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1. Applying The Transformation Trifecta Model to an Organizational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Assessment

   https://doi.org/10.58021/S57G6T  

   Corrado, Carley; LiSára; Pacheco, Candice; Summer, Ivy; Kotadia, Shaila (January 2022, Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators (ISEE))

   Seagroves, Scott; Barnes, Austin; Metevier, Anne; Porter, Jason; Hunter, Lisa (Ed.)

   We describe how to facilitate an organizational Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) cultural transformation utilizing The Transformation Trifecta (TTT) leadership model which includes three steps: learn, integrate, act. The differentiator of this model is the integration step which is often left out of DEI education yet necessary since the majority of behaviors that propagate oppression are unconscious and manifest through implicit bias or microaggressions that are subtle yet impactful. It is necessary to engage an approach that goes beyond the thinking mind in order to shift underlying beliefs through rewiring neural pathways that inform the creation of new behaviors in response to embodying new information. This exploration applies the Transformation Trifecta model to the first phase of an organizational DEI cultural shift meant to increase inclusivity and belonging. Additionally, the exploration will include the research-backed education tool of backward design included in the Institute for Science and Engineer Educators (ISEE)’s Professional Development Program (PDP), which was an instrumental aspect in multiple authors’ training and development. The Transformation Trifecta utilizes backward design in the assessment creation process in order to clearly articulate the desired outcomes and goals for behavior change. There will be a discussion of the top areas of assessment and benchmarks including: belonging, psychological safety, inclusion, growth mindset, equity, and equitable leadership development. 

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2. Riding the Wave of Change in Electrical and Computer Engineering

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--28807  

   Rover, Diane; Zambreno, Joseph; Mina, Mani; Jones, Phillip; Jacobson, Douglas; McKilligan, Seda; Khokhar, Ashfaq (June 2017, 2017 ASEE Annual Conference)

   Electrical and computer engineering technologies have evolved into dynamic, complex systems that profoundly change the world we live in. Designing these systems requires not only technical knowledge and skills but also new ways of thinking and the development of social, professional and ethical responsibility. A large electrical and computer engineering department at a Midwestern public university is transforming to a more agile, less traditional organization to better respond to student, industry and society needs. This is being done through new structures for faculty collaboration and facilitated through departmental change processes. Ironically, an impetus behind this effort was a failed attempt at department-wide curricular reform. This failure led to the recognition of the need for more systemic change, and a project emerged from over two years of efforts. The project uses a cross-functional, collaborative instructional model for course design and professional formation, called X-teams. X-teams are reshaping the core technical ECE curricula in the sophomore and junior years through pedagogical approaches that (a) promote design thinking, systems thinking, professional skills such as leadership, and inclusion; (b) contextualize course concepts; and (c) stimulate creative, socio-technical-minded development of ECE technologies. An X-team is comprised of ECE faculty members including the primary instructor, an engineering education and/or design faculty member, an industry practitioner, context experts, instructional specialists (as needed to support the process of teaching, including effective inquiry and inclusive teaching) and student teaching assistants. X-teams use an iterative design thinking process and reflection to explore pedagogical strategies. X-teams are also serving as change agents for the rest of the department through communities of practice referred to as Y-circles. Y-circles, comprised of X-team members, faculty, staff, and students, engage in a process of discovery and inquiry to bridge the engineering education research-to-practice gap. Research studies are being conducted to answer questions to understand (1) how educators involved in X-teams use design thinking to create new pedagogical solutions; (2) how the middle years affect student professional ECE identity development as design thinkers; (3) how ECE students overcome barriers, make choices, and persist along their educational and career paths; and (4) the effects of department structures, policies, and procedures on faculty attitudes, motivation and actions. This paper will present the efforts that led up to the project, including failures and opportunities. It will summarize the project, describe related work, and present early progress implementing new approaches. 

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3. Design thinking as a catalyst for changing teaching and learning practices in engineering

   https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2017.8190479  

   McKilligan, Seda; Fila, Nick; Rover, Diane; Mina, Mani (October 2017, 2017 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE))

   Today's engineers' needs are evolving rapidly as the information and technologies that compete for their attentions. At the same time, our institutions and systems are stretched to their limits to keep up with the changing demands of the times. There is, especially, a need to sustain reflective integration of social and technical knowledge into the future generations of engineering, to make engineers more humane, in order for them to generate technological solutions that are more human-centric. Addressing such needs requires new approaches to teaching and designing engineering courses. Any advancement in the education sector from here forward requires a new thinking paradigm that can be applied in large-scale systematic reform of education: design thinking. This paper outlines means to use design thinking as the foundational methodology for transforming a traditional electrical and computer engineering department into an agile department where design thinking, systems thinking, professional skills and inclusion are promoted, and collaborative, inquiry-driven processes are stimulated to create and sustain new ways of thinking, interacting, teaching, learning and working. 

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4. Work in Progress: Development of a Bootcamp for Freshman Student Success During COVID-19 Transition

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--48348  

   Vargas_Hernandez, Noe; Fuentes, Arturo; Ortega, Javier; Benitez, Laura; Orozco-Leonhardt, Edna (June 2024, ASEE Conferences)

   Assessment results show that passing rates in introductory courses and retention rates of first year students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of X, a predominantly Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), significantly dropped with the onset of COVID-19. These results and trends highlight the academic preparation of incoming students, particularly the new cohort of underrepresented Hispanic students from underserved and challenged communities in the region, who may not have the necessary skills (e.g., adaptability, persistence, and performance) for the rigor of engineering education. To address this challenge, an onboarding “boostcamp” was created for incoming and transfer students to bridge the transition from secondary education to higher education. The boostcamp primes students to overcome academic deficiencies, develop a critical skills portfolio, learn problem-solving techniques, build a sustainable community of mentoring support with faculty and students, and gain a template to sustain academic and professional success during their undergraduate education. The paper presents the boostcamp's design process steps, including curricular analysis, identification of areas for improvement, skills inventory, and blueprinting, as well as its initial implementation in the mechanical engineering program. The boostcamp was organized over a week and featured hands-on engineering activities, faculty and student talks, and engineering lab tours. It was based on a design thinking approach and structured around Challenge-based Instruction, innovation, design, and mentoring. Daily activities focused on promoting critical thinking, assertiveness in the face of adversity, informed decision-making, and task prioritization. Results indicate that the boostcamp increased student confidence and established a valuable network system among participants. Future work will focus on expanding the boostcamp to include students from other engineering and computer science departments and developing a template for other institutions with similar challenges. 

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5. Examining equity-oriented instructional practices in a developmental algebra project to support undergraduate students’ equity outcomes

   Oppland-Cordel, S; McGathey, N; Walker, WS; Feikes, D; Sorge, B (November 2024, Proceedings of the 46th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education)

   The Thinking With Algebra (TWA) project, which consists of a developmental algebra curriculum and supporting professional development, has been integrated into diverse algebra courses to support undergraduate students’ success in college algebra (Feikes et al., 2024). This paper examines the equity-oriented instructional practices integrated into TWA to support strengthened equity outcomes among students. This project draws on sociopolitical equity scholarship (Rubel, 2017), including a framework consisting of achievement, access, identity, and power (Gutiérrez, 2012). Instructor and student data indicate positive changes in student achievement and identity outcomes. Future directions include expanding the integration of equity-oriented instructional practices and investigation of student equity outcomes. Applying an equity lens to TWA is critical given the barriers students, particularly minoritized students, face in algebra. 

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