2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

WIP: Building Buy-In for a Campus Wide Interdisciplinary Projects Class

This work-in-progress empirical research paper aims to describe and define the process of engaging stakeholders and gaining buy-in for a new vertically integrated project-based learning class offered at a large mid-Atlantic research university. This course was designed in part to provide undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning at the 2000 and 4000 levels to increase personal competencies, but now also seeks to fill a new “bridge experience” requirement in the students’ plan of study. This study addresses the research questions: How can stakeholders in higher education be engaged to create buy-in for this program? What is its impact on the bridge experience program?

From a pilot in the 2023-2024 academic year, over eighty students enrolled in this Interdisciplinary Projects (IDPro) course, and most (59.6%) were from the College of Engineering. To scale the class to be truly interdisciplinary, rather than just engineering and science, the research team began to identify stakeholders on the campus using a power-interest grid to determine influence, interest, and needs for each. Stakeholders were identified as belonging to one of four groups in this study which include Student Advisement/Enrollment, Bridge Experience Leadership, Upper University Leadership, and Currently/Previously Enrolled Students. With a wide range of stakeholders identified, the communication styles and interests of each vary dramatically.

So far, the authors have met with advisors from six departments outside of the College of Engineering and secured buy-in from the engineering departments. The authors have also developed stakeholder mappings of the various degrees of current involvement vs interest, with particular attention to the influence of the bridge experience requirement. course sequencing. For the students currently and previously enrolled in IDPro, the team also seek information about the impact of course sequencing, amount of credit hours needed and available, when the experience took place, and how students learned about enrolling in the course.

As the bridge experience is in its first year, the authors intend to continue working closely with the leadership team responsible for ensuring students are obtaining this experience to make sure IDPro continues to be an option for the students. The authors plan to do additional stakeholder mapping and involvement meetings, including student project showcase days, to highlight the diverse experiences happening in the course. Additionally, the authors plan to delve deeper into student academic plans to determine the average course sequencing and where IDPro fits best in different academic schedules and advising meetings.

Authors

Mr. Benjamin Edward Chaback http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3791-743X Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Benjamin (Ben) Chaback is a Ph.D. student in engineering education at Virginia Tech. He uses modeling and systems architecture to investigate undergraduate engineering education and is working towards creating sustainable systems for student success. Ben is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, the Council on Undergraduate Research and is a facilitator for the Safe Zone Project and the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research. He is passionate about student success and finding ways to use research experiences to promote student growth, learning, and support.
Dr. Lisa D. McNair http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6654-2337 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Lisa D. McNair is a Professor of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech, where she also serves as Deputy Executive Director of the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT).
Dr. David Gray http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0159-9150 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Dr. Gray receieved his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2000. He then earned a M.S. and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2002 and 2010, respectively. Much of his graduate education focus
Dr. Mark Vincent Huerta http://orcid.org/https:// 0000-0003-2962-0724 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Dr. Huerta is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. He earned his PhD in Engineering Education Systems & Design at Arizona State University and has a BS/MS in Biomedical Engineering. His research group explores approaches to building positive and inclusive learning environments that support the professional growth of students and faculty within engineering education contexts. His research interests include graduate student mentorship, faculty development, mental health and well-being, teamwork and group dynamics, and the design of project-based learning classes.
Atlas Vernier Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Atlas Vernier is an interdisciplinary leader, researcher, and innovator at Virginia Tech. As a technologist in the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, Atlas specializes in immersive audiovisual environments, emerging modalities of data collection, and large-scale systems integrations for humans and technology. Having completed dual undergraduate degrees in systems engineering and foreign languages, they are now a graduate student in the Grado Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering with a concentration in Human Factors Engineering & Ergonomics.
Mr. Ernesto Adolfo Cuesta Alvear Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Ernesto Cuesta is a PhD student in the Engineering Education Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, VA. He holds a B.Sc. in Telecommunications Engineering and an M.S. in Project Management. Before beginning his doctoral studies, he spent eight years in the telecommunications industry, leading data-center swaps and managing large-scale network deployments. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, he supports Virginia Tech’s interdisciplinary IDPro course, mentoring students through project-based learning and facilitating teamwork across engineering disciplines. His research interests center on student motivation in experiential learning environments and interdisciplinary collaboration in engineering 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