2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The EENTITLE project, funded by the EU, is a transformative initiative aimed at elevating the status and recognition of engineering educators across Ecuador by promoting Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices that encompass faculty and support staff ensuring that all of them—regardless of their social, economic, linguistic, ethnic or geographical background—are recognized for their unique contributions to engineering education.
Diversity is an absolute necessity for the industry, as it drives innovation, fosters creativity, and enhances problem-solving by bringing together a wide range of perspectives and experiences (Direito et al., 2021; Leever, 2020; Jones et al., 2020).
DEI initiatives in higher education and engineering studies have historically centered on enhancing the experiences and representation of students (ASEE-SEFI, 2020; Jacobs, 2023; SEFI, 2018). However, this focus has largely overlooked the vulnerabilities and contributions of academic staff, including educators, laboratory technicians, and leadership (Jacobs, 2023). In countries like Ecuador, where significant sociocultural and ethnic diversity exists, underrepresentation extends beyond students to academic professionals (Clavijo Castillo, & Bautista-Cerro, 2020; Gutiérrez ET AL., 2015; Saeteros et al., 2021;).
This paper focuses on the strategies embedded within the EENTITLE project, detailing how the project's activities promote a more equitable and inclusive ecosystem and governance model for higher education institutions to facilitate inclusive professional development, equitable evaluation and recognition, and public awareness campaigns that recognize the diverse contributions of faculty and support staff.
Using a multidisciplinary approach, our research draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods. Data was collected through surveys, interviews, and focus groups involving faculty, technical staff, and administrators from Ecuadorian universities. The research team, comprising experts in engineering and education from both European and Ecuadorian institutions, analyzed DEI dynamics within these key groups to identify existing gaps and potential opportunities for fostering inclusivity in their professional development and recognition. Comparative case studies were conducted, with a particular focus on higher education institutions with significant social, linguistic, and ethnic diversity, to examine the parallel challenges in different contexts. The project also identifies those governance models that emphasize institutional responsibility in fostering DEI (Cumming et al., 2023; Dwyer et al., 2023) by offering tailored DEI training to academic leaders and by reforming policies that affect recruitment, retention, and recognition of diverse talent within engineering schools.
Our findings indicate that while DEI efforts targeting students remain vital, the lack of diversity-focused support for educators and leaders significantly impedes broader institutional progress. By shifting the focus toward the professional development of academic staff, the EENTITLE project offers a framework for empowering educators and leaders through DEI-centered governance and policy reform. This, in turn, enhances the overall quality and modernity of higher education in Ecuador, bringing it in closer alignment with European values and fostering innovation and social integration in engineering education.