Integrating Principles of Social Justice into Engineering Education

This project seeks to improve the preparation of future engineers starting in high school. The sequence of mathematics classes taken by students preparing to enter engineering can take a long time to complete and for many students this long completion time can deter them from pursuing engineering degrees. The proposed work provides math education to high school students with the goal that a larger portion of these students are placed in calculus when they enter college. The team will design extra-curricular activities to enrich participant’s skillsets outside of the classroom to make them more prepared for the engineering major and a future career in industry. In addition, engineering students will be given the opportunity to explore connections of academic theory to answering engineering problems that have societal impact. Increasing the preparation and motivation of engineering students can lead to higher recruitment and retention of future engineers. In this project Richard J. Daley College, an Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), will collaborate with Chicago Public Schools. Additional academic, professional, and community organizations will comprise a Partner Roundtable to aid the team in maintaining focus on inclusive and socially just programming. This work seeks to address calculus readiness and engagement of students in engineering education. The specific goals include (1) increasing calculus placement of incoming engineering undergraduates; (2) providing students with desirable soft skills and understanding of engineering in society; and (3) building community among pre-engineering students. A primary research question is how community-centered supports can increase the interest and improve the preparedness of pre-engineering students. An external evaluator will use a mixed methods approach that includes participant interviews and institutional data on math success and retention. Research findings will be shared internally among partners, at higher education meetings (such as the American Society for Engineering Education), and in scholarly publications. The project aims to serve as a model for creating community in support of effective and uplifting engineering education that can lead to institutional change impacting many future engineering students. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity for institutional transformation at HSIs. Achieving these aims, given the diverse nature and context of the HSIs, requires innovative approaches that incentivize institutional and community transformation and promote fundamental research (i) on engaged student learning, (ii) about what it takes to diversify and increase participation in STEM effectively, and (iii) that develops improved understanding of how to build institutional capacity at HSIs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.