ESJP 2024 Conference: On-site session descriptions

Contents

Special sessions

Special session 1A: Another Engineering Is Possible: Supporting Students’ Emotional Engagement in Engineering Learning. (Tuesday 14:10-15:40)

Katerina Pia Günter1, Maria Berge1, Nadia Kellam2, Marie Paretti, Johanna Lönngren1

  1. Umeå University
  2. Arizona State University
  3. Virginia Tech

Description

This workshop uses Holland et al.’s (1998) theory of figured worlds and Lönngren and Berge’s (in print) theory of emotional positioning. We explore figured emotional worlds operating in engineering classrooms and imagine possible futures.

Framing concepts: Figured worlds (FW) are historical, social, and cultural interpretations of practices that constrain actions and interactions and distribute individuals in social roles across landscapes of action. Used as a lens, FWs let us explore past and current practices and imagine possible futures. In this workshop, we transgress disciplinary and theoretical silos and imagine possible FWs of intersecting and transcending spaces where engineering, education, and social justice meet. Importantly, play is a central avenue through which individuals negotiate with, re-imagine, and change FWs. We actualize play through the concept of playful learning (Nørgård, Toft-Nielsen & Whitton 2017). Emotional positioning: Positioning describes the process of assigning rights and duties to individuals. Emotional positioning centers 1) using emotions to position self and others and 2) positioning self and others in terms of emotions (Lönngren and Berge in print).

Workshop Structure: We illustrate framing concepts with examples from our research before using magazine cutouts to construct collages representing current emotional positioning within engineering classrooms and desired future emotional positioning participants wish to create. In groups, we discuss our collages, synthesize ideas, and close by collectively imagining ways moving from the present into possible future.

  • Holland, D., Lachicotte, W. J., Skinner, D., & Cain, C. (1998). Identity and agency in cultural worlds. Harvard University Press.
  • Lönngren, J., & Berge, J. (in print). Positioning, Emotions, and Emotional Positioning. In M. McVee et al. (Eds.), Routledge International Handbook of Positioning Theory (pp. 1–17). Routledge.
  • Nørgård, R. T., Toft-Nielsen, C., & Whitton, N. (2017). Playful learning in higher education: developing a signature pedagogy. International Journal of Play, 6(3), 272-282.

Special session 1B: How can society be improved through peace innovation? (Tuesday 14:10-15:40)

Lena Gumaelius1, Susanne Nilsson1 and Selma Gumaelius2

  1. Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
  2. Umeå University

Description

Today, we find ourselves in a global situation where conflicts within and between countries are increasing, or at least becoming more apparent and having greater consequences than just a decade ago. Military build-up and increased policing are current responses to the rising violence in these situations. We argue that humanity lacks much-needed knowledge about the crucial factors when societal climates deteriorate. While external factors like resource scarcity, limited freedoms, and reduced influence are recognized as triggers for negative reactions, comprehending how societal climates shift, even in relatively prosperous environments, remains a challenge. We want to investigate and discuss whether peace innovation is a missing research area that has the potential to contribute to increased global peace and fewer conflicts in society. We see this research field as interdisciplinary but emerging from a technical perspective, meaning that we incorporate technology and disruptive new technological areas as means to achieve our goals.

We envision opportunities to strengthen innovation processes that enhance understanding among people and improve communication capabilities and increase empathy among different groups and cultures. Inspired by initiatives such as Stanford’s Peace Innovation Lab (https://www.peaceinnovation.stanford.edu/), a center aiming at creating technology that systematically augments our ability to engage positively with each other, we see this conference as a unique opportunity to discuss what establishing such a field would entail. We would love to run a 2-hour workshop aims to familiarize participants with the concept of peace innovation and explore strategies for promoting positive engagement across diverse boundaries. The agenda includes an introductory session, an icebreaker activity focusing on group identity mapping, an interactive exercise simulating interactions (based on contact theory principles), a brainstorming session on Peace Tech/innovation interventions, and a closing discussion on how to collaborate to contribute to the planned special issue.

