Special Sessions

The special session will delve into the theoretical foundations of Pláticas and Testimonios [3-5], and the importance of amplifying the voices of minoritized populations through multimodal tools [6]. Drawing from the relevant literature on Chicana Feminist Epistemology, discussions in this session will explore the significance of Pláticas and Testimonios as means of amplifying students' voices and experiences. As a data collection method, Pláticas and Testimonios offer a robust means for developing mutual trust between researcher and participant, and become an instrumental method to engage in research practices that unpack experiences of marginalization, vulnerabilities, and lived experiences. In addition, multimodality will be explored in terms of research and pedagogical purposes. Multimodality involves multiple representation (i.e., symbols, equations, visual aids, schematics, writing, simulations) to communicate sociopolitical complexities that impact marginalized populations [6]. Through the analysis of Animaker videos created from research data, participants in this session will examine the practical application of these methodologies and the significance of multimodal literacies.  

In this highly interactive special session, the presenters will engage the audience in learning and testing out various aspects of a teaching framework used to teach critical consciousness (Freire, 1987) topics alongside the engineering design process at two different institutions.     Due to the nature of the integration, intergroup dialogue (Gurin et al., 2013) is not implemented in its pure form. Instead, some aspects of dialogue-focused pedagogy are implemented. These include: community guidelines for dialogue, positioning dialogue pedagogy ahead of others and in contrast to argumentation or discussion, learning activities to promote group growth in dialogue.   

The principles of effective, engaging, and inclusive teaching have been well documented and supported through numerous evidence and research-based studies. However, we struggle to encourage the adoption of research-based practices by the broader higher education instructional community. So why don't we apply these same principles when disseminating our research? One approach that has regularly been used to encourage the adoption of new teaching strategies is short, one-time interventions in the form of workshops. Workshops have been a staple of faculty development and dissemination efforts for many years - both at local universities and more broadly. However, not all workshops are as effective as others. Creating an inclusive and impactful workshop requires implementing the same effective, engaging, and inclusive teaching strategies known to be effective in the classroom. 

Has anyone ever told you that you have to be smart to be an engineer? Engineering students are typically those who have been socialized within K-12 education to believe that they are smarter than others. Their beliefs and identities around being "smart" are brought with them into our engineering classrooms, which impacts the way they understand themselves as engineers. The first year of engineering school is a particular challenge for many students as they wonder if they are smart enough to be an engineer. For example, many students are finding that they need different learning strategies to keep up with what is happening in class. 

Prior literature on conducting research interviews tends to emphasize the procedural mechanisms of asking the right questions that are documented in an interview schedule or protocol. While such a focus advances high-quality research interviews, this special session advances the holistic skillset of interviewing, which includes creating a relational presence in the social interaction of the session and posturing oneself as a curious one-sided listener. In this special session, we examine all interactions within the scope of an interview session, all with a particular focus on the skill development of the research interviewer.

Conceptualizations of entrepreneurial mindset (EM) vary across disciplines. One widely used framework in engineering education is the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) 3C's conceptual framework, which delineates attributes associated with EM: curiosity, connections, and creating value. The 3Cs framework has guided curriculum, faculty, and student development initiatives at KEEN partner schools and beyond. While the framework's flexibility enhances its adaptability among practitioners, its lack of direct association with existing theoretical literature has limited its applicability in educational research and presented challenges in publishing work based on the framework in high-impact journals. This session seeks active participation from FIE attendees in a Delphi study to collectively operationalize curiosity, connections, and creating value, drawing upon existing literature definitions of the constructs and insights from prior practitioner feedback. Additionally, the session will present our findings from a content analysis of the KEEN Engineering Unleashed website, interviews with KEEN legacy leaders involved in the framework's initial conceptualization, and results from our scoping review of relevant literature. By the session's conclusion, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the history of the 3C's conceptual framework and its alignment with existing literature. 

The IEEE Teaching Excellence Hub (https://teaching.ieee.org) is an online venue for information that helps faculty with the knowledge and skills they need to enhance their ability to be effective educators.  The short article content is peer-reviewed and curated by IEEE experts and is contributed by subject matter experts with a global perspective.  Articles are indexed by a set of 23 educational topics which are defined within the site.  This peer-reviewed content is subject to a Creative Commons 4.0 International license.  Currently, the TEH has 30 short articles and other resources for educator professional development.