2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 237: Designing a Community of Transformation for Justice: A Design Case Capturing the Beginnings

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session

Background: The [Name Redacted, pseudonym: CONVERGE] project aims to increase the effectiveness of and sustain organizational change efforts aimed at diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) goals by instigating a cross-institutional, DEIJ-oriented Community of Transformation (CoT), through which we will foster commitment to and capacity for creating DEIJ-oriented systems change in STEM education. Through in-person workshops, regular virtual gatherings, and informal interactions fostered by the CoT, CoT members have opportunities to share the expertise they have developed as members of institutional change leadership teams (e.g., NSF ADVANCE, RED, INCLUDES, and IUSE leadership teams) with each other, as well as learn more about how a framework centering change theories, learning theories, and intersectional power, and storycrafting practices could guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of systems change efforts in STEM education.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper and poster is to provide an update of the development of our [Name Redacted] DEIJ-oriented CoT through a design case.

Approach: We conjecture that speculative design/narratives, which intentionally critique the present, can build commitment to making change; that remixing, which involves making changes to existing narratives, can support members to envision and analyze near-term changes and outcomes; and that futurism, which involves crafting new, visionary narratives, can support members to hold tight to DEIJ commitments even as they face barriers. These acts of speculative design, remixing, and futurism are the focus on CoT activities that began with a virtual kickoff event in October 2023 and an initial set of 55 members. In this short paper we will provide a design case that demonstrates how we developed and implemented aspects of the CoT and our reflections on these activities.
To ensure memory related to design decisions was accurate we recorded meetings and to fill in gaps design team members were interviewed as the case was constructed. To date we have held three synchronous online sessions. Early participant feedback indicates enthusiasm for the CoT. While comfort with the arts-based work varies from slightly uncomfortable to extremely enthusiastic participants expressed an openness to trusting the process and they are excited for the potential.

Conclusions: By reflecting on our design process and the implementation of activities to date, we hope that our design case will help inspire and equip others who are interested in developing their own Communities of Transformation using storycrafting and arts-based methods. Although our project is in its first year, we hope that by sharing our successes and failures so far that we will support others working to create supportive communities for transformation to advance revolutionary change efforts.

Authors

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. Susannah C. Davis http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-4610-8052 University of New Mexico [biography]

Susannah C. Davis is a research assistant professor at the University of New Mexico. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Ed. from the University of Washington and a B.A. from Smith College. Her research explores how postsecondary institutions, their faculty, and thei
Mrs. Kristen Ferris http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-9967-8633 University of New Mexico [biography]

Kristen Ferris is a student in the Organization, Information, and Learning Sciences program at the University of New Mexico. Her research looks at faculty development that happens through Communities of Practices and frames most of my work through the lens of Organizational Citizenship Behavior. The pilot study for paper 2 is completed. I've been working on analyzing additional points in time and will create a more extensive case study for my final paper. She is currently focused on creating a Community of Transformation for STEM faculty across the country who are interested in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work.
Madeleine Jennings http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-3165-9230 Arizona State University [biography]

Madeleine Jennings is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at Arizona State University - Polytechnic Campus, pursuing a PhD in Engineering Education Systems and Design. They have a MS in Human Systems Engineering and a BS in Manufacturing Engineering.
Katharine Getz Pennsylvania State University [biography]

Katharine Getz is a rising fourth year student at Penn State University studying chemical engineering and sexuality and gender studies. Katharine’s research interests include the experiences of LGBTQIA+ students in engineering programs and the differences in belonging and the construction of resilience across students of different identities. She is looking to attend graduate school for engineering education.
Earl E. Lee Arizona State University [biography]

Earl E. Lee (they/them) is a Clinical Assistant Professor and DEIB Officer at the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University (ASU). They are also a doctoral student in Justice Studies within the School of Social Transformation at ASU. As a scholar-practitioner-advocate, Earl conducts interdisciplinary research on race, equity, and social justice in STEM and health education that seeks to amplify underrepresented voices and envisions transformative futures. They embrace a futurist perspective that integrates Black speculative works to empower learners and build more just, culturally thriving environments.
Dr. Vanessa Svihla http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4342-6178 University of Texas at Austin [biography]

Dr. Vanessa Svihla is a learning scientist and associate professor at the University of New Mexico in the Organization, Information and Learning Sciences program and in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department.

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