Development of non-cognitive skills in minority engineering outreach programs

A broad array of efforts have focused on multiplying student pathways to engineering, particularly for groups that have been historically under-represented such as ethnic minorities in the United States. Among such efforts, summer programs have been a widely used mechanism to stimulate and nurture engineering identity and agency in students from a relatively young age. At a large Midwestern University in the US, summer engineering workshops (SEWs) are executed for grades 6-12 to create awareness, increase student interest in engineering careers, enhance student preparation, and improve student access to resources required to pursue an engineering career. This paper presents an overview of the efforts of the aforementioned university to embed non-cognitive skills into the targeted learning outcomes of SEWs for secondary school students. These workshops range in duration from one to five weeks and the majority of instructors and staff are undergraduate and graduate students. Specifically, the paper outlines targeted non-cognitive learning outcomes and the elements designed to address them in 1) instructor/staff training and 2) workshop curriculum. Initial efforts will include the integration of active engagement strategies with the use of formative assessments and effective feedback tools as well as exposure to self-theories such as growth and fixed mindsets.