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Lessons Learned: Assessing, Discussing, and Shifting the Climate and Culture in Engineering

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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

Faculty Development Division Technical Session 2

Page Count

7

DOI

10.18260/1-2--40729

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/40729

Download Count

226

Paper Authors

biography

Vicki May Dartmouth College

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Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth.

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biography

Diana Kardia

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Diana Kardia is a translational scholar devoted to articulating and addressing the most vexing and important challenges facing academia. With a doctorate in higher education, a Master’s degree in statistics, and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies, she brings a wealth of scholarly knowledge and practical expertise to her leadership of Kardia Group, a collaboration between organizational development experts and faculty and administrators in higher education. She specializes in developing leadership under shared governance condition , addressing department conflict and dysfunction, and actualizing department goals and capacities related to diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion. She is particularly interested in how faculty and staff can effectively use data to discuss and improve departmental climate and in cultivating deliberative democracy in funding, promotion and tenure, and other peer review processes.

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Abstract

In the fall of 2020, the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth participated in a campus-wide climate/culture initiative intended to provide meaningful climate data, promote awareness around climate issues, initiate productive discussions, foster local ownership of climate, and inform departmental change in policies, norms, and interactions.

The first step in the initiative was the administration of climate surveys. Surveys from the University of Michigan were adapted for our campus climate initiative. Separate surveys were administered for faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. Each survey included ~100 questions. Response rates were high with over 80% of faculty and staff responding. Climate survey responses were distributed to departments through four separate profiles to facilitate more focused discussions. Climate Profile 1 focused on Broad Experiences in the Department including satisfaction with resources, positive aspects of the climate, and concerns. Climate Profile 2 focused on more Specific Experiences in the Department including transparency, influence, and voice. Climate Profile 3 focused on the Overall Quality, Conditions, and Concerns related to climate in the department. Climate Profile 4 focused on Bias, Exclusion, and Differences in Experiences. Profiles were released monthly and were discussed at faculty and staff meetings as well as at department-wide workshops. In addition, a group of 16 people (6 faculty members, 7 staff members, 1 postdoctoral fellow, and 2 PhD students) participated in a series of workshops facilitated by Diana Kardia, PhD, an outside consultant with expertise in department climate and culture in higher education. Climate profiles were also the focus of a ½ day discussion during the annual faculty retreat. Further, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in the department continues to discuss the data, identify key issues, and pilot several approaches to shifting the climate and culture. The DEI Committee also developed a short pulse check that is being administered every 3 months to check in with the faculty and staff about how they are feeling about the department’s climate and culture. While we didn’t necessarily solve all climate and culture related issues in the department, we started conversations and are piloting several new approaches. During the lightning talk we’ll share our process including what worked well and what was less effective at generating discussion and stimulating change.

Preferred presentation format: Lightning Talk

Keywords: climate and culture, equity, inclusion, diversity, climate survey, pulse check.

May, V., & Kardia, D. (2022, August), Lessons Learned: Assessing, Discussing, and Shifting the Climate and Culture in Engineering Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40729

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