Motivations for Engineering Faculty Engagement in an Inclusive Pedagogy Program

Renee M. Desing; Joyce Yen; Karen Thomas-Brown

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Conference: 2025 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD)
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: February 9, 2025
Start Date: February 9, 2025
End Date: February 11, 2025
Conference Session: Track 1: Technical Session 5: Motivations for Engineering Faculty Engagement in an Inclusive Pedagogy Program
Tagged Topics: Diversity and 2025 CoNECD Paper Submissions
Page Count: 18
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/54103
Download Count: 6

Paper Authors

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Renee M. Desing University of Washington orcid.org/0000-0002-4052-2423

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Dr. Renee Desing is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington. Her research interests include diversity, equity, and inclusion in the engineering classrooms and workplaces. Dr. Desing graduated from Ohio State with her Ph.D. in Engineering Education, and also holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a M.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the Pennsylvania State University.

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Joyce Yen University of Washington

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Joyce Yen, Ph.D., is the Director of the ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change at the University of Washington where she focuses on advancing women and underrepresented minority faculty in STEM fields and leading faculty professional development program

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Karen Thomas-Brown University of Washington

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Abstract

Keywords: faculty development, inclusive pedagogy, engineering Abstract: Although the imperative for inclusive and equitable teaching practices within engineering education has gained significant traction, many engineering faculty members still lack the training and support necessary to effectively implement these practices in their classrooms. Our study addresses this gap through a pioneering year-long inclusive excellence faculty development program designed to enhance engineering faculty members' understanding and application of inclusive and equitable pedagogical approaches.

The year-long program consists of two phases. In the first phase, the faculty participate in a synchronous, weekly training during the spring term. The training curriculum integrates a comprehensive array of topics presented by experts. Curriculum topics include critical pedagogy, structural racism in engineering, inclusive teaching practices, and strategies for advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion within the current national context. In the second phase, the faculty redesign one of their courses to incorporate the tools and strategies learned during the training and implement the redesigned version of their course in the following academic year. The inaugural cohort, comprising 13 faculty members from diverse engineering disciplines in the College of Engineering, completed phase one in Spring 2024. Phase two will occur in the 2024-2025 academic year.

To guide both our program and research design, we utilize the elements of culturally relevant pedagogies (academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness) as a critical lens for training faculty in fostering an inclusive and equitable learning environment and enhancing the educational experiences of students from all backgrounds. Throughout the year-long program, we are conducting longitudinal interviews and surveys to follow the participants’ growth trajectories with regards to their understanding and implementation of inclusive pedagogies in engineering classrooms and the impact the program has on cultivating equity-minded practitioners in engineering education. The focus of this paper is the preliminary results regarding the motivations of engineering faculty to participate in this type of faculty development program and significantly redesign one of their courses. We seek to answer the following research question: What motivates engineering faculty to participate in an inclusive excellence faculty development program?

Through a qualitative, thematic analysis of the participants’ pre-interviews, we found that participants are motivated by a strong commitment to personal growth, student success, community building, and creating broader institutional change. Faculty are particularly driven to make their classrooms more inclusive and while they have a broad understanding of the impact inclusive pedagogy has on students’ learning experiences, they are seeking tools and strategies to improve their teaching approaches. However, their understanding of how to integrate critical consciousness into their teaching warrants further development in order to address structural inequities in the engineering curriculum.

Citation
Format

Desing, R. M., & Yen, J., & Thomas-Brown, K. (2025, February), Motivations for Engineering Faculty Engagement in an Inclusive Pedagogy Program Paper presented at 2025 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD), San Antonio, Texas. https://peer.asee.org/54103

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Keywords: faculty development, inclusive pedagogy, engineering
Abstract: 
Although the imperative for inclusive and equitable teaching practices within engineering education has gained significant traction, many engineering faculty members still lack the training and support necessary to effectively implement these practices in their classrooms. Our study addresses this gap through a pioneering year-long inclusive excellence faculty development program designed to enhance engineering faculty members&#39; understanding and application of inclusive and equitable pedagogical approaches. 

The year-long program consists of two phases. In the first phase, the faculty participate in a synchronous, weekly training during the spring term. The training curriculum integrates a comprehensive array of topics presented by experts. Curriculum topics include critical pedagogy, structural racism in engineering, inclusive teaching practices, and strategies for advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion within the current national context. In the second phase, the faculty redesign one of their courses to incorporate the tools and strategies learned during the training and implement the redesigned version of their course in the following academic year. The inaugural cohort, comprising 13 faculty members from diverse engineering disciplines in the College of Engineering, completed phase one in Spring 2024. Phase two will occur in the 2024-2025 academic year. 

To guide both our program and research design, we utilize the elements of culturally relevant pedagogies (academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness) as a critical lens for training faculty in fostering an inclusive and equitable learning environment and enhancing the educational experiences of students from all backgrounds. Throughout the year-long program, we are conducting longitudinal interviews and surveys to follow the participants’ growth trajectories with regards to their understanding and implementation of inclusive pedagogies in engineering classrooms and the impact the program has on cultivating equity-minded practitioners in engineering education. The focus of this paper is the preliminary results regarding the motivations of engineering faculty to participate in this type of faculty development program and significantly redesign one of their courses. We seek to answer the following research question: What motivates engineering faculty to participate in an inclusive excellence faculty development program? 

Through a qualitative, thematic analysis of the participants’ pre-interviews, we found that participants are motivated by a strong commitment to personal growth, student success, community building, and creating broader institutional change. Faculty are particularly driven to make their classrooms more inclusive and while they have a broad understanding of the impact inclusive pedagogy has on students’ learning experiences, they are seeking tools and strategies to improve their teaching approaches. However, their understanding of how to integrate critical consciousness into their teaching warrants further development in order to address structural inequities in the engineering curriculum.
AU  - Renee M. Desing
AU  - Joyce Yen
AU  - Karen Thomas-Brown
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2025/02/09
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Motivations for Engineering Faculty Engagement in an Inclusive Pedagogy Program
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/54103
ER  -