2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Developing a Survey Tool to Measure Cultural Transformation in a College of Engineering

Presented at ERM: Quantitative Instrument Development

This work-in-progress empirical research paper describes the development of a survey tool, grounded in cultural transformation theory, to measure cultural change within one engineering college in a large, research-intensive, Midwest university. Increasing participation in engineering has long been a priority in the United States, but the chilly climate of engineering programs has threatened their ability to meet the increasing demand for engineers. This paper draws on cultural transformation theory, which defines culture as a continuum from a dominator model, with strict hierarchies and fear-based leadership, to a partnership model, with egalitarian, trust-based leadership structures. Drawing on this framework, the research team modified an existing institutional climate survey to include new and adapted items reflecting five key CTT constructs: Power Dynamics and Authority, Gender and Diversity, Relationships and Community, Learning Environment, and Reflection and Growth. These constructs were operationalized through a series of Likert-scale items designed to assess where the college falls on the dominator-to-partnership spectrum. We use this survey instrument to measure cultural change as a result of the establishment of an Inclusive Excellence Center. The purpose of the center was to improve recruitment and retention of students from rural areas. This center was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Broadening Participation in Engineering (BPE) program until funding was terminated on April 25, 2025. Future work would have included robust refinement of the survey instrument in order to provide a tool for systematically measuring cultural change across engineering education environments. The authors hope to continue this work in some capacity and encourage the broader research community to develop tools for assessing cultural transformation within engineering education.

Authors

Mrs. Ibukunoluwa Eunice Salami http://orcid.org/https://0009-0009-1982-9234 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Ibukunoluwa Eunice Salami is a third-year PhD Candidate in Engineering Education Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests include competency development, graduate education, the transfer of learning, school to work transition for engineering students, use of technology in engineering education and motivation of students in engineering education.
Kasey Moomau http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0619-2827 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Kasey Moomau is a second-year mechanical engineering graduate student at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln. Before returning to further his university education with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a serendipitous opportunity for graduate education at UNL, he served for the better part of a decade as a public-school educator, creating and implementing exploratory STEM activities as supplemental curriculum for K-8 students.
Dr. Tareq Daher http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8901-0608 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Tareq Daher graduated from the University of Mutah – Jordan with a B.S. in Computer Science with a focus on developing educational tools. He pursued a Master’s Degree in Educational Studies at the University of Nebraska -Lincoln (UNL). While pursing his Master Degree he worked as the coordinator for the student technology program on the UNL campus, where he taught over 150 workshops on technology uses in the classroom to faculty, staff and students. Dr. Daher completed his Ph.D in Educational Studies with a focus on Instructional technology from UNL and is currently serving as the Director of the Engineering and Computing Education Core, College of Engineering and an Assistant Professor of Practice of Engineering Education. Tareq focuses on transforming engineering education in the College through graduate courses, faculty and graduate student professional development, leading freshmen focused programming and engineering education research.
Dr. Jessica Deters http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-8766-9548 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Dr. Jessica Deters is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Discipline Based Education Researcher at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She holds her Ph.D. in Engineering Education and M.S. in Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Colorado School of Mines. Her research focuses on engineering culture, workplace preparedness and career trajectories of undergraduate and graduate students, and student well-being. She is the 2025 recipient of the Harold and Esther Edgerton Junior Faculty Award and the Henry Y. Kleinkauf Family Distinguished New Faculty Teaching Award.
Dr. Yusong Li University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Dr. Yusong Li is the Associate Dean for Faculty and Inclusion in the College of Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is also a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She received her PhD from Vanderbilt University, and worked as a faculty member at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln since 2008.
Dr. Ursula Nguyen http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-8176-0885 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Dr. Ursula Nguyen is an Assistant Professor in Elementary Mathematics Education in the Department of Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education (TLTE) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Nguyen’s research broadly focuses on issues of equity in STEM education at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender, which stems from her experiences as both an educator of STEM subjects and as a past engineering student.
Dr. Lance C. Pérez University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Dr. Lance C. Pérez received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1996 and is currently the Omar H. Heins Professor of Electrical and Computer. He is also the Fred Hunzeker Dean of Engineering and has been leading the College of Engineering since 2016.
Dr. Logan Andrew Perry http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1558-2579 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Dr. Perry is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His work contains a unique blend of engineering education and civil engineering projects. Dr. Perry's current work centers workplace readiness, broadening participation, and construction safety education.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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