DEI

One way to make students feel more welcome in a class is to learn their names.  In large classes or classes that meet infrequently, it can be difficult to learn names.  Some laboratory settings can make that more difficult because you generally approach students from the side or behind making it harder to recognize physical traits that may help an instructor recall their name.  

As part of my Engineering Unleashed Fellowship project, the student team suggested using name tags in the laboratory to help students and staff learn names. We explored many different name tag designs, including traditional paper tents and magnets.  Since the shelves above the bench surface are metal, we opted for name tags that were magnetic on one side and had a whiteboard on the other side.  This makes them reusable and easy to swap between sections.  The lockers that students store their equipment in during the semester are also metal.  Therefore, they can store their name tags on the front of their locker between sections, so they double as locker labels as well.  These name tags can be found at your favorite office supply or big retailer for a reasonable price.  We found a set with 96 2"x 4" name tags that we plan to start using in the spring 2024 semester, see photo above.

Across higher education, there has been an increased emphasis on creating inclusive classroom experiences for students. However, these efforts have largely been focused on traditional lecture-based courses.  While some of the evidence-based practices of these initiatives apply to lab and design-based courses, there are several unique situations in these courses that would benefit from a different approach.  For example, lab-based courses generally have longer in-class periods that require extended focus; use unique tools, equipment and software; and are required to complete activities that are very different from traditional homework.  In design or project-based classes, much of the project work happens in unstructured time outside of the classroom where team dynamics cannot be observed by instructional staff.  In both lab and design-based courses, students interact with their peers and instructional staff in very different ways.  Broadly experiential learning (labs and projects) is an essential part of STEM education, therefore, if we aim to have a diverse group of students succeed in STEM, then we also need for them to be included and active participants in all aspects of their education.