2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress (WIP) paper seeks to put two dissertations in conversation to discuss the interaction between engineering curriculum and engineering culture through a single metaphor. There are numerous factors that impact a student’s experience in and journey through undergraduate engineering: institutional policies, curriculum difficulty, social culture, etc. To consider these factors together, we use roadways and drivers as conceptual metaphors. Roadways represent the institutional structures in place that shape a student’s journey through engineering. Drivers represent engineering students interacting with each other and the roadway during their journey. Taken together, these metaphors allow us to map out prominent features of the undergraduate engineering student journey - structures and cultures. We use roadways and drivers to weave together two engineering education dissertations focused on undergraduate engineering. Putting these dissertations in conversation with each other through metaphors enables us to discuss both environmental and social factors that shape the undergraduate student journey, ultimately in pursuit of broadening participation in engineering.