2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Lessons Learned: Summer Book Club to Promote Reflection among Engineering Faculty on Mental Health of Students

Presented at Faculty Development Division (FDD) Technical Session 7

This Lessons Learned paper describes a 2023 Summer Book Club program that provided opportunities for engineering educators to examine critical educational issues related to the mental health of college students. The mental health of college students is a nationwide concern, with some calling the current status of mental health on college campuses a “mental health crisis.” The book club invited engineering educators from a large R1 institution in the Mid-Atlantic to participate in the discussion of the book, “Mind over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge” by Sarah Rose Cavanagh. The book club program was divided into three sessions to discuss different sections of the book: (1) Crisis, Compassion, Challenge, (2) Bodies and Beliefs, and (3) Behaviors. Each session presented mental health resources and completed various discussion and reflection activities. The book club program received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and participants expressed their willingness and enthusiasm to adopt new practices learned from the book club discussions with their students and in the classroom. Overall, the lessons learned from the Mental Health Summer Book Club are as follows:
• Provided an opportunity to explore and learn about the mental health crisis affecting young adults and ways to help them.
• Contributed to the knowledge of designing, facilitating, and conducting a summer book club, which helped instructors realize connections between students’ mental health and different aspects of their work, especially linking to the classroom.
• Connected engineering educators with mental health resources and a faculty development learning community.
The authors will present the paper in lightning talk format to engage the audience in an in-depth conversation following a short introduction.

Authors

Luis Delgado Jr. Penn State University [biography]

Luis R. Delgado Jr. is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Pennsylvania State University. He has a bachelor of science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso and earned a master of science degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in Public Policy from Penn State. Along with his role as a Ph.D., he is also a graduate research assistant at the Leonhard Center for Enhancement of Engineering Education at Penn State. His research interests are engineering education, diversity, equity, inclusion, and retention of underrepresented minority groups. Luis will research how diverse human talents contribute to our profession's social and global relevance.
Dr. Stephanie Cutler Penn State University [biography]

Dr. Stephanie Cutler has degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and a PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. She is an Associate Research Professor and the Director of Assessment and Instructional Support in the Leonhard Center at Penn State.
Dr. Sarah E Zappe Penn State University [biography]

Dr. Sarah Zappe is Director of the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education and Assistant Dean of Teaching and Learning at Penn State. She holds a doctoral degree in educational psychology emphasizing applied measurement.
Dr. Ibukun Samuel Osunbunmi http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-7821-9059 Penn State University [biography]

Ibukun Samuel Osunbunmi is an Assistant Research Professor, and Assessment and Instructional Specialist at Pennsylvania State University. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Engineering Education from Utah State University. Also, he has BSc and MSc degrees in mechanical engineering. His research interests include student engagement, design thinking, learning environment, evidence-based pedagogy, e-learning, broadening participation in STEM education, sustainable energy, and material characterization.

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