Special session 2A: In what ways might engineering education researchers’ writing be complicit in slow violence? (Wednesday 9:00-10:30)

Patric Wallin
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Description

A space for dialogue around the following questions: In what ways might engineering education researchers’ writing be complicit in slow violence? Using ourselves as a starting point, the idea is to take a closer look at discursive practices in the engineering literature. Drawing on Nixon’s (2011) concept of slow violence as “a violence that occurs gradually and out of sight, a violence of delayed destruction that is dispersed across time and space, an attritional violence that is typically not viewed as violence at all”, I want to create a space to discuss how the way we present research can potentially be seen as slow violence that gradually contributes to the destruction of the planet, social injustice, and undermining of democracy. The influence of market thinking and human capital theory has deeply changed the language and practices used in education (Henry Giroux 2002). The instrumental view of the higher education sector positions the university as nothing more than an instrument for economic progress; an ordinary investment that should contribute to financial returns on the labor market, where students become production points and a degree becomes a form of currency.

With the current emphasis on change in higher education, emerging discourses easily reduce educational research to provide clear guidelines for systematic improvements and to distinguish efficient education practices from inefficient ones. Traces of slow violence are visible throughout the engineering education research literature. They are prominent both in the framing of articles, as well as in the emphasis of “best practices” and “solutions” to described problems. Through an emphasis on efficiency, education research and development are degraded to finding best practices without considering questions as to whether particular interventions are desirable or what means are used to achieve effects.

Special session 2B: How can engineering skills and methodologies be applied to peacebuilding? (Wednesday 9:00-10:30)

Obasesam Okoi
University of St Thomas, Minnesota, USA

Description

In recent years, peacebuilding scholars and practitioners have been debating creative ways of building sustainable peace in response to the changing nature of conflict. As the world grapples with the climate crisis, necessitating collective action across all sectors and disciplines, as well as the utilization of our most advanced technological tools to expedite change before the crisis becomes irreversible, the development and deployment of AI technology has been on the rise. One challenge that must be addressed is the extraction of natural resources (such as nickel, cobalt, and graphite) for lithium-ion batteries used in electrical cars powered by AI and smartphones that are needed to sustain the growth of the digital economy and their consequences for the environment and the well-being of local communities. How, for example, do we create a balance between technological progress and the well-being of communities? This challenge calls attention to peace engineering. While conventional peacebuilders may shy away from conversations emphasizing a technical bent to issues that fall within the traditional domain of peace studies, there is an increasing demand for engineers who are not only technically proficient but also reflective of their practices. This suggests that engineering creativity can complement peacebuilding praxis to advance social justice and peace. Drawing on the Circle of Praxis framework, which integrates theory, practice, and reflection, this session will offer participants a structured approach to understanding the vocation of the peace engineer. Through interactive discussions and hands-on activities, participants will: 1) explore the diverse ways in which engineering skills and methodologies can be applied to peacebuilding; 2) critically reflect on the ethical implications of engineering interventions in conflict-affected contexts, and 3) highlight the importance of intersectionality in designing peace engineering projects. Participants will leave this session with a deeper appreciation of their role as peace engineers.

Special session 3: Ecofeminism as a gateway to social justice in engineering (with personal healing as a bonus). (Wednesday 11:00-12:30)

Robyn Paul
University of Calgary

Description

Principles from ecofeminist theories have guided my work in two ways. First, most engineers are willing to engage in “eco” conversations, and thus ecofeminism brings a certain sense of curiosity and willingness from even the most hesitant engineers. Second, ecofeminism theories reconnected me with nature and outdoor activities which is beneficial to my soul. This special session will follow the same two features, allowing for engagement in both the theory and practice of ecofeminism.

Theory piece: Ecofeminism is the connection between the oppression of women and the oppression of nature. Ecofeminist theories highlight the value hierarchy that exists, where we perceive nature as dead and inert, and thus this justifies a system of domination and exploitation of nature and everything that we connect with nature (such as women, people of colour, emotionality, etc.). Participants will be encouraged to embody ecofeminism through two activity invitations—one physical and one written (based on work by Joe Kadi).

Practice piece (physical): Different accessible activities options encourage participants to engage outside. From walking and noticing your feet, to sitting under a tree with your five senses, participants will choose one activity aiming to simply exist within their body and deeply notice the more-than-human world.

