2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Research Problem: A Collective Impact (CI) model provides a foundation for bringing together independent organizations, networks, and societies in a structured way to achieve large-scale social change. However, when siloed organizations are brought together, efforts towards finding ways to intersect, rather than work in parallel, to impact social change can be greatly influenced by Alliance members’ previous experiences and how they perceive themselves within the broader Alliance.

Research Questions: In this study, we considered how members’ prior experiences shape a newly formed National Science Foundation (NSF) Alliance to broaden participation in engineering. Our research questions were: What were the Alliance members’ prior experiences in collaborative networks that they bring into the new Alliance? and In the context of equity, how are the newly formed Alliance’s members’ funds of knowledge being honored and valued?

Methodology: We conducted semi-structured interviews among the members (n=13). We then used a codebook established a priori from the CI model to code the interviews.

Findings: The data analysis shows a connection between members’ previous experiences in collaborative groups and the perception of current practices within the newly created Alliance. Overall, the findings display heterogeneity of members’ experiences with the conditions of collaborative work, which impacted the early stages of this Alliance. The Alliance has a common goal, but based on findings, there are several impediments. The perceptions and circumstances of members are varied, which impact the members' ability to create authentic collaboration that will impact the social change needed to broaden participation in engineering. However, all members report cautious optimism regarding the work ahead for the Alliance.