Initiatives for Creating a More Inclusive Engineering Environment with Limited Resources and Minimum Disruption

Abstract

In recent years the need for and benefits of diverse and inclusive science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines have been highlighted by educators, industry, and governmental agencies. It has been shown that a diverse workforce is critical to the generation of new ideas, creativity and innovation [1]. It is widely acknowledged that mechanical engineering departments at the undergraduate level, in most instances, do not have a diverse student body that is representative of the general population [2]. Therefore, the development and implementation of practices and initiatives for increasing diversity of the student and faculty in the mechanical engineering discipline must be a focus. Additionally, we believe that having a welcoming, inclusive environment is a precursor to improving diversity and thus should be an important consideration in mechanical engineering education. We propose that introducing a few carefully designed practices that require very few resources and cause minimum disruption could result in a more welcoming and inclusive environment. Bringing about change for a more inclusive environment can be challenging, namely in that it can be disruptive and require resources, but careful planning and strategic use of resources can help alleviate these challenges. A more inclusive STEM environment could be created by trying to address numerous complex existing issues (such as the gender-gap or the lack of participation of underrepresented groups) individually, but multifaceted solutions are essential to address these issues as a whole. Our vision of a fully inclusive program includes students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds who are comfortable and fully engaged in the educational process and have equal opportunities to be successful. We are working to further improve recruitment and increase retention of the best and brightest minds, regardless of sex, ethnic background, or sexual orientation by strategically focusing on several initiatives in our school. The University of Oklahoma is currently participating in a NSF funded program titled Transforming Engineering Culture to Advance Inclusion and Diversity (TECAID). In this paper we present some of the initiatives that we are undertaking as a part of this program to achieve our vision for a more inclusive environment, while minimizing disruption and strategically utilizing the limited resources available. We believe that our strategies may provide other institutions with a starting point for creating a more inclusive mechanical engineering educational experience. Lack of Diversity in Mechanical Engineering A gender and ethnically diverse engineering population has been recognized as a critical aspect for the U.S. to remain a leader in the global economy [3]. A more inclusive and diverse engineering workforce is a more innovative and productive workforce [1]. Recognizing this need, significant attention and resources have been allocated in the recent past towards increasing female and underrepresented minority student enrollment in STEM fields, including engineering. These efforts have resulted in a more diverse undergraduate population in US institutions, but overall graduation rates still do not reflect a fully diverse student body. For instance, women and underrepresented minorities earned only around 19% and 13% of the 2012