Practice piece (written): To wrap up the learnings and reflections, participants will engage in a writing activity—scribble in a journal, draw a picture, or write a poem or a song. The goal is to allow the sensations from the body and thoughts from the mind meld together into something that is honest and raw. In line with ecofeminism theories, these activities aim to break down the dualisms and artificial separations between human & nature, emotional & rational, and mind & body.

Special session 4A: Centre for Peace, Love, and Appropriate Technology – a hands-on and hearts-on experiment. (Thursday 9:00-10:30)

Anne-Kathrin Peters and Anders Rosén
Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

Description

A workshop with an experiment to create a special kind of conversation on the topic of the conference “Another university is possible! Theories and practices of change related to engineering education in academic institutions”. The setup of this workshop will be informed by our work titled “the pain and pleasure of being an educational developer” (in review), in which we have explored our roles as educational developers at a technical university “through each other”, i.e. through each of our ambitions, desires, experiences and relationships with other people as well as the relationship we have had to each other. We initiated this journey more than a year ago and have since then developed a way of being and becoming together that we find valuable. With this workshop, we want to explore if and how what we have done could inspire a meeting among the conference participants with us and what we all can learn from that about working for another university. We hope to host a “different” conversation, in which we can be creative and playful together, share emotions and be radically open with one another, allowing for the possibility of the impossible, not yet imagined (Osberg 2010). We plan to begin the workshop with a short description of theoretical ideas that underpin the meeting, especially the ideas of emergence and diffraction. We will then initiate the conversation building on our previous work. This conversation will transition into a “fishbowl conversation”, in which the participants can choose to either take part in the conversation or just observe. Finally, we will discuss the outcome of this experiment, the kind of conversation we have had and how such conversation may be valuable in the transformation of universities.

Osberg, D. (2010). Taking Care of the Future? The complex responsibility of education & politics. In Osberg, Deborah & G. Biesta (Eds.), Complexity Theory and the Politics of Education (pp. 157–170). Sense Publishers.

Special session 4B: The power of storytelling: empowering voices in engineering education. (Thursday 9:00-10:30)

Becky Bergman1 and Tamara Lewis2

  1. Chalmers University of Technology
  2. The Hague University of Applied Sciences

Description

The workshop will highlight the importance of incorporating diverse narratives into learning, drawing on black feminist epistemology to validate narrative knowledge. Storytelling in education promotes engagement, respects diversity, and fosters a sense of belonging among students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds (Nadar, 2014). Integrating stories into learning fosters an educational environment where multiple perspectives are acknowledged and valued, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of subjects through the inclusion of varied cultural, social, and personal experiences.

Both presenters work actively with storytelling in their own university environments. Becky Bergman’s Diversity and Inclusion course encourages faculty to use student stories to reflect on pedagogical practices, while Tamara Lewis has helped developed an e-learning course on the topic.

This workshop invites participants to engage in an activity called Story circles (Deardorff, 2019), a tool used worldwide to facilitate intercultural competence and used by one of the presenters within engineering education. In this activity, participants sit in small groups and share their stories in a controlled format. This format ensures that voices are given equal space in the interaction. The workshop aims to practice listening for understanding; cultivate curiosity about similarities and differences with others; gain cultural self-awareness; develop empathy; engage in critical reflection and develop relationships.

Participants will engage in “Story Circles,” a method endorsed by Deardorff (2019) for building intercultural competence within engineering education. This activity involves small group discussions where everyone shares their stories in a structured manner, ensuring equal participation. The workshop aims to enhance listening skills, cultivate curiosity, promote cultural self-awareness, empathy, critical reflection, and relationship building, reinforcing the workshop’s goal of empowering voices through the art of storytelling.

References

Deardorff, D. K. (2019). Manual for developing intercultural competencies: Story circles. Routledge. Nadar, S. (2014) “Stories are data with Soul” – lessons from black feminist epistemology, Agenda, 28:1, 18-28, DOI: 10.1080/10130950.2014.871838)

Special session 5: 20 years of ESJP. (Thursday 11:00-12:30)

Caroline Baillie
University of San Diego

Description

A workshop which frames the past 20 years of ESJP and celebrates our 20th anniversary! The workshop would support a discussion on the following themes:

  1. ESJP commitments, values and vision
  2. Historical development of our community , problems, pitfalls, passing through the liminal space!
  3. Creating a community of practice as new members arrive across ages, cultures, contexts, sectors, disciplines and more

We will start with a talking circle using contemplative practices and develop themes of discussion using a variety of critical pedagogical tools. We can include consideration of how the process of learning is as important as the content . How we enhance social justice and peace, how we build community, how we support one another in our struggles.

