Engineering Education Research Briefs: Recent Episodes
Dr. Ruth Steveler, Purdue University
The Engineering Education Research Briefs podcast aims to expand the boundaries of engineering education research by exploring new frameworks, new methods, and new findings with the researchers who created them. Research Briefs is hosted by Ruth Streveler and produced by the Purdue University School of Engineering Education.
Summary
What a year it has been?! Spend a few moments with us as we close out the season with a reflection on what we learned and what we think are the key take-aways of the year but also a look to the future. Spoiler alert - collaboration and community are key.
Name Drop
Thank you to this year’s guests and inspiration:
Alan Cheville, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Bucknell University
Sarah Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Engineering Education, Virginia Tech
Meagan Kendall, Associate Professor, Engineering Education and Leadership, University of Texas at El Paso
Bevlee Watford, Professor Emerita, Virginia Tech
Walter Lee, Professor and Director of SEED, Engineering Education, Virginia Tech
Rucha Joshi, Associate Professor, Plaksha University
Trina Fletcher, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Innovation and Economic Development
Edward Berger, Professor and Department Head, Engineering Education, Virginia Tech
Summary
Dr. Berger, Virginia Tech Department Head gives us his bird’s eye view of engineering education at the undergraduate and graduate level, and for scholars in the field. He paints a picture of engineering education from the perspective as an engineer, engineering educator, NSF program officer, and department head. He challenges us to reimagine engineering education with hope for what is ahead.
Name Drop
Allison Godwin, Cornell University
Shanna Daly, University of Michigan
Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, University of Florida
SCALE: SCalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement
Summary
Dr. Trina Fletcher shares with us the origins and continued relevance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on STEM more broadly and engineering, specifically. Dr. Fletcher shares her journey in engineering education, from her path through UAPB’s STEM academy to her graduate experiences where she found a purpose-focused, people-centric approach to graduate engineering. The conversation delves into the history and purpose of HBCUs, the current landscape for minority-serving institutions, and the impact of funding and policy decisions on HBCUs. We discuss ABET accreditation, program models like 2+3 pathways, and the opportunities and challenges facing HBCU engineering programs today. Dr. Fletcher offers perspectives on the future of engineering education at HBCUs, potential pathways for collaboration, and the scholars and initiatives to watch.
Fletcher, T. L., Jefferson, J. P., Boyd, B., Park, S. E., & Crumpton‐Young, L. (2023). Impact of COVID‐19 on sense of belonging: Experiences of engineering students, faculty, and staff at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Journal of Engineering Education, 112(2), 488-520.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jee.20512
Name Drop
Dr. Monica F. Cox
Dr. Erin Lynch
Dr. Shaun Harper
Dr. MaryBeth Gasman
Dr. Walter Kimbrough
Dr. Jelani M. Favors
Dr. Ivory Toldson
Dr. Robert T. Palmer
QEM - QEM Heros - https://qem.org/project/heroes-program/
Institutions to watch:
Morgan State University
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Report:
CMSI The MacKenzie Scott Donations to Historically Black Colleges and Universities:Exploring the Data Landscape
https://cmsi.gse.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/ScottHBCU_Report%20Final.pdf
Join us as we discuss engineering education in India, with a focus on the career path of Dr. Rucha Joshi, an Associate Professor at Plaksha University. Dr. Joshi shares her journey into engineering education, her current research projects, leadership role, and her perspective on the focus of the engineering education community in India. We also discuss the importance of collaborations, priorities in the community, and conferences in India that may be of interest to the broader engineering education community.
Name Drop
Dr. Rohit Kandakatla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitkandakatla/?originalSubdomain=in
Dr. Preethi Baligar -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-preethi-baligar-18596415a/?originalSubdomain=in
Dr. Bill Oakes (William Oakes) -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-bill-oakes-12072113/
Dr. Shannon Chance -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonchance7/?originalSubdomain=ie
Siara Isaac -
https://people.epfl.ch/siara.isaac?lang=en
Dr. Joelyn de Lima -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelyndelima/?originalSubdomain=ch
Recommended Conferences in India:
https://ictiee.org/ictiee2026/
Compute : https://isigcse.acm.org/compute/2025/
IIT Bombay, IIT Chennai
https://www.et.iitb.ac.in/
For Engineering Education Research & Pedagogy:
IUCEE is the most established choice in India. https://iucee.org/annual-conference/
For Education Technology Research
International Conference on Technology for Education (T4E): Technology For, Of, In, Across Education, 13th. Sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Organized by the EdTech Society, India and hosted by IIT Madras. T4E 2025 will be held in Chennai, India. https://etsociety.org/t4e-2025/ or https://etsociety.org/product-category/event/
iSIGCSE conference - Compute - https://isigcse.acm.org/compute/
https://isigcse.acm.org/compute/2025/
Other broader engineering conferences with Educational Tracks often happen at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Chennai, and IIT Gandhinagar, etc. premier institutes.
