2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Tackling ‘Wicked’ Problems: fostering intercultural competence to improve STEM students' sense of belonging and enhance undergraduate education [Traditional Research Paper]

Presented at STEM Education and Intercultural Competence

Can engineering courses raise student intercultural competency (ICC) and can increased ICC improve student sense of belonging (SOB)? Previous studies examined whether various inputs— orientation workshops, extracurricular activities, more available guidance counselors, professors of the same sex, and so forth—increase a college student’s SOB. This study examines whether professors with ICC training raise student ICC and SOB. Here, we assess students within courses taught by humanitarian engineering professors trained in ICC via end-of-semester interviews and reflection essays and before and after surveys on student ICC and SOB. To do so, we apply SOB questions to college students (Glass 2012, Hagerty & Patusky 1995), specifically related to formal and informal interpersonal relationships within the STEM community (Johnson 2007, Strayhorn 2023). As such, we explore the academic, social, and academic support that friends, peers, and professors can offer (Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce 1987, Ovink et al. 2024). In sum, this study provides new insight for administrators and faculty members aiming to raise belonging among historically underrepresented college students.

Authors

Cherish C. Vance http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8587-7594 The Ohio State University [biography]

Cherish C. Vance (she/her), a PhD candidate at Texas A&M, teaches in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University. She co-created the Engineering for Sustainable Development specialization and instructs several courses in that space; she also provides sociotechnical pedagogy insights through the ESD curriculum guidance, development, and deployment. Her research pursuits include sense of belonging and intercultural competency in engineering students, and sustainability education in engineering.
Patrick J Sours The Ohio State University [biography]

Dr. Patrick Sours is an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Engineering for Sustainable Development and serves as the Faculty Lead of the Humanitarian Engineering Program at The Ohio State University. In this role, he leads high-impact experiential learning programs, conducts engineering education research, and instructs courses related to Engineering for Sustainable Development. He is passionate about developing engineers' sociotechnical competency to prepare them to address complex global sustainability challenges
xinquan Jiang The Ohio State University

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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