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Researchers and educators have explored a variety of approaches for addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) challenges in engineering and design. This research builds on recommendations to teach future engineers and designers about DEIB principles and applications, and to challenge the dissociation of engineering and societal concerns. This paper analyses 25 student reflections from a course on Inclusive Engineering and Design to reveal engaging topics, perceived learning, and personal growth. Our conclusion is that such courses are meaningful and worthwhile contributions to the curriculum. 

This work-in-progress briefly outlines the theoretical background, methods, and preliminary results of a qualitative study conducted with gender, romantic, and sexual minority (GRSM) students immersed in higher education spaces. We elaborate on the efficacy of our innovative qualitative methodologies through the use of AI-human art-making interactions during our interviews, which helped to produce richer qualitative data from our participants. Our methodology was constructed using a Foucauldian theoretical framework to inform the framework of this study, focusing explicitly on GRSM students’ experiences with power in higher education and when using technology, as well as the ways in which they resist power through the use of technology and AI-generated visual media. 

The purpose of this critical literature review was to generate awareness of the LGBTQIA+ engineering student experience and research on this community, while also highlighting areas that are lacking or receiving insufficient attention. This work is part of a larger project that aims to review engineering education research with respect to LGBTQIA+ students, higher education faculty and staff, and industry professionals. This literature review was conducted in two phases. First, works from non-engineering disciplines were reviewed to identify popular threads and major areas of research on the LGBTQIA+ student experience. This phase was not an exhaustive review; rather, it was meant to establish specific themes of importance derived from the larger body of literature on the LGBTQIA+ student experience. Second, a literature review identified how engineering-specific research on the LGBTQIA+ student experience aligned with these themes. We identified several themes in the first phase of the literature review: (1) Climate, (2) LGB Monolith, (3) Intersectionality, and (4) Identity Development. Engineering and engineering education literature demonstrated similar themes, although this body of work was unique in the exploration of LGBTQIA+ coping strategies and the use of the technical/social dualism framework. Overall, the engineering education literature on LGBTQIA+ student experiences seemed relatively underdeveloped.