2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

IUSE: Advancing Data Stewardship Education in Undergraduate Research: From Framework to Scalable Practice

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session II

As undergraduate research becomes increasingly data-intensive, students are often expected to plan, manage, document, and share data responsibly. Prior IUSE project work introduced a Data Stewardship Framework that integrates engineering design reasoning, data life cycle management, and ethical decision-making. This paper extends that work by examining how the framework has been translated into scalable instructional and mentoring practices across undergraduate engineering research contexts. Drawing on two years of implementation, we describe the development of a practical toolkit, the integration of stewardship into courses and research programs, and the use of a rubric to reinforce ethical data practices. Preliminary outcomes suggest that coupling conceptual frameworks with concrete tools and real-world examples can enhance undergraduate researchers’ capacity for ethical data stewardship.

Authors

Dr. Wei Zakharov http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-7805-6675 Purdue University – West Lafayette (College of Engineering) [biography]

Dr. Wei Zakharov is an Associate Professor and Engineering Information Specialist in Libraries and School of Information Studies and (by courtesy) the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She is the faculty liaison to four Schools Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Semiconductors, Engineering Education, and Aviation and Transportation Technology from Polytechnic Institute at Purdue University. She works with students and faculty to address their needs regarding information resources, research data management, and scholarly communication. Dr. Zakharov teaches and conducts research in data and information literacy education, and AI and online learning. As a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI, she has multiple internal and external grants, including grants from National Science Foundation (DUE, CCRI, RAPID) and one Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant. She serves as an editorial member and reviewer for several international research journals.
Dr. Carla B. Zoltowski http://orcid.org/0009-0003-1391-6800 Purdue University – West Lafayette (College of Engineering) [biography]

Carla B. Zoltowski is an associate professor of engineering practice in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and (by courtesy) the School of Engineering Education, and Director of the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program within the College of Engineering at Purdue. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education, all from Purdue. Dr. Zoltowski’s research interests include the professional formation of engineers, human-centered design, and engineering ethics.
Dr. Senay Purzer http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0784-6079 Purdue University – West Lafayette (College of Engineering) [biography]

Senay Purzer is a Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Her research is on engineering design reasoning.
Niki Juanita Foster Purdue University – West Lafayette (College of Engineering)

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