I-Corps L: National Center for Inclusion in Engineering Education

Wepan Inc, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN) has implemented Engineering Inclusive Teaching (EIT) - nine web-based, widely accessible learning modules for engineering faculty who wish to explore and adopt classroom strategies that foster inclusive learning environments. EIT is attractive as an educational innovation because 1) faculty have demonstrated remarkable interest and demand for research-based, inclusive teaching resources by accessing EIT's learning modules more than 15,000 times over a period of 18 months; 2) evaluation results show that participants consider EIT's resources high quality (97%) and highly applicable (98%); and 3) a successful model for EIT's audience exists--the web-based National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. Building faculty capacity to create and sustain inclusive engineering cultures and learning environments is the primary focus. Culture can be a significant driver of attrition in engineering colleges. Engineering cultures are frequently unwelcoming and ill-attuned to members of underrepresented groups. Faculty members, through their individual and collective actions, are the designers and stewards of learning environments, working environments and cultures on university campuses. It is widely understood in higher education: what the faculty own in a university/college will be sustained. Changes in these environments will occur when faculty members see the need for changes, know what types of changes are necessary, take responsibility for changes, and skillfully implement them. The proposed project is intended to advance engineering faculty foundational knowledge of a range of inclusion topics that are tailored to engineering education environments and directed at building capacity to create and sustain inclusive cultures in engineering education. Through its work on various projects, WEPAN has learned that faculty will invest in professional development and achieve noteworthy gains in awareness, knowledge, confidence and actions related to diversity and inclusion. To make significant progress, such knowledge must be made easily available for many faculty. By engaging in the I-Corps L Lean Start-up process, WEPAN will explore the feasibility of scaling these tested approaches and making them self-sustaining.