Structural barriers to inclusion in engineering education, and for that matter the entire engineering ecosystem, are real, though often ignored, as we attempt interventions to improve engineering as a space where all are valued. Curricular and pedagogical transformations provide an opportunity to rethink how we interact with the structural barriers that have evolved and change the climate and culture of engineering education. Transformative educational practices can “crack open” learning spaces to be more welcoming to a broader group of individuals through the climate we create in those learning spaces. Similarly, using student-centered learning and other evidence-based practices allow additional opportunities to value all that students bring with them, including their varied modes of inquiry as well as their social, knowledge, and experience capital.
Leveraging transformative educational practices for climate and culture change has a significant advantage within the engineering ecosystem: it is based on cumulative decisions made every day by individuals who vary in power status within the system. In other words, everyone can participate now, rather than waiting to be “ready” or in a particular position of authority. Further, innovative curricular transformation is a lever of change around which concerned individuals can rally, building excitement and momentum. One of the key challenges, however, is finding ways to match inclusive and innovative curriculum with the dominant credentialing systems on which many other systems are built.
This paper combines organizational change theory and interview-based research on credentialing innovative, transformative curricular practices to develop a road map for positive change in engineering education and its climate. We discuss ways in which transformative curriculum is defined, links between transformative curriculum and inclusion, and the interplay of credentialing at its many levels. Finally, using examples from our research, we recommend real changes in approach that any instructor can make in the (re)development of curricular and learning space artifacts that support both inclusion and transformation.
Jennifer Karlin spent the first half of her career at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where she was a professor of industrial engineering and held the Pietz professorship for entrepreneurship and economic development. She is now a professor of integrated engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato with the Iron Range Engineering program. She joined IRE in 2019 as one of the founding faculty of the Bell engineering practice-embedded learning model.
Dr. Allendoerfer is the Manager of Tutoring Services at Shoreline Community College.
Dr. Ewert has been involved in cardiovascular engineering for over 25 years in both research and instruction. He has consulted for major medical device companies in the area of cardiovascular engineering and performed research with US and inte
Ron Ulseth, Ph.D., directs and instructs in the Iron Range Engineering program in Virginia, Minnesota and he teaches in the Itasca Community College engineering program in Grand Rapids, MN. He was instrumental in growing the Itasca program from 10 students in 1992 to 160 students in 2010. In 2009, he worked with a national development team of engineering educators to develop the 100% PBL curriculum used in the Iron Range model. He has successfully acquired and managed over $10 million in educational grants including as PI on 7 grants from NSF. He has been in the classroom, teaching more than 20 credits per year to engineering students for more than 25 years. His specific areas of expertise are in active learning, faculty development, and learning community development. He has been awarded the 2012 Progress Minnesota award, 2012 Labovitz Entrepreneurialism award, and 2012 Innovator of the Year award from the Rural Community College Alliance all for his work in developing the Iron Range Engineering program. He is licensed as a professional engineer in the state of Minnesota.
Rebecca A. Bates received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington. She also received the M.T.S. degree from Harvard Divinity School. She is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Integrated Engineering prog
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.
