The 3Cs framework, emphasizing curiosity, connections, and creating value, was developed by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) to integrate an entrepreneurial mindset into engineering education. The framework has gained acceptance among practitioners, but the lack of explicit ties to existing theoretical literature has hindered its use in entrepreneurial mindset and engineering education research. This special session is part of a larger Kern Family Foundation-funded project to develop and disseminate a literature-based grounding for the 3Cs framework that can provide a foundation for research using the framework through existing scholarly literature. Building on scoping reviews of the literature, the session adapts the Delphi method to collaboratively operationalize each part of the 3Cs framework with members of the entrepreneurship and engineering education communities. Participants will rate their agreement with high-level constructs associated with each C, as identified from the literature, and engage in peer-to-peer discussions to reach a collective understanding of the operationalization of each C. Expected outcomes for participants include a deeper understanding of how the 3Cs framework aligns with broader theoretical perspectives in existing literature, as well as insights for leveraging the 3Cs in entrepreneurial mindset-related program development, research, and assessment. In addition, the facilitation team will use the information gathered during this and four other similar sessions to develop its literature-based foundation for the 3Cs framework, produce a set of highly citable references to support work using the 3Cs, and disseminate project findings through KEEN resources, archival publications, and public media.

This research paper explores the intersectionality of disabled students in engineering education, with a novel focus on using music as a reflective tool during the research process. Drawing from intersectionality frameworks - which emphasize the compounded nature of identities such as race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, disability status, age, and geographical location - this study investigates the unique ways in which disabled students with multiple marginalized identities navigate through undergraduate engineering. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seventeen disabled undergraduate engineering students over the 2023–2024 school year. At the end of each interview, students were asked to select songs that represented their experiences in engineering as individuals with multiple marginalized identities. The analysis of their chosen songs and the lyrics' relevance to their personal narratives provided a deeper understanding of the intersections of sexism, ableism, and capitalism within their educational experiences. The full paper expands on how music served not only as a method for eliciting rich, qualitative data but also as a reflective tool for both interviewees and researchers.

This work-in-progress research paper presents the development and initial validation of an instrument to measure adaptability among engineering students. Adaptability is defined as responding quickly and flexibly to changing conditions and situations. Grounded in adaptability literature and theory, and informed by ongoing research, the instrument includes two scales corresponding to adaptability behaviors and mindsets. The online instrument will be piloted with undergraduate engineering students nationwide in the summer and fall of 2023. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and multiple-item response analysis are planned to establish evidence of structural validity. Evidence of internal consistency reliability and stability reliability will also be collected. Findings using the instrument have the potential to influence university and industry stakeholders, engineering students, and researchers interested in studying engineering adaptability, which may, in turn, lead to better preparation and retention of engineers for the workforce.

Students with disabilities*, including those in engineering, are well known to face a multitude of challenges, including social, physical, emotional, and economic barriers, while navigating higher education. Institutional policies and practices are key drivers to the functioning of a university and, as such, play an important role in the protections, experiences, inclusion, and support of disabled students. This Work-in-Progress Research paper reviews institutional disability-related policies and practices at five U.S. higher education institutions. The five institutions were selected to represent a range of institutional types (private vs. public), geographic locations, and sizes (of their engineering programs). Building on the University Disability Inclusion Dashboard developed by The Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center, we focus our analysis on two specific aspects of institutional policies and practices: (1) accommodations for disabled students and (2) public image around disability inclusion. Our analysis found that vagueness within the accommodations process and limitations to publicly available information contributes to weakened robustness in the accommodations, support, and protections currently provided to disabled students across universities. This research represents a needed first step to assess the current state of structural, institutional support (or lack thereof) for disabled students in engineering. *In this paper, we chose to rotate between the usage of the terms “students with disabilities” (SWDs) and “disabled students” in an attempt to include all students and their identity-first or person-first language preferences.

This work in progress research paper describes the development of the Value Alignment and Adaptation Strategies (VAAS) instrument. This survey has been designed to better understand how the personal and perceived workplace cultural values of early career engineers, and women in particular, relate to the behaviors they adopt at work (termed “adaptation strategies”). Grounded in Schwartz's personal and cultural value theory, Berry's acculturation theory, and the literature on gender and persistence in engineering, the survey proposes three new constructs - Value Alignment, Value Orientation, and Adaptation Strategies (operationalized based on Berry's model as assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization). The online instrument is being piloted in spring and summer 2019 to recent engineering alumni of a large, public southwestern university. Exploratory factor analysis and tests of reliability are being conducted using the pilot data to establish preliminary evidence of construct validity and internal consistency for each scale before deploying the survey to a larger alumni population. Findings using this survey have a potential to influence researchers, university and industry stakeholders, practicing engineers, and students, which may in turn lead to greater inclusivity within the engineering profession and better preparation of engineers for the workplace.

