2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This research paper examines faculty perceptions of the teaching culture within a large traditional mechanical engineering department at an large R1 university as part of a larger National Science Foundation-funded RED (Revolutionizing Engineering Departments) grant. The grant’s broader vision was to revolutionize the culture of the department by focusing on faculty development and culture change to aid faculty in their efforts to implement pedagogical changes and to increase iterative and measured innovations in teaching. The purpose of this paper is to understand how faculty perceptions of the teaching culture may or may not have changed during the grant project.

Semi-structured faculty interviews were conducted pre-implementation of grant-related activities (e.g., summer faculty development workshops, educational forums) and post-implementation. Pre-implementation interviews were conducted before the start of the grant to develop a baseline assessment of the culture for teaching and teaching innovation within the mechanical engineering department. For these interviews, faculty members were asked questions centered around their expectations and feelings about teaching, their interpretation of the teaching mission within the department, their description of the culture around teaching and teaching innovation, and strengths and weaknesses for teaching and teaching innovation in the department. Post-implementation interviews were conducted three years later in the concluding stages of the grant, in which participants were asked many of the same questions as in the pre-implementation interviews. Additionally, questions pertaining to the impact of the NSF RED grant were asked, such as how the grant has impacted faculty members’ expectations and feelings about teaching, whether the grant has impacted the main teaching mission of the department, whether the grant has impacted the teaching culture in the department, and how the grant may have impacted their efficacy for teaching and teaching innovation.

A thematic analysis approach was utilized to analyze the interview transcripts and interviewer notes to create aggregate themes that convey the perceptions shared by faculty members regarding the department's teaching culture. Major themes emerging from the pre-implementation interviews centered around broader perceptions of teaching and teaching innovation, barriers to teaching innovation, and perceived inconsistencies in the departmental teaching culture. Major themes emerging from the post-implementation interviews centered around increased discussions about teaching and teaching innovation, a positive shift in the departmental culture for teaching and teaching innovation, and a positive shift among faculty in their approach to teaching innovation. This study demonstrates an understanding of faculty perceptions around how the department has changed, their feelings around changes in the department, and ways in which the efforts of the grant have been institutionalized within the department.