Dr. Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, Chair and Associate Professor,
Department of Engineering Education in the Herbert Wertheim College of
Engineering, University of Florida
Abstract: This study explores qualitatively the narrative of five undergraduate international women who self-identify as Hispanic. Using socioecological frameworks of engagement and community cultural wealth, three themes were identified as they spoke about out of classroom experiences: (i) Perceived benefits and level of involvement informed student dispositions and aspirational capital in counterspaces; (ii) Linguistic capital served as the entry point for receiving social and navigational capital; and (iii) Cultural and linguistic similarities provide a counterspace where students gained the drive, disposition, and aspiration to persist in engineering.
Short Bio: Dr. Idalis Villanueva Alarcón is Chair and tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. A PECASE awardee, she has led multiple pioneering efforts in engineering education including multimodal methods in engineering education using sensor technologies and biophysiological tools, hidden curriculum, mentoring, active learning, professional identity, among others. She is a renowned national and international leader in engineering education earning her multiple accolades and honors through professional organizations such as the National Academy of Engineering, IEEE, and ASEE. She integrates her multiple experiences as a Chemical Engineering, Biological Engineer, Analytical Cell Biologist, and Engineering
Education Researcher to tackle complex engineering education problems across the learner life span.
For more information, contact Paige Zoltewicz, pzoltew@clemson.edu
