2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Introduction: Advocacy within Engineering
Actively transforming the lived experiences of people and the planet we reside on, as well as allowing ourselves to be transformed in turn, is central to the practice of engineering. Despite this, a perceived lack of emphasis on communal goals (helping others) may dissuade students from pursuing STEM, particularly those from minoritized groups [1,2]. In parallel, many students who do persist in STEM fields experience diminishing drive to meaningfully impact their communities as their education progresses [3].
STEM training prioritizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and analyzing complex systems, which uniquely positions STEM students to become effective advocates. Supporting students in integrating advocacy work into their engineering identity and practice may empower them to become more effective and enduring advocates, while building a community of compassionate leaders within STEM.

Project Goals: Critical Pedagogy and the Balance of Reflection and Action
We have developed a pilot program to help students become more effective and enduring advocates. The program has two goals, following the themes of Action and Reflection:
- Action: We will develop a pilot program, grounded in critical pedagogy, to help students in STEM embrace their role as active participants in shaping our world, and integrate advocacy on a topic of their choosing into their engineering identity and practice.
- Reflection: We will study the ongoing and future impacts of the program on students, so that their experiences, insights and feedback can be actively integrated into the course as it runs, as well as directly shaping future iterations.

We have developed the following Learning Objectives. By participating, students will:
- Articulate the value of critical consciousness, and how it relates to their scientific and/or engineering identity and their unique potential to shape the world.
- Identify individual interests and strengths to integrate advocacy into their practice.
- Develop, evaluate, and begin to execute a plan for maintaining a balance of both reflection and action in their advocacy work.
- Develop critical communication skills via dialog with peers and facilitators.
- Practice compassion towards themselves and others.

Assessments will align with these learning outcomes, especially to emphasize the critical skills of active listening, providing feedback, collaboration, and self-evaluation.
To support ongoing reflective practice within the program, we will intentionally co-create some portions of the curriculum directly with students, and adjust material dynamically to align with student needs. We will also explore the role of community and compassion in helping students meet the Learning Objectives, and evaluate whether participating in the program promotes more effective and enduring advocacy efforts beyond the conclusion of the course. We will employ a mixed methodology in the program evaluation.

Purpose for ASEE: Building Community within STEM Pedagogy
This project provides a framework for integrating critical pedagogy and student-led advocacy directly into an engineering curriculum. We will share our motivation and approach to curriculum development within a truly multi-disciplinary team, integrating a range of perspectives on both STEM education and advocacy. Importantly, we also seek feedback from the broader community, embracing the potential to improve, adapt, and collaborate across institutes.

[1] Amanda B. Diekman, Mansi P. Joshi, and Tessa M. Benson-Greenwald. “Chapter Four – Goal congruity theory: Navigating the social structure to fulfill goals”. In: Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. ed. by Bertram Gawronski. Vol. 62. Academic Press, 2020, pp. 189–244. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aesp.2020.04.003.

[2] Thoman, D. B., Muragishi, G. A., & Smith, J. L. (2017). Research Microcultures as Socialization Contexts for Underrepresented Science Students. Psychological Science, 28(6), 760-773. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617694865

[3] Cech, E. A. (2014). Culture of disengagement in engineering education?. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 39(1), 42-72.