanach, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) who has
worked as part of the research team for the NSF-funded H-AGEP Alliance for the past four years. She is also project director for a new grant called STEMFUERTE, funded by the Department of Education, that brings together the collaborative efforts of El Paso Community College and UTEP to support the persistence of STEM students at both institutions towards graduation and entry into the STEM workforce. Her educational
background is in psychology, and within STEM-education, her research interests are centered
on using mixed methods and asset-based frameworks to broaden participation of underrepresented minoritized students in STEM across all educational levels (k-12, graduate school, and academia). She is particularly interested in examining student's experiences with mentorship, sense of belonging, STEM career decision-making processes, and STEM identity development.

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Nora Cuvelier University of Texas at El Paso

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Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso
M.S. Industrial and Systems Engineering at University of Texas at El Paso
B.S. Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

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Crystal Cholewa

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Karla Ayala Mendoza

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Abstract

The objective of this paper is to report on the preliminary implementation of educational activities and learning modules to improve the curriculum design of an introductory engineering course. The new curriculum, which was strategically designed to empower underrepresented minoritized (URM) students in STEM, incorporates complementary educational activities and academic interventions including 1) the use of EduGuide online coaching platform to equip students to pursue their personal growth goals, and 2) the implementation of professional development workshops to reinforce and influence the academic career decision-making and preparedness of first-year undergraduate students. The proposed curriculum design was applied to two class sections of an introductory engineering course with a total of 53 first-year students during the fall semester of 2020. Virtual teaching and learning environments were required across this institution to comply with the social distancing and lockdown requirements enacted by the federal government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. . As part of the coaching platform, students in these two classes had access to an online mentoring community of 32 members from academia and industry. The professional development workshops were also provided in a virtual format yet synchronous format to support engagement with the facilitators and among peers. Students were asked to complete an online pre-semester survey, develop feedback essays, and respond to self-reflecting open-ended questions to gather substantial data to assess the impact of the implemented interventions and educational activities. From this study, the new curriculum design showed great potential in encouraging self-empowerment of minority students, which can consequently result in greater rates of persistence, motivation, and academic success. The university provided the required support to create an introductory university course under the Engineering Leadership and Education department to offer the new curriculum design to first-year undergraduate students interested in engineering programs.

Citation
Format

Garcia, V., & Golding, P., & Golding, D., & Torres-Catanach, I., & Cuvelier, N., & Cholewa, C., & Ayala Mendoza, K. (2022, August), A Strategic Curriculum Design for an Introductory Engineering Course to Encourage Self-Empowerment of Minority Students Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41618

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The objective of this paper is to report on the preliminary implementation of educational activities and learning modules to improve the curriculum design of an introductory engineering course. The new curriculum, which was strategically designed to empower underrepresented minoritized (URM) students in STEM, incorporates complementary educational activities and academic interventions including 1) the use of EduGuide online coaching platform to equip students to pursue their personal growth goals, and 2) the implementation of professional development workshops to reinforce and influence the academic career decision-making and preparedness of first-year undergraduate students. The proposed curriculum design was applied to two class sections of an introductory engineering course with a total of 53 first-year students during the fall semester of 2020. Virtual teaching and learning environments were required across this institution to comply with the social distancing and lockdown requirements enacted by the federal government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. . As part of the coaching platform, students in these two classes had access to an online mentoring community of 32 members from academia and industry. The professional development workshops were also provided in a virtual format yet synchronous format to support engagement with the facilitators and among peers. Students were asked to complete an online pre-semester survey, develop feedback essays, and respond to self-reflecting open-ended questions to gather substantial data to assess the impact of the implemented interventions and educational activities. From this study, the new curriculum design showed great potential in encouraging self-empowerment of minority students, which can consequently result in greater rates of persistence, motivation, and academic success. The university provided the required support to create an introductory university course under the Engineering Leadership and Education department to offer the new curriculum design to first-year undergraduate students interested in engineering programs.
AU  - Victor Garcia
AU  - Peter Golding
AU  - Diane Golding
AU  - Irma Torres-Catanach
AU  - Nora Cuvelier
AU  - Crystal Cholewa
AU  - Karla Ayala Mendoza
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - A Strategic Curriculum Design for an Introductory Engineering Course to Encourage Self-Empowerment of Minority Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41618
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41618
ER  -