The mission of this research is to develop a theory of culturally-contextualized engineering design curricula and assessment tools for Navajo middle school students, grounded in a study of how Navajo students and Navajo professionals experience, understand, and apply engineering design in the context of their culture, community, and society. This foundation will support future educational innovations and illuminate pathways for Navajo students to pursue higher education and careers in STEM. This paper describes the foundation for this research and the current progress in the development of curriculum modules that teach Navajo culture and engineering design side-by-side.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1639-779X
Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus
[biography]
SHAWN JORDAN, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He teaches context-centered electrical engineering and embedded systems design courses, and studies the use of context an
Kalvin White, Ph.D. is from White Cone, Arizona. He earned his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1998 from the University of Utah. Dr. White is currently employed with the Office of Dine Science, Math, and Technology within the Department of Dine Education under the Executive Branch of the Navajo Nation Government. Dr. White was the Principal Investigator of the Navajo Nation Rural Systemic Initiative. In 1998 the Navajo Nation received a National Science Foundation grant with the charge to close the achievement gap that exists on the Navajo Nation between Navajo and non-Navajo students in math and science. The NN-RSI documented the closing of the achievement gap at the end of the grant award August 2005. Through the efforts of the NN-RSI the Navajo Nation has sustained the NN-RSI with Navajo Nation funds as the Office of Dine Science, Math and Technology. As such, Dr. White and the staff of the Dine Science, Math, and Technology continue to advance the systemic initiatives within the Navajo Nation.
Ieshya Anderson is Tohono O’odham, born for Diné, Tł’ááshchÃ’à clan. Ieshya graduated from Arizona State University, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, emphasis in electrical systems. She is pursuin
Courtney Betoney is from Ganado, Arizona and is studying Mechanical Engineering Systems at Arizona State University. Since January 2014, Courtney has been an undergraduate researcher for Engineering Design Across Navajo Culture, Community, and Society. She has enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate within the engineering community and now hopes to continue towards a graduate degree for Mechanical Engineering.
Chrissy Foster has her Ph.D. in Engineering Education from the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College of Arizona State University. Her dissertation study was a narrative exploration of Native American women as they served as agents of change for their Native communities.
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