This highly interactive special session has two goals: developing a deeper understanding of current research on engineering practice, and connecting and growing a diverse and vibrant scholarly community interested in this topic. There has arguably never been a more exciting time to examine engineering practice. In addition to a strong employment outlook for most engineering specialties, engineering careers are being reshaped and reimagined by rapid technological change, intensified globalization trends, new cross-disciplinary interactions, demographic shifts, and changing organizational structures. Colleges, universities, and organizations such as ABET, Inc., the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are leading the charge to improve the alignment of engineering education with the demands of professional practice in response to these trends, potentially revolutionizing how current and future engineers are prepared as innovators, leaders, and change agents. Yet, not much is known about the diverse and multi-faceted realities of modern engineering practice and how this knowledge can be used to improve the education and training of engineers across career stages. Through presentations, networking opportunities, and group discussions, the special session will focus on using research on engineering practice to transform engineering education and the workforce.

This panel session combines principles from graduate student socialization and intergenerational mentorship to provide a unique opportunity for early career scholars and pioneers in engineering education to interact face-to-face. Pioneers will serve as panelists and give their personal tips and reflections on networking and mentorship. Session attendees will then meet with the pioneers in a roundtable format, to ask questions, seek advice, and get feedback. This work builds on the National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Education Pioneers Project, which documented the stories of more than 40 engineering education pioneers through online profiles. The intended audience for this panel includes graduate students, junior faculty, and other individuals interested in the engineering education community. Expected benefits include better understanding, increased belonging, and new or enhanced interest in engineering education. Future efforts associated with this session include understanding the impact of such exposure to the pioneers on attendees and exploring the possibility of offering this event at future engineering education conferences.

This panel session will provide findings from the Professional Engineering Pathways Study (PEPS) followed by an interactive discussion between the panel members and attendees. The interactive forum is intended for stakeholders interested in understanding undergraduate engineering students career choice pathways. The process of engineering graduates pursuing their first position after graduation has become an increasingly complex process. Understanding the ever-increasing number of career options, discerning the specific engineering skills employees desire for a position, and the variety of methods resulting in successfully receiving a job offer may be daunting for students. PEPS, a multi institutional longitudinal mixed methods study, studied factors such as career options, the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for those options, and student career expectations, values, and goals from both university influencer and student perspectives. The panel will highlight salient results anticipated to be of interest to academic advisors, career counselors, faculty, and students pursing their first position after graduation and act as a catalyst to an interactive discussion with attendees.

This Work in Progress Paper presents the creation of a codebook that will support a broader study focused on understanding the experiences of veterans with service-connected disabilities as they transition from the military into an undergraduate engineering program. Military careers and engineering student life have stark differences. This exploratory research study aims to develop a deeper understanding of the experiences of engineering student veterans with service-connected disabilities as they transition into higher education. To investigate these transitions, we utilized semi-structured narrative interviews with three sophomore engineering students with disabilities. The participants were purposively selected for maximum variability across particular demographic characteristics. In this thematic analysis, we explored the rich narratives of the students' transitions from military members to undergraduate engineering students by coding the data and organizing the themes as they mapped to the Schlossberg Transition Theory. Further analysis of the data resulted in a codebook consisting of eight codes - two referring to one's self, three that characterize the transitional situation, one aligned with effective social support, and two codes denoting strategies these student veterans use to overcome the unique challenges associated with their transition from military member to engineering academic. The codebook will be presented in this paper.

Preliminary findings from the Professional Engineering Pathways Study, a study of career placement processes of undergraduate engineering majors at six diverse US institutions will be presented, and small group discussions guiding the application of the findings to the institutions represented by the audience will be led.

This paper introduces the Professional Engineering Pathways Study (PEPS), a three-year study aimed at developing new understandings of early career engineering career preparedness and decision-making. The project takes a national perspective, drawing on data from six partner institutions across the U.S., and focuses specifically on engineering students' experiences, perceptions, and plans as they look toward their initial career steps. The project involves two critical elements. The research element uses a longitudinal, mixed-method approach to examine how engineering students explore, select, and prepare for their chosen careers. The community of practice element focuses on bridging research-to-practice by engaging administrators, faculty, and staff at the six partner institutions in data interpretation and dissemination activities. This research will help drive continuous improvement in engineering programs and universities. Preliminary results of the study will be presented at the conference.