2026 Interdivisional Town Hall: Student Thriving

The annual Interdivisional Town Hall (ITH) provides a forum for members from various divisions and attendees to discuss topics relevant to the entire ASEE membership. ASEE values diverse perspectives from its multiple divisions, and the ITH provides the opportunity to foster cross-divisional partnerships and create resources to address challenges at national and international levels. This year’s ITH discussion will center on the student thriving and how faculty impact student thriving. As faculty, instructors, and staff, we aim to make a difference by exploring and creating meaningful next steps for key aspects of students' journey in engineering education and professional development.

Guided by the insights of Dr. Karin Jensen (University of Michigan), Town Hall participants will discuss student thriving, understood as extending beyond academic performance to include engagement, resilience, sense of belonging, professional identity formation, ethical responsibility, and students’ capacity to navigate complex learning and social environments. Central to this framing is the idea that faculty structures, norms, and choices meaningfully shape whether and how students are able to thrive. Town Hall participants will break into small groups to engage in cross-divisional conversations exploring how student thriving intersects with four areas of undergraduate engineering education:

Topic 1 – Artificial Intelligence enabling Student Thriving
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming engineering education as well as the professional environments our students will enter. As AI-powered tools become more deeply integrated into learning, assessment, and industry practice, engineering educators must reconsider how students develop expertise, technical expertise, critical thinking skills, and ethical responsibility. One of the key challenges is how AI can be used as a supportive learning tool rather than as a substitute for analytical reasoning, while also preparing students to succeed in AI-driven workplaces. Preparing students to thrive in this evolving environment requires integrating AI literacy, ethical awareness, and the ability to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs into the curriculum. By emphasizing responsible and reflective use of AI, engineering education can ensure that students remain active problem solvers, capable of leveraging technology while maintaining a strong analytical judgment and professional responsibility.

Topic 2 – Student Thriving: Integrating Resilience, Engagement, and Professional Growth

Student thriving implies success extending beyond academic performance. Thriving encompasses engagement, resilience, communication skills, and the ability to navigate complex learning environments. Pressures learners face vary from curricular to social and geo-political concerns impact their education. Thriving requires a supportive faculty ecosystem to enable students’ development of self-direction, initiative, and the professional and interpersonal skills necessary for engineering careers. By strengthening communication, integrating professional competencies within technical coursework, and reinforcing students’ ability to take ownership of their learning, engineering education can better prepare students not only to succeed academically but also to thrive in their future workplaces and communities. This discussion on student thriving should include both personal/professional aspects of student thriving for career success and how faculty/staff can scaffold, support, and relate to students in engineering education.

Topic 3 – Empathy
Empathy plays a critical role in shaping both the engineering design process and the educational environments in which students learn. Engineering faculty, staff, and students must have the ability to understand the communities and stakeholders for whom they develop solutions. Instructors must also consider the evolving realities of the student experience. This includes rethinking traditional structures of engineering education, such as rigid assessments and classroom practices, to better support student learning, belonging, and well-being. It also includes being flexible with evolving realities to address challenges in teaching and learning as they arise. Creating opportunities for reflection, community building, and outcome-focused assessment can foster environments where students feel supported academically and personally. This ultimately strengthens students’ capacity to thrive as engineers and engaged members of society. Instructionally, introducing students to emotional intelligence and case studies related to empathetic design, are powerful tools for instructors in classroom settings.

Topic 4 - Sustainability
Sustainability challenges are increasingly inspiring students to pursue engineering as a pathway to address urgent global and community needs. Embedding sustainability within engineering education strengthens engagement by linking technical knowledge to meaningful, real-world impact. At the same time, these topics introduce complex systems thinking, interdisciplinary perspectives, and societal considerations that can stretch traditional curricular approaches. Through project-based learning, contextualized problem solving, and open dialogue about global challenges, educators can support students in developing both the technical competencies and the resilience needed to navigate sustainability work while sustaining their own academic and professional well-being. Moreover, sustainability-focused learning can empower individuals across the educational continuum, from K–12 students to postsecondary learners and faculty, to see themselves as capable problem solvers. By engaging with challenges such as climate change and water systems, learners build confidence in their ability to contribute to solutions that matter.