Summary: This beautiful conversation was so rich we have split it into two episodes. Thank you in advance for your patience.
Join us for a conversation between a recently retired mentor, Dr. Bevlee Watford and their recently promoted mentee, Dr. Walter Lee. While their faculty careers at Virginia Tech started decades apart, their stories are woven together by a shared interest in developing the systems and programs that support engineering students who hold marginalized identities. In this episode, they share what led them to careers that center student support and their unique approaches to decision making while leading CEED. Their enviable mentoring relationship includes strategies anyone can adopt; and their wisdom on navigating the shifting landscape is timeless.
Name Drop:
Center for Engineering Excellence and Discovery (CEED)
Susan Lasser
Hassan Aref
Malcolm McPherson
Lynn Nystrom
Kamyar Haghighi
Rising Scholars and their scholarship:
Carol Geary
Peer Mentoring Programs Survivability: How Programs React When Bad
Things Happen
Tasha Zephirin
Persistence through community: An exploratory study of student support in
Purdue University's NSBE chapter
Malini Josiam
An Investigation of the Perspectives of Women of Color on the Cultures of Undergraduate Engineering
Taylor Johnson
"You Have to Focus on School...You Can't Focus on Getting Paid": A Multi-
Study Exploration of Perspectives on and Experiences of Engineering
Students Who Work
Article mention:
Su, L. K. (2010). Quantification of diversity in engineering higher education in the United States. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 16(2).
https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/00551c876cc2f027,69ab3d9d13586e06,0e19b121603f0805.html
Department of Education degree reclassification (referenced in Part 2) -
https://azat.tv/en/degrees-redefined-nursing-engineering-and-more-lose-professional-status-under-new-federal-rules/
Summary: This beautiful conversation was so rich we have split it into two episodes. Thank you in advance for your patience.
Join us for a conversation between a recently retired mentor, Dr. Bevlee Watford and their recently promoted mentee, Dr. Walter Lee. While their faculty careers at Virginia Tech started decades apart, their stories are woven together by a shared interest in developing the systems and programs that support engineering students who hold marginalized identities. In this episode, they share what led them to careers that center student support and their unique approaches to decision making while leading CEED. Their enviable mentoring relationship includes strategies anyone can adopt; and their wisdom on navigating the shifting landscape is timeless.
Name Drop:
Center for Engineering Excellence and Discovery (CEED)
Susan Lasser
Hassan Aref
Malcolm McPherson
Lynn Nystrom
Kamyar Haghighi
Rising Scholars and their scholarship:
Carol Geary
Peer Mentoring Programs Survivability: How Programs React When Bad Things Happen
Tasha Zephirin
Persistence through community: An exploratory study of student support in Purdue University's
NSBE chapter
Malini Josiam
An Investigation of the Perspectives of Women of Color on the Cultures of Undergraduate
Engineering
Taylor Johnson
"You Have to Focus on School...You Can't Focus on Getting Paid": A Multi-Study
Exploration of Perspectives on and Experiences of Engineering Students Who Work
Article mention:
Su, L. K. (2010). Quantification of diversity in engineering higher education in the United States. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 16(2).
https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/00551c876cc2f027,69ab3d9d13586e06,0e19b121603f0805.html
Department of Education degree reclassification (referenced in Part 2) -
https://azat.tv/en/degrees-redefined-nursing-engineering-and-more-lose-professional-status-under-new-federal-rules/
Join us as we discuss life after grant terminations, keeping the work alive and relevant, and staying true to our values as researchers. Dr. Kendall shares with us her journey to engineering education and some insights into her ongoing work - The AMPLIFY Project, a collaborative effort that leveraged participatory research to explore the knowledge and practices at Hispanic Serving Institutions in the U.S. to understand faculty development along a continuum between deficit-based and asset-based framing of the educational experience. She candidly shares with us the gems uncovered by this project and the subsequent challenges that disruptions in funding have created and how WE, as a community, can help each other keep these impactful efforts going. Dr. Kendall shares an inspirational story for all those engineering faculty considering a line of inquiry in engineering education and hope for the future of engineering education.
Name Drop
Amplify team: Alexandra Coso Strong, Gemma Henderson, Ines Basalo, and Henry Salgado
Engineering Leadership: Cindy Rottman, Meg Handley, Kim Wolfinbarger, and Brian Novoselich
UNIDOS: Monica Cardella
Engineering Identity: Maura Borrego & Cole Joslyn
Up and coming: Lori Houghtalen & Nichole Ramirez <- inspiration to keep going and to find joy in research again.
