2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

WIP: In Search of Community: A Collaborative Inquiry Among Neurodivergent Engineering Education Researchers

Presented at Engineering a Just Future: Cultivating Equity, Voice, and Community in Technical Education

This work-in-progress research paper presents a collaborative inquiry connected to neurodivergence in engineering education. We initiated our collaboration to fulfill unmet needs for neurodivergent community between engineering education researchers by engaging in discourse that 1) exposes less visible concepts of in/accessibility, 2) challenges ableist structures and practices, and 3) cultivates neurodivergent engagement and inclusion. As a means to build community, we explored the following question: What are the ways that the EER infrastructure/community supports and doesn’t support neurodivergent students, staff, and faculty? Thus far, our project has involved semi-regular meetings coupled with individual reflections on a variety of topics related to being neurodivergent. We are now at the analytical stage of identifying key shared and contrasting experiences and understanding the implications of those experiences for engineering education research and practice. This paper presents the background and methods of a longer archival paper in preparation, as well as some preliminary results; the conference presentation will offer a preliminary analysis for feedback from the community. This paper will be of interest to the broader community because it increases visibility of neurodivergent folks and mechanisms that marginalize us in the field. This paper also contributes to a growing body of collaborative inquiry-based research to help practitioners navigate their careers, help practitioners better understand their students and colleagues, and help administrators/mentors develop an asset-based and systemic-based understanding of neurodivergence.

Authors

Dr. Marissa A Tsugawa http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6009-8810 Utah State University [biography]

Marissa Tsugawa is an assistant professor at Utah State University who leverages mixed-methods research to explore neurodiversity and identity and motivation in engineering. They completed their Ph.D. in Engineering Education where they focused on motivation and identity for engineering graduate students.
Theo Sorg Purdue University [biography]

Theo Sorg (they/them) is a fifth-year PhD student and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. They received their Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Purdue University. As an undergraduate, they also received a Cooperative Education Program certificate for their work as a Pathways Intern at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Their research interests focus on interrogating how engineering education as an institution shapes the experiences of neurodivergent and transgender or gender-nonconforming (TGNC) people.
Dr. Hector Enrique Rodríguez-Simmonds http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4417-1859 Boston College [biography]

Héctor was born in Mexico and raised in South Florida. He's half Colombian and half Mexican; proud Mexilombian. Héctor E. Rodríguez-Simmonds is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College. Before receiving his Ph.D. in Engineering Education, he earned his master's degree in electrical and computer engineering. Héctor's research primarily investigates how students negotiate their visible and less visible identities as they form their professional identity, specifically at the intersection of their racial/ethnic, sexual orientation, gender, and engineering identities. Héctor’s research projects range from autoethnographic inquiries that investigate culturally informed collaborative qualitative research spaces, neurodivergence and disability in engineering, and examining the structural factors that impact student experiences in computer engineering courses. Héctor has taught various engineering courses and is invested in showing learners he cares about them and their future success. He creates a space where learners can feel safe to experiment, iterate, and try different problem-solving approaches while encouraging learners to be critical of their professional practice so they create effective, holistic solutions that work for a broader range of individuals.
Sage Maul Purdue University [biography]

Sage Maul (they/them) is a third year PhD student in Purdue University's School of Engineering Education. Sage's research explores structural factors on student experiences for disabled students and in electrical and computer engineering courses. Sage graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue and worked in industry for 5 years before starting graduate school. Their experiences with accommodations in undergrad and getting diagnosed with ADHD as an adult inform their research work.
Dr. Nadia N. Kellam http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9327-1226 Arizona State University [biography]

Nadia Kellam (she/they) is Associate Professor of Engineering and the Associate Director for Research Excellence within The Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. She is a faculty in the Engineering Education Systems and Design PhD program. Dr. Kellam is an engineering education researcher and a mechanical engineer. She is also deputy editor of the Journal of Engineering Education and co-chair of ASEE’s Committee on Scholarly Publications. In her research, she is broadly interested in developing critical understandings of the culture of engineering education and, especially, the experiences of marginalized undergraduate engineering students and engineering educators.
Dr. Alice L. Pawley http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-9117-4855 Purdue University [biography]

Alice Pawley (she/hers) is a Professor in the School of Engineering Education and an affiliate faculty member in Environmental and Ecological Engineering and the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Program at Purdue University. She is the winner of numerous awards, including best paper awards, leadership awards, and a PECASE in 2012. She is strongly involved in Purdue’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Her research group’s diverse projects and group members are described at pawleyresearch.org. Email: apawley@purdue.edu
Dr. Taylor V. Williams http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5816-4022 Harding University [biography]

Taylor Williams is a biomedical and computer engineering instructor at Harding University and a Ph.D. graduate from Purdue's school of engineering education. He teaches undergraduate courses in biomedical, computer, and electrical engineering at Harding, where he also mentors undergraduate students in research projects. His research interests include using machine learning and educational data analytics to improve teaching and learning and exploring the experiences and challenges of neurodivergent professors and students in engineering education, as well as developing inclusive pedagogies and curricula for diverse learners.

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