2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work in Progress: A Comparative Case Study Exploring Sense of Belonging in First-Year Seminars

Presented at First-Year Programs Division WIPS 2: Students and Peer Mentors

This is a work in progress. This study explores the critical transition period for students entering higher education and the role first-year seminars could play in fostering a sense of belonging to ease that transition. Utilizing a qualitative comparative case study, we delve into three distinct first-year seminars at Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering. Our study is guided by Allen et al.'s integrated framework for understanding sense of belonging, specifically focusing on opportunities to belong. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with faculty and students, we aim to address two research questions: (RQ1) How are the different first-year seminars at our institution understood and conducted? (RQ2) What aspects of these seminars contribute to students' sense of belonging? As the university reshapes its engineering curriculum, this research provides insights into enhancing the transition experience and fostering a supportive academic community for first-year undergraduate engineering students. The results may also provide insights for other institutions in what works towards the mission of enhancing the students’ experience.

Authors

Dr. Nusaybah Abu-Mulaweh The Johns Hopkins University [biography]

Dr. Nusaybah Abu-Mulaweh is a faculty member in the Whiting School of Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining Hopkins, she worked in industry as a software engineer, and then went on to teach in the EPICS Program at Purdue University. She holds a BS and MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and a PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University. Her research centers on empathic development for engineers and community-based design. She is very passionate about integrating empathy development in engineering to foster a more inclusive culture in which students learn to respond innovatively and responsibly to global challenges.
Dr. Constanza Miranda http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9110-2832 The Johns Hopkins University [biography]

Constanza is a multidisciplinary academic interested in the intersection between the creativity of design, the ethics of cultural anthropology, and the tech aspects of engineering. She is the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Mentoring for the School of Engineering and faculty in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She holds a PhD in Design with a focus in anthropology from NC State University and was a Fulbright grantee. Her research focus is on biomedical device innovation, AnthroDesign for healthcare, qualitative research methods, mentoring, engineering, and pre-engineering education.
Alissa Burkholder Murphy The Johns Hopkins University [biography]

Alissa is the founder and director of the Multidisciplinary Design Program at Johns Hopkins, where engineering students from various disciplines collaborate to tackle design challenges with project partners in industry, medicine, and the Baltimore community. Alissa previously taught at Stanford's d.school before coming to Hopkins.

Prior to her transition to academia, Alissa worked as a mechanical engineer in the medical device industry of the Bay Area and in agricultural product design in Myanmar. Alissa holds a BS in Engineering Mechanics from Johns Hopkins University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.
Prof. Jenna Frye The Johns Hopkins University

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