In the College of Engineering, Design and Computing at the University of Colorado Denver, a faculty learning community (FLC) is exploring how to apply known pedagogical practices intended to foster equity and inclusion. Faculty come from all five departments of the college. For this three-year NSF-funded project, Year 1 was dedicated to deepening reflection as individuals and building trust as a cohort. Now, in Year 2, the FLC is focused on translating pedagogical practices from literature and other resources into particular courses. This cohort has experienced some adjustments as some faculty leave the FLC and new faculty choose to join the FLC. Since this cohort continues to grow, this paper presents key features that have supported the FLC’s formation and then transition to Year 2, as well as the design and implementation of a new faculty orientation, called the Welcome Academy, specific to new engineering faculty and practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Finally, drawing on the principal investigator (PI) team’s reflections as well as feedback from external evaluators, we provide our insights with the intention of sharing useful experiences to other colleges planning to form such FLCs.
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Exploring nudging approaches for growing a culture of diversity and inclusion with engineering faculty
We report on a program initiated at a public, urban, research university to promote institutional change in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices through a faculty learning community (FLC). The FLC is a three-year cohort of faculty in the College of Engineering, Design and Computing at the University of Colorado Denver with representation from each of the five departments, as well as faculty at multiple stages in their career (instructors, assistant, associate, and full professors in clinical, research, and tenure tracks). This cohort represents a broad sampling across the college, and provides a foundation for the FLC to influence, transform, and layer a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the college. Initial results from this project center on findings that address the research question: How can participation in an FLC nudge engineering faculty to adopt and personalize mindful reflection and DEI best practices? This paper includes initial findings from participant feedback, challenges, and successes from the first year, and a preliminary description of important elements of college culture as a preview of the kind of impacts that may be measured over the duration of the program.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2040095
- PAR ID:
- 10397719
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Annual Conference, American Society for Engineering Education, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 26-29, 2022
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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