IUSE/PFE:RED Planning: Multi-Department Culture Change through Common Sophomore Series

NSF Award Search · 04002526DB NSF STEM Education · $149,132 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

This IUSE/PFE: RED Planning project will initiate a transformative cultural shift across all engineering departments at Louisiana Tech University by focusing on a three-course sophomore series as the focus of a RED Track 2 grant in the future. This course sequence offers a multi-departmental coalition a natural and strategic starting point for meaningful change, as it is required for all engineering students, and is taught by faculty across multiple departments. Currently, faculty teach the courses in isolation, and both faculty and students perceive the courses themselves as more relevant to certain disciplines than others, leaving the foundational value of these courses (such as strengthening students' engineering and problem-solving skills, and preparing them to communicate and collaborate effectively across departments and industries in the workforce) underappreciated. This project will develop a plan to empower faculty representatives from every engineering department to enhance and connect the content in these courses; this connection in turn will help students and faculty better understand the purpose and lasting relevance of the shared courses, while embedding cross-departmental faculty will foster lasting collaboration, drive sustainable cultural change, and improve students' academic and professional preparation. This project's intellectual merit is that it is grounded in the engineering education literature, and in preliminary data collected to show the value of

Key facts

NSF award ID
2449850
Awardee
Louisiana Tech University (LA)
SAM.gov UEI
PAMDY6DMVVE7
PI
Collin D Wick
Primary program
04002526DB NSF STEM Education
All programs
PLANNING, OUTREACH & EDUCATION, EDUCATION RESEARCH, ENGINEERING EDUCATION, EXP PROG TO STIM COMP RES
Estimated total
$149,132
Funds obligated
$149,132
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
07/01/2025 → 06/30/2027