2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

From Framework to Classroom: Advancing Sustainability Integration through Faculty Professional Development

Presented at Fostering the Faculty in EnvE and Sustainability- ENVEST Division (Tech Session 3/7)

Sustainability challenges demand complex, systems-level problem solving by engineering graduates, yet sustainability remains peripheral in many engineering programs. Engineering faculty, central to curricular innovation, often confront challenges such as limited access to resources and adaptable teaching materials, overcrowded curricula focused on traditional technical content, and inconsistent coverage of social and ethical dimensions. To address these barriers, an 18-month faculty fellowship was launched at Arizona State University (ASU) to support the implementation of the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Framework into engineering courses. The program engaged 21 engineering faculty, a postdoctoral student, and four graduate students through a layered professional development model featuring an orientation retreat, sequenced workshops, expert-led sessions, and sustained mentorship. Ongoing support was provided through monthly Community of Practice meetings and personalized guidance from mentors. Program impact was assessed via surveys and focus groups. Results indicate gains in participants’ knowledge, confidence, and ability to integrate sustainability across undergraduate and graduate courses. Participants especially valued mentorship, peer support, and the practical guidance provided by the EOP Framework, although time constraints and student assessment remain ongoing challenges. The fellowship resulted in modifications to multiple courses, affecting approximately 7,880 students. The fellowship contributed to faculty development on EOP informed sustainability integration as well as active learning approaches. This study identifies practical strategies and persistent barriers for faculty development in sustainability, offering guidance for designing future professional development programs in engineering education.

Authors

Ms. Allison Wolf Arizona State University [biography]

Allison Wolf is a Project Manager in the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University. She focuses on integrating sustainability and environmental literacy into engineering curricula, with an emphasis on systems thinking and social dimensions of engineering practice. She has developed and facilitated professional development programs for faculty and K–12 educators, including initiatives aligned with the Engineering for One Planet Framework. Prior to her current role, she taught secondary science for seven years and worked on community-based environmental education projects.
Mariya Suleman Arizona State University [biography]

Mariya Suleman is a Ph.D. student in the Engineering Education Systems and Design program at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University. Her research focuses on integrating sustainability into engineering curricula, strengthening teaching assistants’ instructional effectiveness through entrepreneurial mindset-based preparation, and examining the relationship between entrepreneurial mindset and engineering identity. She holds an M.Sc. in Applied Instrumentation and Control from Glasgow Caledonian University as a Commonwealth Shared Scholar and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Pakistan.
Dr. Medha Dalal http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5705-1800 Arizona State University [biography]

Medha Dalal, Ph.D., is an Associate Director of Scholarly Initiatives and Assistant Research Professor of Engineering Education Systems & Design within the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Her career as an engineering educator and researcher focuses on addressing complex engineering education challenges by building capacity for stakeholders at the grassroots, while also informing policy. Her research seeks to transform and democratize engineering education by exploring ways of thinking, identifying effective professional development approaches, and uncovering pedagogical techniques that enhance students’ engineering curiosity, engagement, and learning.

Download paper (8.32 MB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session

For those interested in:

Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology
Faculty