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Conducting a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Climate Survey of Engineering within a Large Texas University

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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

Educational Research and Methods (ERM) Division Poster Session

Page Count

17

DOI

10.18260/1-2--41073

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/41073

Download Count

716

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Paper Authors

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Nikhith Kalkunte University of Texas at Austin

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Nikhith Kalkunte is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His dissertation work investigates the impact of cellular microenvironment on cardiomyocyte differentiation and development. Outside the lab, Nikhith is interested in developing innovative BME curricula and strategies to foster inclusive climates that improve the educational experience for all students. He earned a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a M.S.E. in Biomedical Engineeirng from the University of Texas at Austin.

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Maura Borrego University of Texas at Austin

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Maura Borrego is Director of the Center for Engineering Education and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and STEM Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Borrego is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education and a Senior Associate Editor for Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. She previously served as Deputy Editor for Journal of Engineering Education, a Program Director at the National Science Foundation, on the board of the American Society for Engineering Education, and as an associate dean and director of interdisciplinary graduate programs. Her research awards include U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), a National Science Foundation CAREER award, and two outstanding publication awards from the American Educational Research Association for her journal articles. All of Dr. Borrego’s degrees are in Materials Science and Engineering. Her M.S. and Ph.D. are from Stanford University, U.S.A, and her B.S. is from University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A.

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Lindsey McGowen North Carolina State University at Raleigh

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Dr. Lindsey McGowen is a Senior Research Scientist, Applied Social and Community Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University where she leads the Innovation Studies Lab. Dr. McGowen’s research focuses on program evaluation for cooperative science and technology programs, particularly the outcomes and impacts of cooperative research centers. With over a decade of experience, Dr. McGowen has pioneered work on program sustainability for cooperative research centers. She has served as the Director of the NSF-sponsored Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) Evaluation Project and as the external evaluator for the NSF ERC for Cellular Metamaterials, USDA SAS Center for Low Moisture Food Safety, and USDA SAS Idaho Sustainable Agriculture Initiative for Dairy. She has also worked as the NSF-appointed evaluator for several individual IUCRCs focused on agriculture, pharma, computer science, and other areas. In addition to her work with the NSF IUCRC and ERC programs, and the USDA SAS program, Dr. McGowen has led or participated in program evaluations for the NSA Science of Security, NSF IGERT, USDA NIFA, and USDA NIFSI programs. Dr. McGowen received her B.S. in Psychology & Communication from Lewis & Clark College. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Psychology in the Public Interest from North Carolina State University.

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Madiha Qasim North Carolina State University at Raleigh

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Abstract

Recent events have highlighted the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within engineering education. Improvement of DEI within these settings faces a variety of obstacles, most notably a dearth of models for effective assessment of DEI initiatives. In this evidence-based practice paper, we detail the process by which a DEI climate survey was adapted and executed within a School of Engineering at a large public Texas university. After establishing specific design criteria and principles, research-practice partnerships were sought out with social scientists to address gaps in understanding of DEI evaluation. After review of numerous existing surveys, the 14-item CELL-MET Engineering Research Center’s culture of inclusion scale was identified as the most robust scale that met our parameters. Adaptations were made to accommodate our application, and specific strategies were employed in survey deployment that resulted in an 18% response rate in the spring of 2021, when all courses were being taught online. Research-practice partnerships were extended into the analysis and synthesis stages to best translate findings into policy recommendations and to identify improvements for future administrations of this survey.

Kalkunte, N., & Borrego, M., & McGowen, L., & Qasim, M. (2022, August), Conducting a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Climate Survey of Engineering within a Large Texas University Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41073

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