2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Understanding the Nature and Evolution of Sustainability Mindset in First-Year Engineering Students

Presented at Best of Multidisciplinary Engineering Division (MULTI)

Sustainability is unquestionably an emergent theme for students, educators, and professionals in all fields, including engineering. In engineering education, a ‘sustainability mindset’ can serve as a compass with which students can synthesize and direct their education to prepare for careers and lifestyles oriented around sustainability.

This article reviews definitions and notions of ‘sustainability mindset’, leading to a broad framework comprising knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes (KSBA). The article then describes the first year of a research study undertaken with a cohort of 11 freshmen (7 male, 4 female) who were accepted to join a new initiative in Sustainability Engineering in June 2023 at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM). Through this initiative, the cohort received the following interventions with the broad goal of establishing a supportive community of practice: (1) participation in a Summer Camp in July 2023; (2) block scheduling in common courses during the 2023-24 academic year; (3) periodic events that include a discussion topic and socialization; (4) active mentoring that includes the formation of an Individual Development Plan and tutoring in freshman coursework.

This article documents how students are developing their sustainability mindsets. We employed a qualitative analysis methodology through an open-response questionnaire. Results demonstrate that students develop their mindsets broadly across the K, S, B, and A spectrum, including mature conceptualizations of sustainability, as well as many personal and professional growth attributes, such as improved study skills and the ability to make connections between different courses and topics.

Authors

Krystal Colon University of Puerto Rico
Andrea Karola Rivera Castro University of Puerto Rico
Dr. Aidsa I. Santiago-Román http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4136-9990 University of Puerto Rico [biography]

Dr. Aidsa I. Santiago-Román is a Professor and Former Chair in the Engineering Sciences and Materials (CIIM) Department at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM). Dr. Santiago earned a BS and MS in Industrial Engineering from UPRM and Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University. Dr. Santiago has over 20 years of experience in academia and has been successful in obtaining funding and publishing for various research projects. She's also the founder and advisor of the first ASEE student chapter in Puerto Rico at UPRM. Currently, she serves as Academic Senator and Faculty Representative at the Administrative Board at UPRM.

Her research interests include investigating students' understanding of difficult concepts in engineering sciences, especially for underrepresented populations (Hispanic students). She has studied the effectiveness of engineering concept inventories (Statics Concept Inventory - CATS and the Thermal and Transport Concept Inventory - TTCI) for diagnostic assessment and cultural differences among bilingual students. She has also contributed to the training and development of faculty in developing and evaluating various engineering curriculum and courses at UPRM, applying the outcome-based educational framework.

She has also incorporated theories on social cognitive career choices and student attrition mitigation to investigate the effectiveness of institutional interventions in increasing the retention and academic success of talented engineering students from economically disadvantaged families. She's also involved in a project that explores the relationship between the institutional policies at UPRM and faculty and graduate students' motivation to create good relationships between advisors and advisees.
Dr. Christopher Papadopoulos University of Puerto Rico [biography]

Christopher Papadopoulos is Professor in the Department of Engineering Sciences and Materials at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus (UPRM). He earned B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering and Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University (1993) and a PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University (1999). He is active in the Mechanics Division and is also active in the area of Sustainability Engineering, including membership in the Engineering for One Planet Network.
Dr. Sandra Loree Dika University of North Carolina at Charlotte [biography]

Dr. Sandra Dika is Associate Professor of research methods in the Department of Educational Leadership at UNC Charlotte. Her current research is focused on college access and success for underrepresented and underserved student groups in higher education.
Dr. Nayda G. Santiago P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6049-8782 University of Puerto Rico
Kaishmarie Alicea Romero University of Puerto Rico

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