This work-in-progress (WIP) paper presents the methodological approach of Phase 1 of a larger study exploring how Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) can better “serve” Latinx engineering students, as illustrated through a particular case study institution. The main goal of Phase 1 is to examine the impacts of the HSI designation on institutional systems and identify the resulting structural and cultural characteristics that may influence the experiences of undergraduate Latinx engineering students. Ultimately, this study seeks to identify how colleges of engineering at HSIs can leverage their institutional systems to enable and sustain educational transformation as they pursue their goals of serving undergraduate Latinx engineering students.
This qualitative case study combines Margaret Archer’s (1995) morphogenetic approach as a theoretical framework and Gina Garcia's (2019) Multidimensional Conceptual Framework of Servingness in HSIs to reach the stated goals. It further employs the use of an underutilized form of case studies, the normative (value-laden) case study to connect the results of the study to broader societal values about the what it means to “serve” Latinx engineering students at HSIs. With the ever-increasing number of HSIs and a continued need to redefine the field of engineering towards diversity, equity, and inclusion, the need to explore how HSIs can better serve Latinx engineering students becomes imperative.
http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-6940-392X
Florida International University
[biography]
Indhira María Hasbún is a Ph.D. candidate and Graduate Assistant in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education (SUCCEED) at Florida International University (FIU). Her research analyzes the interplay between institutional structures, culture, and agents at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to identify how colleges of engineering at HSIs can leverage their institutional systems toward educational transformation as they pursue their goals of serving undergraduate Latinx engineering students.
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4988-361X
Florida International University
[biography]
As an assistant professor of engineering education at Florida International University, Dr. Alexandra Coso Strong works and teaches at the intersection of engineering education, faculty development, and complex systems design. Alexandra completed her doctorate in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. Prior to attending Georgia Tech, Alexandra received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from MIT and a master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Virginia. Alexandra comes to FIU after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia Tech’s Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and three years as a faculty member at Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts. Alexandra’s research aims to amplify the voices and work of students, educators, and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) overall and support continued educational innovation within engineering at these institutions. Specifically, she focuses on (1) educational and professional development of graduate students and faculty, (2) critical transitions in education and career pathways, and (3) design as central to educational and global change.
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