Contribution session 1: Intersectionality (Wednesday 13:30–15:30)

Working class engineers: The path from vocational education to engineering as a path for recruiting working-class students into higher education

Ronny Kjelsberg
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Description

How can engineering education be a path to recruiting a more socially diverse student population?

Building on data from surveys of bachelor engineering students over 3 years, this study will examine their motivations for studying engineering, separated by parent’s educational background to see if we can discern differences in the motivation for engineering students with parents without higher education, that can point to ways of recruiting a more socially diverse student population.

The data suggests that references to previous vocational education and/or work in industry are highly overrepresented in working-class students. This suggests that the (not so straightforward) path from vocational education to higher education is particularly important for this student group.

An abolitionist vision for undergraduate physics education

Deepak Iyer
Bucknell University, United States

Description

Black students encounter a unique set of debilitating challenges during their undergraduate education ranging from classroom micro and macro aggression from peers and instructors to systemic resistance to their success. These recurrent systemic challenges emerge from various dominant ideologies and associated histories, and are sustained through the deliberate actions and inactions of dominant groups. Mainstream science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is known to be rife with cultural and pedagogical aspects that perpetuate anti-Blackness and harm towards people from marginalized groups. Abolition, as a pedagogical framework, not only helps us link the status quo to these histories, ideologies, and forces, but provides us with a set of values, theorizations, rhetorical tools, and a praxis for changing the conditions that marginalized people encounter, in a fundamentally intersectional and liberatory way. Joining the chorus of calls for an abolitionist pedagogy in STEM education, in this article, we draw from a transdisciplinary literature based in critical race and anti-colonial frameworks to develop a vision for an abolitionist undergraduate physics education.

What genders STEM education? A meta-narrative and theoretical-critical review of how STEM subjects have been conceptualized as gendered in STEM education research

Andreas Ottemo
Gothenburg University, Sweden

Description

Research on Western STEM education has repeatedly demonstrated how the STEM field is gendered masculine and how many STEM education settings present a “chilly climate” for women. But what does it mean to say that STEM education is gendered masculine? Is there anything about STEM subjects as such, that warrants labelling them masculine? This paper explores this problematic through a meta-narrative and theoretical-critical review of previous review studies. The aim is to investigate to what degree and how STEM subjects have been conceptualized as gendered in STEM education research, and what this means for feminist STEM educators who want to pluralize STEM education. Three ways of conceptualizing STEM subjects as gendered are identified, and their strengths and shortcomings are discussed. An over-arching finding is that most studies do not explore how STEM subjects emerge as gendered in the educational settings explored. Instead, it is argued, gender is “imputed” into the analysis in ways that are not always productive for educators who want to pluralize STEM education through educational measures.

Career paths and building a supportive network for female faculty of color: Identity and intersectionality.

Yen-Lin Han1, Kenya Mejia2 and Samantha Hoang1

  1. Seattle University
  2. California State University Los Angeles

Description

We are three female faculty of color who crossed paths while pursuing our academic careers. In this work, we share our personal stories of how our identities evolved into who we are today as female faculty members in mechanical engineering and how our identities might continue to impact our paths later in our careers. The three of us have very different identities, but the common point is that we “chose” our careers in academia. Through this work, we discussed what led to our “choice” to become faculty, connected with each other about the difficulties we faced, and highlighted “missed opportunities” in each of our paths. We want to emphasize that there is more than one pathway to a career in academia. We also want to emphasize the importance of self-reflection and to find ways to support other women who may be feeling isolated and excluded in engineering. We see this conference as a great venue to share and gain such support from others.

