2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

A little over half (28 of 54) of the divisions of ASEE focus on the intersections between STEM disciplines and different contexts of engineering education and practice. These 28 divisions emphasize three broad areas: (1) humanistic content and goals; (2) particular groups of students, faculty, practitioners, or other stakeholders; and (3) specific arenas of activity and organizational contexts. Four of these “Engineering and. . .” divisions include engineering leadership, entrepreneurship, management, and policy. The divisions share goals such as connecting the technical and non-technical dimensions of engineering and transforming engineering education so that it more effectively prepares graduates for workplace success. Previous research suggested that interest in “Engineering and …” permeates ASEE and is concentrated in but not limited to the division most closely associated with the topic. This paper describes a transferable method that combines quantitative and qualitative methods to identify areas of convergence using papers published in the Leadership Development (LEAD) and the Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENT) as evidence. These areas of convergence are: (1) program design and effectiveness, (2) individual capabilities (including traits and thinking tools), (3) teams and groups, and (4) identity and culture. Program design and effectiveness dominate the discourse of both divisions, suggesting that the two groups face similar challenges. Areas of apparent divergence include more concern with mindsets and innovativeness in ENT and more emphasis on team skills and mentorship in LEAD. These findings present opportunities for collaboration that could benefit all “Engineering and …” divisions and help overcome the inertia that characterizes engineering education. The permeation of topics across ASEE and the convergence of themes across divisions also suggest that forming a new division might perpetuate disciplinary siloes, rather than support knowledge integration across the “Engineering and . . .” divisions.