Relevant websites:
NDSL Sourcebook on engineering leadership development: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/23733357/2022/2022/173
The AMPLIFY Project: https://www.utep.edu/engineering/amplify/
UNIDOS Center for Community Coordination: https://hsiunidos.org/
Dr. Sarah Rodriguez shares with us her autobiographical influenced research inquiry that explores being rural, Latina, and pursuing engineering education. We are so thankful to have had Dr. Rodriguez with us to discuss her upcoming book, endorsement of Chicana Feminist scholars during these difficult times, and place-based approaches. She shares with us her journey as a rural Latina engineering education scholar and prolific author in engineering education. Dr. Rodriguez low key drops some tips on how to build unexpected connections that lead to opportunities.
Name Drop
Authored books:
Latin* Students in Engineering: An Intentional Focus on a Growing Population
Supporting Latina Students in Engineering and Computing: A Chicana Feminist Approach
Chicana Feminists -
- Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (Anzaldúa)
- This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color (Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa)
- Light in the Dark/Luz en lo Oscuro Rewriting Identity, Spirituality, Reality (Anzaldúa)
Dolores Delgado Bernal
Ruth López, Associate Professor, University of Arizona, College of Education
Joel Alex Mejia, University of Cincinnati
Blog - My Life as a Rural Latina Professor: A Journey in Finding Purpose and Place
Join us in our conversation with the revolutionary Dr. Alan Cheville of Bucknell University exploring his journey to and through engineering education from Physics to Photonics to revolutionary departmental efforts to transform engineering education. He shares with us his philosophy related to dealing with change in these uncertain times, but most notably he encourages us to hold onto hope and to each other. He’s a scholar after our own hearts with pithy quotes and words of wisdom.
Name Drop
Jennifer Turns
Ron Ulseth
Becky Bates
Dr. London and Dr. Ross reflect on the season including our favorites and insights followed by some words of encouragement for our fellow scholars impacted by the change in priorities of the nation and subsequent grant terminations. We acknowledge the work of scholars who may feel devalued in this changing times, we call for the generational fight for academic freedom, and announce a change in the season to come.
As scholars who have received terminations in recent weeks, we offer below some resources.
National Science Foundation PAPPG Informal resolution of award adminstration disputes
Code of Federal Regulations Termination and standard closeout costs
Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom Action Report #6
Action Plan & Appeal for Illegal NSF Grant terminations
Updates on NSF priorities
Bridge funding opportunities: Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program
We'd also like to acknowledge the tireless, thankless, and often cruel work that our colleagues at federal agencies are enduring. We see you too.
Join us in listening to the ways in which Reverend Dr. Tamecia Jones honors her many talents, callings, and selves as she designs research and navigates the academy. She will share the ways in which her background, experiences, and core values shape her work. She will hip us to epistemic frames and the ways we can reimagine assessment of knowledge acquisition that is not punitive and painful.
Name drop:
Cindy Atman, University of Washington
Learning Sciences, Stanford
K-12, Tufts University - Trevion Henderson, Greses Pérez
Join us as we discuss Black feminist theory and intersectionality with Dr. Yolanda Rankin. She led us through the historical foundation and her hopes for the future of intersectionality, feminist scholarship, computing, and computing education. She discusses the messiness of the theory and challenges us to continue to muddle through that messiness so that we might do better as a discipline. The chat was both insightful and hopeful. Enjoy!
Name Drop
Dr. Jakita Owens, Auburn University
Dr. Shawna Erete, University of Maryland
bell hooks
Angela Y. Davis
Brittany Cooper
Patricia Hill Collins
Nicki Washington
Article mention
Ross, M. S. (2023). Let’s have that conversation: How limited epistemological beliefs exacerbates inequities and will continue to be a barrier to broadening participation. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 23(2), 1-4.
Listen to Dr. Smith’s predictions of the future of Engineering Education by first exploring the seven shifts in engineering education over the last 20 years. You are in for treat as he unpacks the themes that have emerged upon reflection on where we’ve been and how it shapes where we are headed.
Name Drop/Links:
The Future of the University – Part 1 – JEE Academic Bookshelf Revisited
https://karlsmithmn.org/reflections/the-future-of-the-university-part-1-jee-academic-bookshelf-revisited/
ASEE Reports
https://www.asee.org/publications/asee-publications/asee-reports
Financial Alignment with Inclusive Teaching Excellence (FAITE)
https://faiteworkshop2024.blogspot.com/
https://ascnhighered.org/ASCN/cost_benefit.html
https://cdn.serc.carleton.edu/files/ASCN/20240422_faite_ascn_workshop_brief.v4.pdf
Tom Fisher (former Dean, College of Design, UMN) - Fisher, T. (2022).Space, structures and design in a post-pandemic world. New York: Routledge.
