2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Evaluating Faculty Perceptions of Changes in Teaching and Students in Conjunction with the Extent of Compassionate Course Policies Post-Pandemic

Presented at Multidisciplinary Division Technical Session 11

Engineering education has seen radical shifts in course modality since 2020. During this time, engineering students have navigated a range of changing course policies and instruction strategies. In a survey of 35 engineering faculty, participants were asked to describe how their teaching has changed from prior to the pandemic, how they perceive students have changed, and how their job and job satisfaction has changed. It was found that faculty are using more online technology in the classroom and are more often teaching online and in hybrid teaching modes. These faculty state they have made changes to assessments, added statements to their syllabi about accommodations and mental health, changed the flexibility of deadlines, and changed their teaching methods to include active learning and virtual laboratory activities. Faculty perceive that students have more challenges with mental health, study skills, and fundamental skills from high school. Faculty have also observed increased issues with classroom attendance and completion of assignments. Finally, faculty indicate they are spending more time in teaching and service and less in research.
A second objective of this paper is to determine to what extent is there a difference in the compassionate polices included in engineering course syllabi post-pandemic. Syllabi from 9 engineering courses will be reviewed to determine to what extent policies varied post-pandemic. Course syllabi from multiple institutions, representing a range of disciplines, were collected for courses that were taught before 2019 and again after 2021. Syllabus elements (e.g., grading policy, general absence policy, general makeup work policy, office hours, instructor contact information, important course dates, general campus resources, emergency planning, and mental health resources) will be evaluated using direct coding to assess the influence of the pandemic.

Authors

Dr. Jennifer R Brown Montana State University, Bozeman [biography]

Jennifer Brown is a Professor in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at Montana State University in Bozeman MT.
Dr. Leslie Hopkinson West Virginia University [biography]

Dr. Leslie Hopkinson is an Associate Professor in the Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, specializing in water resources. She received her B.S. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Louisiana State University and her Ph.D. in Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her research is related to hydrology, reclamation, ecological engineering, and engineering education.
Dr. Saundra Johnson Austin http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6432-0896 University of South Florida [biography]

Dr. Saundra Johnson Austin has dedicated her career to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging of elementary, middle, and high school students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. Her research is grounded in the effective implementation of STEM curricula in urban middle schools. She has published and presented on STEM education and organizational change. Dr. Johnson Austin earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, and Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.

At the University of South Florida (USF) she leads the project coordination for the National Science Foundation Florida Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (FL-AGEP), a $2.4M award to Florida A&M University (with a subaward to USF and Virginia Tech), Bethune-Cookman University, Florida International, and Florida Memorial University. Also, Dr. Johnson Austin is the project coordinator and Co-Principal Investigator for the USF Project Racism In School Exclusionary Suspensions (RISES), a $30k grant awarded to explore the suspensions of African American middle and high school students in Hillsborough and Pinellas County Florida.

Dr. Johnson Austin held positions as: math faculty at Academy Prep Center of Tampa; executive director of Curated PathwaysTM to Innovation; senior vice president for operations at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc.; president and CEO of St. Michael’s High School; executive vice president of the Community Partnership for Lifelong Learning; executive director of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science; and Minority Engineering Program director at The Pennsylvania State University. She began her career as a cost engineering at Bechtel Power Corporation. In 2007 she founded Charis Consulting Group, LLC.

Dr. Johnson Austin was recognized by numerous organizations for her work in promoting equity and access to STEM education. Her most notable award is the 2015 Outstanding Engineering Alumnus in Civil and Environmental Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. In addition, she was awarded the 2004-2005 Selected Professions Fellowship by the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Dr. Johnson Austin was awarded in 2007 the Strengthening Our Communities Inaugural Community Educational Leadership Award at the 2nd Annual Celebrate Literacy Conference. In 1998, she was recognized with the National Society of Black Engineers’ (NSBE) Inaugural Golden Torch Award for Minority Engineering Program Director of the Year and the Outstanding Contribution by a Minority Engineering Program Administrator Award by the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA).

She is a member of various STEM organizations including the United States White House endorsed initiative under the Obama Administration, Algebra by 7th Grade, and advisory committee member for the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s ‘Zero Barriers in STEM Education.’ Dr. Johnson Austin is currently the President of the American Association of University Women Tampa, Inc., consultant to the board for the Caribbean Community Association of Tampa, and Treasurer for the Northeast STEM Starter Academy of Mount Vernon, NY.

Dr. Johnson Austin is a member of the editorial review board for the Caribbean Educational Research Journal (CERJ). She also served as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation’s CS for All Pathways, HBCU-Up, INCLUDES Conference and INCLUDES Launch Pilot.

She enjoys doing yoga, spending time on the beach, and mentoring young girls and women in STEM studies and careers.
Dr. Sara E Wilson The University of Kansas [biography]

Sara Wilson is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kansas. Dr. Wilson earned her PhD in Medical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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