Contribution session 2: Technology & systemic change (Thursday 13:30–15:30)

Envisioning the Future of Engineering Education through Africanfuturism: Insights from the “Binti” Series

Earl Lee and Nadia Kellam
Arizona State University

Description

This paper explores the potential of Black Speculative Fiction (BSF) to transform engineering education and, by extension, STEMM education by challenging traditional narratives and fostering inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments. Using Nnedi Okorafor’s “Binti” tetralogy as a case study, we examine three key themes: intersections of race and prejudice, innovation rooted in tradition and spirituality, and cultural identity and belonging. These themes offer valuable insights for reimagining engineering education to support underrepresented students better. We argue that engaging with BSF can help educators and students envision more equitable futures, integrate diverse knowledge systems, and create spaces where all students can explore and affirm their identities. The paper presents practical applications of incorporating BSF into STEMM education, including book clubs for change agents, graduate-level coursework, and first-year seminars. This approach aims to honor marginalized ways of knowing and thinking by centering Black imagination and decentering whiteness, ultimately transforming STEMM education into more inclusive and socially just.

An undergraduate course on Sustainable Energy Practices designed to inculcate a non-hierarchical relationship with nature.

Shehla Arif
University of Mount Union, Ohio, U.S.A.

Description

Artifacts from an undergraduate course on Sustainable Energy Practices designed to inculcate a non-hierarchical relationship with nature alongside two contrasting paradigms will be presented.

Interrogating Carceral Technologies and Creating Spaces of Rejection/Liberation in the Academy.

Darakhshan Mir
Bucknell University, United States

Description

As a Computer Scientist, over the last few years, I have been investigating the use and ubiquity of carceral technologies – technologies that aid, abet, justify and support incarceration – both literally and figuratively. As an example, with colleagues and students I have closely looked at how “data-driven” carceral technologies both embody and carry out the punitive priorities of the carceral state in the United States, using the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections as a case study. How the carceral state collects and maintains expansive data on incarcerated people, how these data are fed into algorithms that sort incarcerated people into “high” and “low” risk determining the outcomes of their incarceration but also shaping their experiences while in prison, all under the veneer of “objective decision-making.” Furthermore, the prison is a testing ground for the expansion of this carceral logic in other spheres of public life such as education where, for example, “early risk detection” algorithms that seek to classify students as high or low risk for graduation from high school (or college) have been found to be racially biased and inaccurate. In this session, I would like to present and brainstorm examples and models of how academia can create spaces that resist such carceral tech both within the “experts” who are thought to understand the technical details of such technologies as well as activists and communities who disproportionately experience the impacts of these carceral technologies.

A sustainable future? + Pure life: oil paintings.

Graham Collins
University College London, United Kingdom

Introduction to the discussion: “A Sustainable Future?”

The artist Graham Collins created two oil paintings that are provided as digital images. The first artwork, “A Sustainable Future?” illustrates the seemingly brilliant colours of the lithium extraction salt pans in the “Lithium Triangle” (“Triángulo del Litio”) that extends across Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. The vibrant hues of lithium salts hide the exploitative nature of resource extraction for a clean and sustainable future. It mirrors the beguiling image of AI: a hype that promises a more productive, equal world but often exacerbates unfairness, bias, and exploitative practices.

The second artwork, ’Pure Life,’ is a poignant commentary on the repercussions of lithium extraction in the Lithium Triangle. The process, which depletes water tables and reduces water available for Indigenous Peoples, has forced these communities to depend on costly supplies of drinking water provided by multinationals. This stark reality highlights the social injustice and underscores the problematic relationship between humans and Nature.

These images catalyse reflection and discussion, underscoring the crucial point that the advancement of technologies for a greener future should not come at the expense of Indigenous Peoples. However, they also point to a potential for positive change if Indigenous Peoples’ views and knowledge of their environment are respected. Alternative ways must be adopted to obtain lithium, avoiding destructive evaporation methods, such as direct lithium extraction via ion exchange, thereby reducing water depletion. By considering the perspectives of the communities they impact, future technologies can foster inclusion, peace, and social justice, offering hope for a more equitable and sustainable future.

Eco-art does not promise solutions but provides an opportunity to add to the discussions regarding social justice and how humans engage with Nature. These images, videos, websites from Indigenous Peoples and NGOs, and research papers with diverse global perspectives provide resources for discussions within a UCL postgraduate software engineering seminar series. By fostering a deeper understanding of technology’s social and environmental implications, this series aims to influence the development of future technologies, particularly in the context of AI and sustainability, climate change, and the many crises in the Anthropocene.

Pure Life
A Sustainable Future?