Bryan Rosenberg (Former president of Macalester College) - Rosenberg, B. (2023). Whatever it is, I’m against it: Resistance to Change in Higher Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. I’m working on my next JEE Academic Bookshelf reflection essay on the future of engineering education and am deeply immersed in the multitude of books on the future of higher education. Currently I have 19 books in my ereader library and another 12 in print on my bookshelf.
We do touch on the unrest in 2020 that gripped the nation catalyzed by the murder of George Floyd. As to honor the movement and those lost, please visit the Say their Names project.
References Cited
Fisher, T. (2022).Space, structures and design in a post-pandemic world.New York: Routledge.
Fisher, T. (2024). The ‘Phygital’ Future: What Campuses Will Look Like. What higher ed will look like in 10 years: Fundamental change is coming quickly. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Froyd, J. E., Wankat, P. C., & Smith, K. A. (2012). Five major shifts in 100 years of engineering education. Proceedings of the IEEE, 100, 1344–1360.
Mann, C. R. (1918). A study of engineering education: prepared for the Joint committee on engineering education of the national engineering societies (No. 11). Merrymount Press.
Rosenberg, B. (2023). Whatever it is, I’m against it: Resistance to Change in Higher Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press
Smith (2010) Social nature of learning: From small groups to learning communities. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2010, 123, 11-22 [NDTL-123-2-Smith-Social_Basis_of_Learning-.pdf]
Smith, K. 2011.Cooperative Learning: Lessons and Insights from Thirty Years of Championing a Research-Based Innovative Practice [Smith-FIE-CL-1240-10-draft.pdf]
Smith, K.A. & Chavela Guerra, R. (2021). Learning in the time of coronavirus. ASEE Webinar, March 30, 2021. Link to recording. Link to slides.
Smith, K.A. & Felder, R.M. (2023). Cooperative Learning in Engineering Education: The Story of an Ongoing Uphill Climb. In Robyn Gillies, Barbara Millis, and Neil Davidson, eds. Contemporary Global Perspectives on Cooperative Learning Link to Draft
Streveler R., and Smith K. (2020), Course design in the time of coronavirus: Put on your designer’s CAP. Advances in Engineering Education. https://advances.asee.org/opinion-course-design-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-put-on-your-designers-cap/
Join us as we discuss engineering education in Australia, with a focus on the career path of Dr. Anne Gardner, an Associate Dean at the University of Technology Sydney. Dr. Gardner shares her journey into engineering education, her current research projects, leadership roles, and the focus areas of the engineering education community in Australia. We also discuss collaborations with scholars in Australia and the upcoming engineering education conference - Austaliasian Engineering Education (A2E2).
Name DropJenni CaseKasey BeddoesJames TrevelyanSally MaleScott DanielTania MatchetSarah DartAndrew ValentineAleksandr Litvinov
Dr. Mark Guzdial of the University of Michigan and Dr. Adrienne Decker of the University at Buffalo share their definitions of computing education and computer science education and how these disciplines fit or in some cases do not yet fit in engineering education. Listen to this engaging discussion about the history of computing, a preview of the state of computing education, and some aspirations of the future of these disciplines in engineering education.
Name Drop
Barbara Ericson
Katie Cunningham
Bahare Naimipour
Aman Yadav
Sean Mackay
Holliday Sims
Dr. Villanueva Alarcón shares with us how she arrived at hidden curriculum as a theoretical framework, how she’s adapted it for engineering education and the ways she continues to extend this very insightful framework that has roots in sociology, psychology, and disability studies.
Name Drop
Drs. James Holly Jr, Monica Cox, Alex Mejia, Renata Revelo, Joyce Main
Drs. Karina Vielma, Jeremy Waisome, Sindia Rivera, Janice Mejia, Saira Anwar
Given the changing landscape of the academy across the U.S. driven in large part by the attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion, unrest on campuses, and the legislation targeting high education we were moved to invite an activist in engineering education - Dean Riley to talk about how to activate the activist within us. We had a candid conversation about living an activist life but also some inspiring words to disrupt the paralysis so many are feeling given the current climate in the academy. Join us as we hear Dean Riley’s life of activism and her call to us all to tap into our inner activist.
Name Drop
Nuclear Nuevo México
Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos
Myrriah Gómez (Author)
Kelly Cross
Cindy Rottmann (University of Toronto)
Brooke Coley - Center for RARE Justice
Darshan Karwat - Activist Engineering
Idalis Villanueva
Andrea Haverkamp
Joey Valle
Corey Bowman
Karl Smith
Stephanie Adams
Gregory Cajete - Native Science, Look to the Mountain
Reference Links
The Routledge International Handbook of Engineering Ethics Education
Inclusive Mindset Report
Latin* Students in Engineering
What a season it has been! After completing our first season as hosts of Research Briefs 2.0, we spent some time reflecting on the themes of the season and what and who inspired us this year. Thank you for listening! We look forward to sharing more scholars and scholarship with you in the Fall. In the meantime, go back and listen to the amazing scholars we hosted this year. Be safe and rest up!
