2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This evidence-based practice work-in-progress paper presents the design and preliminary evaluation of a faculty development program aimed at advancing inclusive pedagogy among engineering faculty. Although engineering instructors play a critical role in shaping students’ learning experiences, many report limited preparation and insufficient sustained support for adopting inclusive pedagogical practices. In response, our college of engineering recently launched a comprehensive faculty development program to equip engineering faculty with the knowledge, tools, and community necessary to integrate inclusive pedagogies into their teaching.

The central aim of this paper is to discuss our program’s structural and pedagogical design, including the intentional integration of collaborative learning, reflective practice, and ongoing support. Our design is grounded in the community of practice and culturally relevant pedagogy frameworks and is structured in two phases: training and implementation. In the training phase, participants attended weekly, synchronous training sessions facilitated by experts across our university that explored theoretical and practical applications of inclusive pedagogy. During the implementation phase, participants redesigned and taught one of their courses according to the knowledge gained during the training phase. By design, we emphasized both collaborative learning through small group discussions and peer teaching observations as well as critical self-reflection, while ensuring that faculty were continuously supported throughout both phases. To-date, 19 engineering faculty have participated across the first two cohorts.

To evaluate the program’s effectiveness, we are collecting a variety of interviews, surveys, reflections, peer teaching observations, course artifacts, and small group meeting recordings. Along with our detailed program structure, we present some preliminary feedback on the program from the inaugural cohort, which indicates high overall satisfaction and provides insight into the most impactful elements of the training and implementation structure. Preliminary feedback is also informing refinements for subsequent cohorts. Future analysis of our other data sources will explore faculty learning trajectories and longer-term impact on teaching practices and student experiences.

This paper contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting structured, theory-informed approaches to faculty development in engineering education. Our program evaluation informs not only our own future iterations of the program, but it also offers insights for institutions seeking to develop and implement similar initiatives. Our preferred presentation style is a lightning round table.