Belonging in Engineering - Workshop Report

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ABOUTTHEEVENT ABOUTTHEEVENT

On July 9th PDC, Professional Development Committee, collaborating with SEFI, European Society for Engineering Education, organize an online event called Zooming In: Belonging to Engineering. The event took place between 18.00-19.30 CET.

2 jamboards and presentations that were used for this event can be found in this folder. During the event there were 9 people presented, 33,3% male and 66,6% female. There were 7 Turkish, 1 French, and 1 Portuguese student. Of the participants; 3 of them are 1st-year IEM, 4 of them are 2nd-year IEM, 1 of them is master degree IEM student, and 1 of them is 1st-year civil engineering student.

The event took place in an online environment. The event starts with a get-to-know game then PDC and SEFI make their presentations respectively. You can find the presentations here and here respectively. During the event, participants join 3 small workshops. In each workshop, a different question is discussed within 10 minutes. Participants were divided into 2 breakrooms before getting into the workshop. Each group has its individual jamboard, you can find the jamboard1 and jamboard2 by clicking them. After each workshop session, all participant gathered in the main room and discussed their answers.

WHAT IS PDC? WHAT IS PDC?

The Professional Development Committee analyzes and develops the status of IEM fields in IEMers’ education.

WHAT IS SEFI? WHAT IS SEFI?

SEFI stands for the Société Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs, which is French for the European Society for Engineering Education. SEFI is a non-profit organization that aims to promote excellence in engineering education and to foster innovation and collaboration among engineering educators in Europe and beyond. SEFI is committed to advancing engineering education and research, and to promoting the role of engineers in addressing global challenges related to sustainability, social justice, and technological innovation.

MAIN RESULTS&OUTCOMES MAIN RESULTS&OUTCOMES

The following will only present the main outcomes that were presented to the big group and that I took minutes of.

In each workshop, the questions listed below are discussed respectively. Participant put their opinions and answers into sticky notes on jam boards.

-What in middle or high school influenced your choice of degree?

-Were there any barriers for you that made it harder to choose your degree?

-What were you missing during your middle school / high school time that would have helped you to choose your degree?

1.

What in middle or high school influenced your choice of degree?

One participant highlighted that family and relatives have a huge role in the decision part. Moreover; people, who searched or are already inside of the topic, give opinions about the degree. Also, It is added that IEM’s social environment helped with the decision.

It is contended, that IEM is the coming together of business and engineering.

Subsequently, another participant contributes to the discussion by pointing out the school culture's role in choosing. According to the participant, since one of the best students chose IEM, they continued because the thought that “if he chose that he probably searched for it”. In addition, predisposition in degree subjects affects the decision.

ANSWERS OF GROUP 1

ANSWERS OF GROUP 2

2. Were there any barriers for you that made it harder to hoochoose your degree?

In this question, two different opinions were raised. One side highlighted the difficulty of finding a job and the potential struggles associated with job searching as significant barriers. In contrast, the other side viewed it as a competitive environment, acknowledging the challenges but framing them as part of a necessary process.

In addition, securing a good job from a good company and interviews that need to be taken also need to be considered.

One participant noted that family discouragement can be a barrier to choosing a degree. However, their determination and resolve ultimately led them to pursue their desired path despite this opposition.

Another participant contributes to the discussion by pointing out how hard it is to explain the career paths to family.

It is stated that engineering is a hard subject and people have to qualified for it. Not just winning it, winning it in a good university is crucial for the future of student.

Also another participant thinks that IEM is a safe field.

3. What were you missing during your middle school / high SSSschool time that would have helped you to choose your SSSdegree?

One attendee commented that there isn’t anything related to the IEM field and people have to choose their path.

A contributor observed that in their high school; even though there is psychological room, students don’t know where it was.

One participant added to the conversation, that some tests that analyze you and help you choose exist. Moreover, It is stated that the social clubs are more oriented to soft skills, such as theatre clubs, rather than career-related in participant school.

An individual noted that money has been pointed out rather than student requests and wishes.

A member of the group highlighted that IEM is a new field and older generations don’t look at it the same way as we do and it is added the participant heard about becoming a CEO after 4 years in high school.

A speaker pointed out that engineering is a good path in Portugal.

FEEDBACKS FEEDBACKS

The party expressed that finding a non-judgmental space for discussion is challenging, and emphasized the importance of learning from other perspectives. The audience was pleased with the experience.

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