This two part episode is a continuation of our conversation with Dr. Cindy Atman. In part one, she shared an intriguing history of engineering education and the role of centers in establishing the field (Pt. 1). But in part two she shares the wisdom she has gained related to leadership in engineering education. If you are: 1) considering establishing an engineering education departments; 2) engaging in the arduous process of looking for engineering education departmental leadership; or 3) considering a leadership role in engineering education yourself this episode is a must. It was an absolute joy to engage with Dr. Atman. I hope you enjoy her wisdom, quotes, and insights as much as we did.
“Centers are an important way to address specific challenges that can be contextualized, …ways to connect with other parts of campus or institutions, …or a national resource that everybody can draw on.”
This two part episode is a must listen for anybody intrigued by the history of engineering education and the role of centers in establishing the field (Pt. 1). Likewise, a great listen for those looking to establish engineering education departments and/or are looking for engineering education departmental leadership (Pt. 2).
“Centers are an important way to address specific challenges that can be contextualized, …ways to connect with other parts of campus or institutions, …or a national resource that everybody can draw on.”
Resources:
Websites:
- Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education (CAEE)
- Consortium for the Promotion of Reflection in Engineering Education (CPREE)
- Design Signatures website
Papers/reports:
Atman, C. J. (2019). Design timelines: Concrete and sticky representations of design process expertise. Design Studies, 65, 125-151.
Atman, C. J., Sheppard, S. D., Adams, R. S., Fleming, L. N., Stevens, R., Streveler, R. A., Smith, K. A., Miller, R. L., Leifer, L. J., Yasuhara, K., Lund, D. (2010). Enabling Engineering Student Success: The Final Report for the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education. San Rafael, CA: Morgan & Claypool Publishers.
Atman, C. J., Adams, R. S., Cardella, M. E., Turns, J., Mosborg, S., & Saleem, J. (2007). Engineering design processes: A comparison of students and expert practitioners. Journal of engineering education, 96(4), 359-379.
Engineering Education Community Resource
Dr. Smith shares with us her full-circle journey to and through engineering education. Dr. Smith is a community-engaged scholar that leverages asset-based frameworks along with humility to learn with the families she engages with for her work. She reminds us the importance of an ethic of care when designing and executing research.
“You have to position this work very carefully. So anyone that is doing community-engaged scholarship, you have to be very thoughtful in how you write about what you do on your CV or communicate it to your colleagues.”
Name drop: Ann Ishimaru, Natalie King
Join us in our conversation with Dr. Esther Matemba about engineering education from an international perspective. We discuss the variance in topics and priorities based on the context and how important it is for us to consider context when defining and describing research. We also explore Dr. Matemba’s experience with coalition building on the continent of Africa through the effort called the ENGINEERING EDUCATION RESEARCH NETWORK AFRICA (EERN-AFRICA). We were inspired by her words and hope you are too.
“Give everyone a chance...Be open to other people’s topics even if it is not your context.”
In this episode we talk with Dr. Elizabeth Litzler about her pathway to and through engineering education. We talk about the impact of program evaluation, and the barriers and liberation associated with aligning values with research methods, more specifically participatory action research.
“It [Participatory Action Research, PAR] usually has a bit more of a democratic feel to it. So, your research methods are really collaborative and the community members or the participants are really like co-researchers.”
This episode we talk with Dr. Julia Williams about her pathway to and through engineering education and more specifically about her experience with change in engineering education.
“I saw opportunities for change all around me. And as I struggled, sometimes, to make change happen; other times hitting it out of the park maybe. I thought, gee there are things that we do to make change happen that aren’t really written down anywhere.”
This episode explores the pathway of Dr. Ruth Streveler and her confidence to move out of her lane into innovation. Her words are inspiring and they challenge the community to pick up the baton in conceptual change towards a new model.
“Trust yourself. And look for opportunities, and ... have an entrepreneurial mindset... [The mindset] isn’t necessarily for something you are going to sell or a product you are going to develop, but what you want to do with your career.”
This episode introduces the new hosts of Research Briefs, Dr. Jeremi London and Dr. Monique Ross, to the internationally followed podcast audience.
“I’m really excited about this new direction, in that we will carry on many of the wonderful things that Ruth started but also begin to make it our own…”
This episode rebroadcasts Dr. Ruth Streveler’s June 2020 conversation with Dr. Jeremi London – who shares her fascinating research on ‘impact’.
