Research Initiation: Understanding Team Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Undergraduate Engineering Design Projects

Information

  • NSF Award
  • 2306176
Owner
  • Award Id
    2306176
  • Award Effective Date
    8/15/2023 - 10 months ago
  • Award Expiration Date
    7/31/2025 - a year from now
  • Award Amount
    $ 198,651.00
  • Award Instrument
    Standard Grant

Research Initiation: Understanding Team Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Undergraduate Engineering Design Projects

The overwhelming majority of engineering activities in research, design, and manufacturing are accomplished by teams, and this approach is prevalent across sectors as varied as biomedical, aerospace, and consumer goods. High task complexity means that the teams are often multi-disciplinary and quite possibly global in composition and reach. Managing this inherent diversity is critical to team effectiveness. This project seeks to advance the research on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) specific to teamwork dynamics in engineering design teams by exploring the influence of diversity and equity practices on inclusion within the undergraduate engineering design process. Additionally, it also aims to support a community of emerging researchers dedicated to conducting engineering education research. Students’ ability to engage effectively in diverse teams is a key competency to advance holistic engineering formation. Understanding the connection between team-based engineering design and DEI will be instrumental in shaping current and future engineering professionals, by helping prepare engineers who are responsive to the evolving needs of the workforce with a mindset of being equally open and accessible to all. The findings of this project are expected to help uncover valuable insights into how engineering teams work and learn together. Ultimately, by strategically incorporating DEI practices, we can create more functional and effective groups that positively impact student success, particularly by enhancing the ability of marginalized students to participate and thrive. <br/><br/>Grounded in the Framework for Participation, this project will develop an understanding of the differences between high-inclusion and low-inclusion teams in undergraduate engineering design collaborations, in terms of team diversity and equity practices, among other factors that influence team dynamics. Further, critical factors that are associated with the positive and negative outcomes of inclusion will be identified to build the theoretical framework for the PI’s long-term research goal to study collaborative design behavior modeling with DEI considerations. The following exploratory research questions will be studied: What are the differences between the high-inclusion and low-inclusion teams with respect to their diversity? What are the differences between the high-inclusion and low-inclusion teams with respect to their equity practices? What are the differences in class-related variables between the high-inclusion and low-inclusion teams (such as student academic levels, collaboration modality, and project types? This project will utilize a mixed-methods approach to closely study team members’ behaviors in project collaboration through classroom data organically collected (i.e., without intentional interventions or influence on team formation from researchers) over the course of three semesters from more than 300 students. Together, the quantitative and qualitative analyses will provide a more comprehensive understanding of what aspects of diversity and equity have been effective, or ineffective, in promoting collaboration inclusion. Furthermore, this project seeks to uncover the mechanisms and reasons behind these findings, providing insights that can inform potential intervention strategies for promoting DEI in engineering design team collaboration. This project will be led by a principal investigator who is an engineering faculty member with mentorship from a team of experienced STEM education researchers.<br/><br/>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.

  • Program Officer
    Matthew A. Verlegermverlege@nsf.gov7032922961
  • Min Amd Letter Date
    7/17/2023 - 11 months ago
  • Max Amd Letter Date
    7/17/2023 - 11 months ago
  • ARRA Amount

Institutions

  • Name
    Miami University
  • City
    OXFORD
  • State
    OH
  • Country
    United States
  • Address
    501 E HIGH ST
  • Postal Code
    450561846
  • Phone Number
    5135293600

Investigators

  • First Name
    Jinjuan
  • Last Name
    She
  • Email Address
    jshe@miamiOH.edu
  • Start Date
    7/17/2023 12:00:00 AM

Program Element

  • Text
    EngEd-Engineering Education
  • Code
    1340

Program Reference

  • Text
    EDUCATION RESEARCH
  • Text
    ENGINEERING EDUCATION
  • Code
    1340