2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Nurturing an Ecosystem for Transformation: Progress and Insights from the [project name redacted] project at [university name redacted] (Year 3).

This paper presents progress and insights from the NSF-funded [project name redacted] project at [university name redacted], a minority-serving institution where over 70% of students are Hispanic/Latiné, Pell-eligible, and first-generation. Historically, the [engineering college name redacted] has implemented various intervention programs - preparatory courses, cohorting, tutoring, workshops, and peer-mentoring - to support students from their transition to college through graduation. While these efforts have led to incremental improvements, they have not delivered the transformative outcomes we envisioned. A key realization from these interventions is the need for a new approach that meets our students “where they are”. This prompted a shift from operating through the lenses of a rigid, "factory model" of education—which assumes uniformity in student input and output—to an adaptable ecosystem framework that leverages its agents' assets and community cultural wealth.

The [project name redacted] project focuses on developing structures and tools to allow the current system, constrained by factory-like processes, to evolve into an asset-based ecosystem that better serves the diverse needs of its agents—students, faculty, and staff. Key initiatives include: (1) the [project name redacted] Faculty Fellow Community of Practice, a year-long cohort engaging in discussions on topics such as identity, teacher identity, and cultural wealth, culminating in Action Research Teaching (ART) projects; (2) the [project name redacted] Lecturer Faculty Workshops, providing condensed versions of the Faculty Fellow Community of Practice experience; (3) the [survey name redacted], which uses validated constructs to assess the well-being of the system's members; (4) the [project name redacted] Peer Observation Tool and Process focused on formative, growth-oriented feedback for faculty; (5) the [project name redacted] Student Opinion Survey designed around the ecosystem model, examining classroom climate, structure, and vibrancy; and (6) the [project name redacted] Mental Model Survey, which assesses faculty perspectives on academia through the lens of ecosystem and factory educational paradigms. This paper briefly discusses the tools and strategies developed, lessons learned through implementation, and team member reflections on how creating educational spaces that value and adapt to the unique strengths of students, faculty, and staff can lead to thriving outcomes for all.

Authors

Dr. Gustavo B Menezes California State University, Los Angeles [biography]

Gustavo Menezes is a professor of civil engineering in the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology.
His technical research has focused on subsurface water quality and availability. He is interested in investigating the physicochemical processes related to water infiltration through the vadose zone using lab experiments and computer models. More specifically, his research uses steady-state centrifugation method to simulate and investigate flow conditions in unsaturated soils. Over the years, he has developed a passion for Engineering Education Research and for creating an educational model that meet the demands of Cal State LA students while leveraging their assets. Recently, he has worked with a group of faculty on a National Science Foundation-funded integrated curriculum for sophomores, a service learning summer bridge program for rising sophomores, and the First Year Experience @ ECST, which focuses on supporting students throughout their first year at the college. Currently he leads a team of faculty working on the NSF-funded Eco-STEM project that focuses on Transforming STEM Education using an Asset-Based Ecosystem Model. He also serves as the department chair of the Civil Engineering Department. Since 2009, he has taught courses in environmental engineering and water resources at Cal State LA.
Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Menezes received his Ph.D. in infrastructures and environmental systems from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
Dr. Lizabeth L Thompson P.E. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo [biography]

Dr. Lizabeth Thompson is the Director of General Engineering and a professor in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. She has been at Cal Poly for 32 years and has held various positions on campus including Co-Director of Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies, Director of Women’s Engineering Programs, and CENG Interim Associate Dean. Although she has taught over 25 different courses, she currently teaches Financial Decision making, First Year engineering, Senior Project, and Change Management. Her research is in Engineering Education where she has received $11.8 million of funding from NSF as either PI or Co-PI. She researches equitable classroom practices, integrated learning, and institutional change. She spent the 2019-2020 academic year at Cal State LA.
Dr. Corin L. Bowen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0910-8902 California State University, Los Angeles [biography]

Corin (Corey) Bowen is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education, housed in the Department of Civil Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles. Her engineering education research focuses on structural oppression in engineering systems, organizing for equitable change, and developing an agenda of Engineering for the Common Good. She teaches structural mechanics and sociotechnical topics in engineering education and practice. Corey conferred her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in April 2021; her thesis included both technical and educational research. She also holds an M.S.E. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and a B.S.E. in civil engineering from Case Western Reserve University, both in the areas of structural engineering and solid mechanics.
Dr. Nancy Warter-Perez California State University, Los Angeles [biography]

Nancy Warter-Perez is the chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department and professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at California State University, Los Angeles.
Kenya Z. Mejia San Francisco State University [biography]

Dr. Kenya Z. Mejia is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at San Francisco State University. Her work focuses on diversity and inclusion in engineering education, particularly in engineering design education.
Nicholas Rabb [biography]

Nicholas Rabb (he/him) is a postdoctoral researcher in the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology at California State University, Los Angeles, where he is working on the NSF-funded Eco-STEM project. He completed his PhD at Tufts University in the areas of computer science and cognitive science, contributing to the development of quantitative models and tools used to study the influence of news media on adoption of misinformation beliefs. His research and academic service work center on critical STEM education, sociotechnical thinking, critical study of misinformation, and systemic change theory and practice.

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