“I started to look at what makes studying impact so difficult and realized that it was very value-laden and it’s a discussion on what is something worth. And discussions on worth are always really tough to have.” - Jeremi London
This episode rebroadcasts Dr. Ruth Streveler’s conversation with Dr. Shawn Jordan, who shares how he uses storytelling principles in his research in an effort to broaden participation in engineering.
Watch this practice in action!
“One of the key points of storytelling, and particularly oral tradition storytelling, is that they believe whenever you tell a story, even if it is someone else’s story, that part of you is in that story because it’s being told through your lens. And that, to me, is one of the things is so transformational as both a research approach as well as a teaching approach, because if we can get underrepresented students not only learning but telling stories of people in engineering pathways then that might help shift their identities as well.” - Shawn Jordan
This episode is a rebroadcast of Dr. Ruth Streveler’s interview with Dr. Nadia Kellam, who continually pushes the boundaries of “appropriate” research topics and methods. Learn more about narrative methods, and I-poems, and hear about Nadia’s courage to keep doing what feels right, even in the face of strong opposition by trusted mentors.
“I don’t know where … [the courage to do the risky thing] came from; [I am sure part of] it was a mom that was a feminist and pushed us to do good things and be authentic to yourself. … [With] some of those experiences … I started to learn that it was okay to do what felt right to me and to take that risk.” - Nadia Kellam
[When teaching for conceptual change we have] “been focusing on … convincing people with evidence and wondering why they weren’t convinced. … [Instead of asking: ‘How can I convince people with evidence?’ the better] question might be, ‘How do I help people feel like they belong to this community? How can they trust … that I’m telling them the truth?’ “ - Ruth Streveler, July 2021
This conversation between Dr. Ruth Streveler and Dr. Emily Dringenberg took place during the development of a socially-embedded framework for learning.
Opinion Piece by host Dr. Ruth Streveler
DOI: 10.18260/3-1-1153-36030
This episode was produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. The theme music was composed and performed by Patrick Vogt.
Should we think of ‘smartness’ as a verb instead of an adjective? Host Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Emily Dringenberg, assistant professor of Engineering Education at The Ohio State University about her research about deeply held beliefs.
This episode was produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Host Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Stephanie Farrell, professor and founding head of the Experiential Engineering Education Department (ExEED) at Rowan University.
This episode was produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Host Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Jason Morphew, visiting assistant professor at Purdue, who tells us about his research in embodied cognition and learning.
This episode was produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Host Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Jiabin [Emily] Zhu of Shanghai Jiao Tong University who shares her experience researching Chinese engineers and sharing that work with an English-speaking audience.
Citation
Zhu, J., Hu, Y., Zheng, T., & Li, Y. (2021) Engineering leadership in a chinese industry context: An exploration using the four capabilities model. Journal of Engineering Education, 110 (3) – 765-790. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20404
This episode was produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Host Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews the founding co-editors of Studies in Engineering Education, Drs. Marie Paretti and Shane Brown, who tell us about the journal’s focus, and provide recommendations for prospective authors.
This episode was produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
How can being an artist and a poet impact one’s life as a researcher? What are the common threads between seemingly disparate communities of practice? Chanel Beebe, artist, writer, social entrepreneur, engineer, and Doctoral Candidate in the School Engineering Education at Purdue shares her experience and thoughts about these questions.
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Chanel Beebe is an artist, writer, social entrepreneur, engineer, and Doctoral Candidate in the School Engineering Education at Purdue. Join us as she shares her journey existing and thriving in various areas of expertise and how she uncovers her contributions to Engineering Education and beyond!
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Kerrie Douglas, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue shares research that has helped her answer the question, "how can we support all students, during and after the pandemic?"
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Learn about a new podcast featuring thought leaders in online learning. Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Natasha Perova-Mello, STEM Learning Consulting, LLC, and Dr. Nicole Pitterson, Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech about their new podcast, Reflective Teaching in a Digital Age.
This episode was produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
How do you design online instruction to support and engage a community of learners? To explore this question, Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Ruth Wertz (ENE PhD '14), Assistant Professor of General Engineering at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso Indiana.
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
This is an encore presentation of the 2018 interview with Dr. James Holly, Jr. James discusses his use of critical autoethnography in his dissertation, “A Critical Autoethnography of Teaching Engineering to Black Boys as a Black Man.”
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
What does it mean to be an anti-racist engineering education researcher? To help us think about that question, Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. James Holly, Jr., Assistant Professor of Urban Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education at Wayne State University in Detroit MI.
