But What Does this Have to do with Engineering? Designing and Implementing Cultural Awareness Interventions for First-Year Students: A Panel Discussion
- Clayton Johnson (Iowa State University)
- Ashley Morton (Iowa State University)
- Santos Núñez (Iowa State University)
- Mackenzie Schwartz (Iowa State University)
- Lindsay Frueh (Iowa State University)
- Ben McCarty (Iowa State University)
Abstract
Designing interventions for first-year students around the idea of cultural awareness can be challenging. Students can have difficulty understanding how these topics are relevant to their collegiate career. Engineering students specifically come to college expecting to have a focused, STEM-oriented education, making these students generally more skeptical of activities focused on cultural awareness. This panel will include academic advisers in engineering who have designed, implemented, evaluated, and refined cultural awareness interventions. Although these activities were developed specifically for first-year engineering students, the activities themselves and lessons learned in the development, implementation, and refinement of these activities are applicable to anyone designing similar interventions for audiences new to this topic. We will discuss successes, pitfalls, lessons learned, and opportunities for growth in the future.
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