2025 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD)

Learning and Adopting Principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice through the Development of a Sustainability Mindset Among First Year Engineering Students

Presented at Track 3: Technical Session 2: Learning and Adopting Principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice through the Development of a Sustainability Mindset Among First Year Engineering Students

Sustainability has emerged as a paramount theme in engineering, and thus the need to foster a 'sustainability mindset' among engineering students has become imperative. Such a mindset must include principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice (EDIJ). Indeed, negative consequences of climate change disproportionately affect marginalized peoples. Sustainable solutions must benefit everyone, through engaging diverse ideas, perspectives, and experiences, breaking down paternalistic attitudes of who ‘knows’, and opening pathways for members of local and indigenous communities in a co-design process.

The sustainability engineering initiative at our institution involves the development of a suite of academic programs, beginning with a minor (curricular sequence) and followed by a program major, other minors in specific engineering disciplines, and a professional certificate program. With a mission to “develop professionals to work under the People, Prosperity, Planet paradigm that strives to foster human well-being in balance with the biosphere,” our initiative responds to two gaps: (1) the emerging sustainability skills gap, expressed by many engineering employers; (2) the gap between “environmental engineering” and “sustainability studies”, in which a balance of breadth of sustainability context and disciplinary depth is sought.

The pedagogical philosophy of this initiative is to foster a “sustainability mindset”, which acts as a compass to orient academic studies and career development toward addressing sustainability imperatives. While notions of sustainability mindset have been articulated in the context of management education, there has been limited work in engineering education to define and examine how sustainability mindset can be developed as part of professional preparation. In parallel to developing curricular materials designed to develop this mindset, we are undertaking research to define and to measure its evolution. Our sustainability initiative team has synthesized literature regarding competencies, outcomes, and mindsets to adopt a four-pronged model consisting of Knowledge, Skills, Behaviors, and Attitudes (KSBA).

Our initiative, supported by an NSF-funded project, contributes to the advancement of EDIJ in two distinct ways. First, the initiative directly serves to broaden participation among marginalized groups due to the institutional mission (Hispanic Serving Institution with bilingual instruction) and the project goals related to recruitment of women and first generation college students. Second, the initiative uses design thinking to train students to seek creative and effective solutions according to the marriage of sustainability and EDIJ cited in the opening paragraph.

In the conference paper, we will elaborate on the development and evaluation of EDIJ across the overall planning and implementation of the initiative. Next, we will provide a detailed examination of a new EDIJ seminar that was created and delivered for the first time during the Spring 2024 semester. Using the KSBA framework we have developed in our ongoing research, this study will explore how first-year engineering students develop their understanding and adoption of EDIJ principles as part of their overall growth as sustainability-focused engineers. The study uses a multi method approach (qualitative and quantitative), using data from surveys, interviews, direct observations, and evaluations of written work.

Notes:

This abstract responds most closely to the following listed example topics in the Call for Abstracts:

* Integration of social justice into curricular and co-curricular activities
* Innovative curricular issues including inclusive pedagogies

The abstract is ‘blind’

Authors

Krystal Colón-Rivera University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus [biography]

I'm Krystal Colón Rivera, a doctoral student in the School Psychology Program at the Mayagüez Campus of the University of Puerto Rico (RUM), where I completed my master's degree in School Psychology in the summer of 2024. Previously, I earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology with a double concentration in General Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey. During my undergraduate studies, I was a member of two student organizations: the Sociology Association (ASOCI) and the Association of Psychology Students (Psy-chi). Additionally, I worked as a research assistant on two projects: the Resilience and Medical Helpseeking project in Cayey (2019-2021) and the Negotiating Dementia project (2021-2022), both under the supervision of Professor Patria López de Victoria.
Currently, I am involved in two research projects at RUM. The first is the Sustainable Engineering (ISOS) project, directed by Dr. Christopher M. Papadopoulos, and the second is the project on the relationship between executive functions and academic performance in university students (ESFERA), under the direction of Dr. Cristina Perea and Dr. Mary Moreno. I am also a member of the Association of School Psychology Students (AEPE) at RUM. I volunteered in the community program Aula en la Montaña.
My research interests cover a wide range of topics, including the role of play in early childhood cognitive development, mindset, social support, behavior, learning, and physical activity. Additionally, I have a particular interest in studying executive functions, with a special emphasis on planning.
Dr. Nayda G. Santiago P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6049-8782 University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus [biography]

Nayda G. Santiago is professor at the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus (UPRM) where she teaches the Capstone Course in Computer Engineering. She received an BS in EE from the University of PR, Maya
Dr. Aidsa I. Santiago-Roman http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4136-9990 University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus [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.

Her research interests include investigating students' understanding of difficult concepts in engineering sciences, especially for underrepresented populations (Hispanic students). She has studied the effectiveness 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, Mayaguez Campus [biography]

Christopher Papadopoulos is Professor in the Department of Engineering Sciences and Materials at the University of Puerto Rico, MayagÃ¼ez Campus (UPRM). He earned B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering and Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University (1993) and a Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University (1999). His research and teaching interests are in nonlinear mechanics, nonconventional materials and technologies, engineering ethics, and engineering education, and most recently, sustainability.
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.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on February 9, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on February 11, 2025

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