Portland, Oregon
June 23, 2024
June 23, 2024
June 26, 2024
Inclusive Horizons: Shaping Diverse Pathways in Engineering and Design Education
Equity and Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY)
Diversity
19
10.18260/1-2--47940
https://peer.asee.org/47940
169
Rachael Cate received her M.A.in rhetoric and composition from Oregon State University in 2011 and her Ph.D. in higher education leadership and research from Oregon State University in 2016. She joined the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University as a member of the professional faculty in 2016. In this role, she provides engineering communication instruction to students as they progress through the senior capstone project and develop relationships with project stakeholders in industry. She also supports engineering communication program development, research, and implementation. Her Ph.D. research interests include social justice pedagogies; promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education; service learning; program design and leadership; and qualitative research.
The EECS Design Student Community of Practice in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University is a program in its 6th year of development. Educational researchers and engineering education faculty have conducted best practice research and program evaluations to drive program development, and several papers have been published in the past to present the results of these studies and implementation efforts. In the most recent program year (2022-2023), more than one hundred students opted to participate in the program's 9 events and online resources. This report details the implementation of the program in AY 2022-2023, including application of best practice research, events hosted, and resources developed to serve the student community. In addition, results of a participant survey being conducted in the current program year (2023-2024) will allow the author to explore impacts of the participation in the community on career preparedness and sense of belonging, particularly among students who identify with underserved populations in the electrical and computer engineer major on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or first-generation status. The survey results (still in progress) will allow the researcher and program developer to determine what the most important impacts of the program are among these students and to make recommendations for future program development.
Cate, R. E., & Field, J., & Sverdrup, S. K. (2024, June), Report on a Student Community of Practice Program's Impact on Career Preparedness and Sense of Belonging Among Underserved Undergraduate Students in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Major Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--47940
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