2023 Collaborative Network for Computing and Engineering Diversity (CoNECD)

This work-in-progress paper shares preliminary results from an exploratory study of how engineering instructional faculty (EIFs) at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) define their roles and responsibilities. EIF are full-time, professional-track faculty who are evaluated primarily on their teaching. EIFs are often not on a tenure-track but may be on a promotion track, depending on their department and institution. HSIs are known are for providing a student-centered education and accounts for more than 60% of enrollment of Hispanic students in higher education. The career trajectory toward EIF positions is varied, and those varied academic and career experiences of EIFs can enrich students' classroom experiences. Over the last twenty years, there has been an increase in the number of professional track faculty in higher education. This increase is attributed to the need for subject specialists who can bring extensive subject knowledge, and in some cases, industry experience to the classroom amongst other factors. With the rise in the number of faculty in these roles and the number of posted positions for instructional faculty in engineering, there is a need to better understand what it means to take on an EIF position and what differences may exist across departments and institutions. Further, our current description of the roles of EIF is insufficient to understand all of the assets they bring to the engineering education system. This study aims to amplify the work of EIFs by addressing the following research question: How do EIFs at HSIs describe their roles and responsibilities as instructional faculty? To answer this research question, seventeen participants were recruited from six HSIs across two regions of the United States for virtual semi-structured interviews. The interviews lasted around 45-60 minutes each and included questions about the participants’ pathway to an EIF position, their engagement with students inside and outside the classroom, their general responsibilities, and their experience, if applicable, with promotion and re-contracting. The interviews were transcribed and coded using data analysis software (NVivo). Data were analyzed using an inductive data analysis approach. The final codebook was based on emerging themes and multiple iterations of coding and engaging in critical reviews of the codes by peer debriefers. Preliminary findings show ways in which EIF are involved in changing the engineering education landscape at HSIs. In addition, the findings reveal diversity and nuances in EIF roles and responsibilities in the following areas: 1) teaching to ensure students’ conceptual understanding, 2) engagement in basic research endeavors to improve their teaching practices and reduce attrition rates in engineering education, and 3) involvement in service duties to support student's academic and professional development. Underlying the way EIFs describe their roles and responsibilities are the unheard voices of intrinsic motivation, drive, and passion that provide a grounding for their work. Understanding these unheard voices is expected to provide critical insights to support policy formation and structural change at the departmental and institutional levels that will engender professional development and ensure inclusive working environments for EIF at HSIs.