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
How are empathy and engineering connected? On this Episode of the Research Briefs Podcast, Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Justin Hess, Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue. Justin discusses a 4-part model of empathy he has developed.
This episode is produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
How do we know if our research matters? On this Episode of the Research Briefs Podcast, Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Jeremi London, Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Jeremi discusses Research’s Impact in Society and Education.
This episode is produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Julie Martin, Associate Professor of Engineering Education at the Ohio State University who discusses her research to promote diversity and inclusion in engineering.
The Engineering Education Research Briefs podcast is produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Julie Martin, Associate Professor of Engineering Education at the Ohio State University. She discusses her time as a Program Officer at the National Science Foundation and provides advice on how to write competitive research grant proposals.
The Engineering Education Research Briefs podcast is produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Streveler talks with Dr. Atiq, a recent alumna of the Purdue University School of Engineering Education PhD program, to discuss her journey to pursue a doctorate in engineering education and the methods used for her dissertation to tackle the Emotions Experienced by First-Year Engineering Students During Programming Tasks.
This year-end episode of the Research Briefs Podcast has a twist. Dr. Ruth Streveler is interviewed by Dr. Emily Dringenberg, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at the Ohio State University. Emily asks Ruth questions she thinks listeners might ask about the origin of the podcast and Ruth’s research trajectory. This episode is produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Robin Adams, Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University who will discuss her use of photo elicitation.
Citation mentioned in the episode:
Hatten, K., Forin, T.R., Adams, R. (2013). A picture elicits a thousand meanings: Photo elicitation as a method for investigations cross-disciplinary identity development. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education.
This episode is produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Michael Loui, the recently-retired Dale and Suzi Gallagher Professor in Engineering Education at Purdue University. Before coming to Purdue, Dr. Loui spent 33 years at the University of Illinois where he served as a professor in electrical and computer engineering and associate dean of the graduate college. He has also been a program officer at the National Science Foundation, and the editor of the Journal of Engineering Education. In this episode, he draws on his wide range of experiences to provide advice to researchers.
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. Elliot Douglas, Professor in the Departments of Environmental Engineering Sciences and Engineering Education at the University of Florida. Dr. Douglas is one of the most highly regarded qualitative researchers in engineering education and in this episode provides his reflections on how to learn about and then use qualitative methods.
Full Transcript
Citations mentioned in the episode:
Baillie, C. & Douglas, E. P. (2014). Guest editorial: Confusions and conventions: Qualitative research in engineering education. Journal of Engineering Education, 103 (1), 1-7.
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
New engineering education researcher, Dr. Juan David Ortega Alvarez (AKA Juanda), discusses why he chose to come to the School of Engineering Education at Purdue and how he hopes to use his PhD to make an impact in Colombia.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
New engineering education researcher, Dr. Genisson Coutinho, discusses why he chose to come to the School of Engineering Education at Purdue and how he hopes to use his PhD to make an impact in Brazil.
Image provided by ALGETEC
A Bonus Episode with new engineering education researcher, Dr. Rohit Kandakalta. Rohit discusses why he chose to come to the School of Engineering Education at Purdue and how he hopes to use his PhD to make an impact in India.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Walter Lee discusses his development of the Model of Co-Curricular Support for Engineering Student Support Centers. Walter is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education and Assistant Director of the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) at Virginia Tech as well as leads the GUIDE research group (Growing in our Understanding of Inclusive Diversity in Engineering).
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Resources
Lee, W.C. & Matusovich, H.M. (2016). A model of co-curricular support for undergraduate engineering students. Journal of Engineering Education, 105, 406-430. Lee, W.C. Lutz, B., & Hermandstad Nave, A.L. (2018), Learning from practitioners that support underrepresented students in engineering. J. Prof. Issues Eng. Edu. Pratt., 144. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)EI.1943-5541.0000357 Lee, W.C. & Matusovich, H.M. (2018). Investigating how undergraduate students perceive co-curricular support in engineering. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 24, 195-226. Lee, W.C., Godwin, A.& Hermandstad Nave, A.L. (2018). Development of the student integration instrument: Rethinking measures of integration. Journal of Engineering Education, 107, 1-26. Lee, W.C.(2019). Guest Editorial: Pipelines, pathways and ecosystems: An argument for participation paradigms. Journal of Engineering Education, 108, 8-12.
Dr. James Huff discusses his use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (or IPA). James is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at Harding University.
