In senior-level engineering courses, the integration of personalized computational projects marks a transformative shift towards inclusivity. This approach not only enriches the learning experience for traditionally underrepresented groups, such as LGBTQIA+ students and women, but also extends to all diverse backgrounds, promoting a broader spectrum of inclusivity. By aligning projects with students' personal interests and professional ambitions, this pedagogical strategy significantly boosts engagement and retention. Students become deeply invested in content that resonates personally, turning each project into a critical component of their educational journey. This method fosters autonomy and encourages students to actively shape their academic endeavors, equipping them to address complex engineering challenges through a computational lens. Enhanced technical skills, innovation, and problem-solving abilities are direct outcomes, fostering a dynamic and inclusive engineering community. To assess the effectiveness of this approach, our study employs quantitative and qualitative methods, analyzing engagement metrics and student feedback to evaluate its impact on learning outcomes and retention rates. The results underscore the importance of recognizing and nurturing individual potential within engineering education, proving essential for maintaining diverse representation in the field. This abstract outlines the potential of tailored computational projects to create a more inclusive and dynamic engineering community, demonstrating significant benefits across various dimensions of diversity.

Authors:
Hessam Mirgolbabaei, University of Minnesota, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Mirgolbabaei is an unwavering advocate for women and the LGBTQIA+ community in the engineering field, and his remarkable journey is marked by resilience and unwavering determination.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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