2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This Great Ideas for Teaching, and Talking with, Students (GIFTS) paper presents a method for fostering a sense of belonging in students through a story sharing assignment in a first-year engineering course. The authors present how story sharing is integrated into an introductory engineering course and provides a reflection of the experience on the successes, challenges, and impact on student connectedness. The story sharing exercise was well received by students and the level of engagement, authenticity, and depth of experiences that have been shared by students was impressive. The paper highlights methods used to promote authentic story sharing, options for students who do not wish to share, types of story types shared, the nature of sharing, and disclosure level. This work suggests that students are forming authentic connections in the context of the assignment that likely extend beyond the course. The assignment has also provided a venue to discuss and reflect on the complexity of the students’ values, needs, and circumstances. In addition, the paper includes a faculty and teaching assistant reflection of the impact of the student stories on our own experiences in the classroom.