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Citations
Huff, J.L., Smith, J.A., Jesiek, B.K., Zoltowski, C.B., & Oakes, W.C. (2018). Identity in engineering adulthood: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of early-career engineers in the United States as transition to the workplace. Emerging Adulthood, 1-17. DOI: 10.1177/2167696818780444
Kirn, A., Huff, J.L., Godwin, A., Ross, M. & Cass, C. (2019). Exploring tensions of using interpretative phenomenological analysis in a domain with conflicting cultural practices. Qualitative Research in Psychology, DOI:10.1080/14780887.2018.1563270
Dr. Nicki Sochacka shares her new research on how stories help shape and reflect engineering cultures and norms and values. Nicki is the Associate Director for Research Initiation and Enablement in the Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI) in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Resource Citation:
Sochacka, N., Walther, J., Wilson, J. & Brewer, M. (2014). Stories ‘told’ about engineering in the media: Implications for attracting diverse groups to the profession. Paper presented at the Annual ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Madrid, Spain.
Dr. Nadia Kellam discusses her use of narrative research methods and I-poems. Nadia is an Associate Professor in the Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
On this bonus episode of the Engineering Education Research Briefs, Dr. Ruth Streveler interviews Dr. James Holly, Jr., recent Purdue Engineering Education PhD, now at Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School in Detroit, MI. James discusses his current position and how his research has – or hasn’t – informed his ongoing work with urban black males.
*Note - since this was recorded, James has accepted a position with Wayne State University as an Assistant Professor for Urban STEM Education.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. James Holly, Jr. discusses his use of critical autoethnography in his dissertation, “A Critical Autoethnography of Teaching Engineering to Black Boys as a Black Man.”
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Devlin and Geoffrey discuss a new method of analyzing student transcripts called novice-led thematic analysis. Dr. Devlin Montfort is an Assistant Professor in the School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University and Dr. Geoffrey Herman is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Shane Brown discusses his research on conceptual understanding of important engineering concepts by undergraduate engineering students and practicing engineers. He highlights the role that “context” plays in building conceptual understanding. Shane is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Oregon State University.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Five Purdue Engineering Education PhD graduates and their current contributions. Recorded in June 2018 at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Dr. Julia Thompson, ENE PhD '15, Director of EPICS at San Jose State University discussed the new online journal, Murmurations.
Dr. James Huff, ENE PhD '14, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at Harding University introduces us to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Dr. Diana Bairaktarovka, ENE PhD '13, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech tells us about her new research project exploring difficult concepts in thermodynamics.
Dr. Aidsa Santiago-Román, ENE PhD '09, Professor and Head of the Engineering Science and Materials Department at the University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez (UPRM) recounts how her Department supported UPRM students and their families in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Dr. Meagan Pollock, ENE PhD '14, is an entrepreneur whose organization, Design Connect Create, promotes increasing the participation of women in STEM.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Alice Pawley shares how she incorporates feminist theory into engineering education research to look at why the field of engineering remains to be male-dominated. Specifically, we discuss her Guest Editorial from the October 2017 issue of the Journal of Engineering Education: Shifting the ‘‘Default’’: The Case for Making Diversity the Expected Condition for Engineering Education and Making Whiteness and Maleness Visible. Dr. Alice Pawley is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Shawn Jordan shares how he uses storytelling principles in his research and to broaden participation in engineering. Shawn is an Associate Professor of Engineering at Arizona State University.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Karl Smith shares his 40-year journey as an advocate for cooperative learning in engineering education. Karl is a Cooperative Learning Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University and Emeritus Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering at the University of Minnesota.
This episode is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, and features music composed by Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Lisa Benson discusses her vision for the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE) and how JEE can expand the boundaries of engineering education research. Lisa is a professor in the Department of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University and the Editor of the Journal of Engineering Education.
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by TJ Wharry, and features music from Patrick Vogt.
Dr. Allison Godwin discusses new frameworks and methods for exploring diversity and inclusion in engineering. Allison is an assistant professor in Engineering Education at Purdue University.
This episode was hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler, produced by TJ Wharry, and features music from Patrick Vogt.
Supplemental Documents
Dissertation_Jacqueline_Doyle: Dissertation from 2017 that discusses the development of Topological Data Analysis (TDA)
Intersectionality of non-normative identities in the cultures of engineering: Kirn, Godwin et al. (2016) ASEE Conference paper describing InIce results to date
Board-9…..:Benson et al. (2017) ASEE Conference paper which shows “the worm” [See Figure 2]
Dr. Joachim Walther discusses his Qualifying Qualitative Research Quality (Q3) framework. Joachim from the University of Georgia College of Engineering and the founding director of the Engineering Education Transformations Institute at the University of Georgia.
Research Briefs is hosted by Dr. Ruth Streveler and produced by TJ Wharry and the Purdue University School of Engineering Education.
Supplemental Documents
Walther et al. 2013 – An introduction to the Qualifying Qualitative research Quality (Q3) framework
Walther et al. 2017 – Sharing and expanding the Q3 framework via collaborative inquiry
Typology questions handout – a one-page summary for Q3