Partnership for Equity: Engaging with Faculty to Cultivate Inclusive Professional Identities for Engineers and Computer Scientists
- Conference
- Location
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Virtual On line
- Publication Date
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June 22, 2020
- Start Date
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June 22, 2020
- End Date
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June 26, 2021
- Conference Session
- Tagged Topics
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Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session
- Page Count
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9
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--35040
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/35040
- Download Count
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394
Paper Authors
Seoyeon Park Texas A&M University
a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University and a research assistant in Partnership for Equity (P4E) project
Rebecca A. Atadero Colorado State University
Rebecca Atadero is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University, specializing in structural engineering. She conducts research on the inspection, management and renewal of existing structures, and on diversity, equity and diversity in engineering education.
Anne Marie Aramati Casper Colorado State University
Dr. Aramati Casper is an education researcher and ecologist. She is currently a post doctoral fellow at Colorado State University doing research on diversity, inclusion, and social justice in undergraduate engineering classrooms.
Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez
Texas A&M University
orcid.org/0000-0001-8107-2898
Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez is an associate professor at Texas A & M University in the College of Education and Human Development in the department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture. In her research, she is interested in the assessing STEM interventions on student outcomes, measuring academic growth, and evaluating the impact of curricular change.
Jody Paul
Metropolitan State University of Denver
orcid.org/0000-0003-2874-9542
Dr. Jody Paul is a Professor of Computer Science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, an open-enrollment institution located in downtown Denver, Colorado. Professional experiences also include: performance musician and orchestrator (AFM Local 47); sailing and fitness instructor; software engineer; computer scientist; locksmith/security consultant; software development manager; notary public.
Melissa Lynn Morris University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Melissa Morris is currently an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She previously served as a Teaching Associate Professor for the Freshman Engineering Program, in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University (WVU). She graduated Summa cum Laude with a BSME in 2006, earned a MSME in 2008, and completed her doctorate in mechanical engineering in 2011, all from WVU. At WVU, she has previously served as the Undergraduate and Outreach Advisor for the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department and the Assistant Director of the Center for Building Energy Efficiency. She has previously taught courses such as Thermodynamics, Thermal Fluids Laboratory, and Guided Missiles Systems, as well as serving as a Senior Design Project Advisor for Mechanical Engineering Students. Her research interests include energy and thermodynamic related topics. Since 2007 she has been actively involved in recruiting and outreach for the Statler College, as part of this involvement Dr. Morris frequently makes presentations to groups of K-12 students.
Dr. Morris was selected as a the ASEE North Central Section Outstanding Teacher in 2018.
Christopher Douglas Griffin
West Virginia University
orcid.org/0000-0002-0724-4177
Dr. Griffin is a Teaching Assistant Professor and has over 10 years of experimental and computational aerodynamics research experience. His primary area of expertise is unsteady aerodynamics, with a focus on active flow control techniques and UAS aerodynamics. Dr. Griffin has experience in both supersonic and subsonic wind tunnel testing using a variety of measurement techniques, including strain gage based force and moment quantification and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). He is also well versed in the use of computational fluid dynamics for aerodynamic analysis. While at West Virginia University Dr. Griffin has taught a variety of classes, including Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Computational Fluid Mechanics.
Ronald R. DeLyser University of Denver
Ronald R. DeLyser is currently an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering the University of Denver where he was on the faculty from 1986 - 2019. He has received all of his degrees in Electrical Engineering: the B.S. degree from the University of Florida, Gainesville, in 1974; the M.S. degree from the University of New Mexico, in 1978; and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1991. Dr. DeLyser, a member of the U.S. Air Force between 1965 and 1986, held a teaching position at the United States Air Force Academy, served as a development engineer at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory at Kirtland AFB in New Mexico and was the Requirements Officer for the Nellis AFB Ranges in Nevada. Prior to 2000, his research areas included pedagogy, outcomes based assessment, the study of periodic gratings used as antennas and in antenna systems, high power microwave interactions with large complex cavities, anechoic chambers, and anechoic chamber absorbing materials. Since 2000, he has been concentrating on engineering education pedagogy, engineering program accreditation, and outcomes based assessment for both engineering programs and general education. His research continues in the area of inclusive excellence in engineering and computer science programs.
Christina Paguyo University of Denver
Christina H. Paguyo, PhD, is the Director of Academic Assessment at the University of Denver. Her research interests focus on designing and examining educational environments grounded in research, theory, and equity.
Scott T. Leutenegger University of Denver
Abstract
The Partnership for Equity (P4E) is funded through the NSF IUSE (Improving Undergraduate STEM Education) program. The goal of the project is to cultivate inclusive professional identities in undergraduate engineering and computer science students. The project team defines inclusive professional identities in terms of four key features: (a) the necessary technical knowledge, skills, and abilities to work in their chosen field; (b) an appreciation for how all kinds of diversity strengthen engineering and computer science as disciplines; (c) knowledge of how to act in inclusive ways and create inclusive environments within their fields; and (d) preparation to consider the impact on a diverse array of people using or otherwise influenced by engineering and computer science endeavors. The project defines diversity in a broad sense including different life experiences, demographic characteristics, problem-solving approaches and personalities, while also placing some emphasis on the experience of populations historically underrepresented in engineering and computer science.
The project has a well-established set of activities operating in most of the first-year engineering courses at partner campuses. During this year of the grant, the emphasis has been placed on maintaining and expanding activities implemented in sophomore, junior, and senior level courses as well as crafting activities for computer science courses. Two key issues that have arisen for project personnel are (1) meaningful engagement, motivation, and professional development of faculty and other instructors; and (2) differences between disciplines (particularly between engineering and computer science, but also between engineering disciplines). The poster will share findings and some successful practices with regard to instructor development and disciplinary diversity that ASEE attendees might be able to use at their own campuses.
Over the past several years, the different institutional climates and diversity of faculty and instructors at the partner campuses have allowed the project team to identify different strategies for working with faculty in a variety of contexts. We have ideas to share about faculty professional development activities and faculty incentives. Furthermore, the project team has recognized the role Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) play in freshman, sophomore and junior level courses on some campuses, particularly in courses with laboratory components. A survey of GTAs is being conducted to learn how these emerging instructors can be better prepared and supported to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their classrooms and laboratories. The poster will share findings of this survey.
Engineering and computer science courses may be taught out of the same academic unit (two of the four partner institutions house computer science and engineering in the same college) and may be considered similar by some. This project has exposed significant differences in how engineering and computer science majors think about their career trajectories. These differences have led to modifications in data collection and the need to carefully consider the applicability of classroom activities. Our poster will highlight how we have adapted our data collection methods to be relevant to both engineering and computer science classes. For example, the primary purpose of the grant is to develop inclusive professional identities. While those pursuing an engineering degree generally have a clear objective of becoming a practicing engineer, the specific goals for a student in a computer science major are often less specific and may include numerous career options. Therefore, assessing inclusive professional identities necessarily looks different for engineering majors and computer science majors.
Park, S., & Atadero, R. A., & Casper, A. M. A., & Rambo-Hernandez, K. E., & Paul, J., & Morris, M. L., & Griffin, C. D., & DeLyser, R. R., & Paguyo, C., & Leutenegger, S. T. (2020, June), Partnership for Equity: Engaging with Faculty to Cultivate Inclusive Professional Identities for Engineers and Computer Scientists Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35040
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