From Informal Learning to Community-Engaged Engineering: A Framework for Community Participation in Engineering for Social Good

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 1:45 pm
  In Poster Session: Experiential Education and Community Engagement: Scholarship and Practice SIG Poster Session

Abstract

Federal efforts to broaden participation in STEM and outreach have increased focus on informal learning settings such as afterschool programs, camps, and museums. Yet, little is known about how these programs engage learners and communities, the depth of their participation, and whether they address issues that matter to local stakeholders. We conducted a systematic review, and based on our findings, we propose the CARE framework to characterize community-engaged engineering: Co-defined challenges among stakeholders, Active collaboration on problem solving, Representation of diverse stakeholder voices, and Ethical and socially responsible engineering. We hope this framework provides educators, practitioners, and researchers with a foundation for advancing community-engaged engineering and for fostering empathy and meaningful collaboration with the learners and communities they serve.

Authors

• Chih Hsuan Lin, University of Florida

• Andrea Ramirez-Salgado, University of Florida

• Pasha Antonenko, University of Florida