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This work-in-progress paper explores instructional strategies that may promote cognitive belonging and engagement in engineering courses. Belonging uncertainty contributes to significantly lower than average STEM graduation rates for historically underrepresented students. Lang (2021) posited that if we promote a sense of cognitive belonging in the classroom, i.e., helping students feel like they belong in the courses they are taking, that we can remove a significant barrier to students’ learning. One approach he recommends is designing courses with high amounts of structure, which according to Hogan and Sathy (2022) directly contribute to creating an inclusive classroom. To add more structure to an upper-level architectural engineering course, the following will be implemented into the course: regular and deliberate opportunities for practice, clear instructions and expectations for all assignments and in-class activities, and scaffolding during lectures. In addition to incorporating elements of high structure to promote a more inclusive classroom environment, the following aspects will be incorporated: an inclusive syllabus, classroom participation agreement, and collaborative, in-class learning activities. This combination of high-structure and inclusive strategies will be implemented to promote cognitive belonging, which may also result in demonstrated changes in behavioral and social engagement. The long-term outcome of this work will likely show that these strategies increase cognitive belonging and/or engagement, such that other instructors may consider incorporating these types of changes into their courses to support their students. Zumbrunn et al. (2014) state that a supportive classroom environment will promote feelings of belonging, which leads to several outcomes, including increased engagement. Kahu and Nelson’s (2018) student engagement framework aligns with this claim since belonging is listed as one of the four psychosocial constructs that contribute to engagement. Lastly, according to Bowden et al.’s (2021) four pillars of engagement, the specific forms of engagement most closely related to cognitive belonging are social and behavioral. A mixed methods approach will be used to evaluate if the identified teaching strategies influence cognitive belonging, social engagement, and behavioral engagement. A questionnaire will be administered to all students three times during the semester in which the course is offered. Quantitative data will be obtained from a series of closed-ended questions, while qualitative data will be gathered through the students’ responses to open-ended questions. Additional qualitative data will be collected through in-class observations. The paper will include more details about the instructional strategies implemented, the questionnaire, and the observation protocol. The preferred presentation format for this WIP is a lightning talk. 

This NSF funded research study is developing a greater theoretical understanding of the professional identity, institutional culture, and formation of engineer technicians and technologists who are prepared at two-year colleges. The study is identifying dimensions of career anchors orientations at various stages of professional preparation and map to engineering technology (ET) career pathways by surveying ET students, transfer students, and early career ET professionals. The complexity of integration of the multiple stages of professional preparation, within diverse environments, has led the researchers to integrate three interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks to examine fundamental questions of professional formation: (1) social cognitive career theory to situate individual attitudes, interests, and experiences within a larger career context; (2) Schein’s Career Anchors Theory focused on individual career orientations; and (3) the Hughes Value Creation Model for Organizational Competitive Advantage focused on cultural and organizational contexts. Initial results from the Schein’s Career Anchor survey for the two-year college ET students are presented. Findings from this and future work will transform the ET workforce through catalyzing interaction of researchers and practitioners with public support to bolster ET’s strategic position in the workforce development infrastructure. 

Abstract—Expectations for faculty members are high: STEM faculty are expected to establish a sustainable research trajectory, a teaching practice, and a service/leadership role all while pursuing tenure and promotion success. Although many colleges and universities have established STEM faculty development programs, a deficiency in holistic professional support remains, specifically in the integration and alignment of these disparate professional activities with individual and institutional goals. This session will involve participants to continue the work undertaken to bring together multiple stakeholders in academia, government, and industry to establish a research agenda for STEM faculty development. The audience includes those interested in furthering this research agenda. Keywords—STEM, faculty development, research agenda 

Expectations for faculty members in the 21st century are high: Early career STEM faculty are expected to establish a sustainable research trajectory, a teaching practice, and a leadership role all while pursuing tenure success. Many colleges and universities have established faculty development programs, but there remains a deficiency in holistic professional support that integrates these disparate professional activities and aligns them with desired individual and institutional goals, especially for faculty in STEM. This paper will summarize an NSF funded workshop (NSF grant #EEC-1638888) designed to bring together multiple stakeholders in academia, government, and industry to begin to establish a research agenda for holistic STEM faculty development. This workshop was held February 17-18, 2017.