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Education Sciences
Volume 15
Issue 11
10.3390/educsci15111509
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Fixing the Potholes on the Road to Academic Success: A Curriculum for Engineering Educators to Create and Sustain Meaningful Change

by
Eva Andrijcic
1,*,
Sriram Mohan
2,
Elizabeth Litzler
3,
Rae Jing Han
3,
Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy
4,
Donald Webster
4,
Kevin Haas
4 and
Craig Woolard
5
1
Engineering Management, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 5500 Wabash Avenue, Terre Haute, IN 47803, USA
2
Computer Science & Software Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 5500 Wabash Avenue, Terre Haute, IN 47803, USA
3
Department of Sociology, University of Washington, CERSE, Savery Hall M297, Box 353340, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
4
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 790 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
5
College of Engineering, Montana State University, 205 Cobleigh Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(11), 1509; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15111509 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 19 September 2025 / Revised: 15 October 2025 / Accepted: 6 November 2025 / Published: 9 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Engineering Education)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Engineering education has faced significant and deep-rooted challenges, including outdated curricula and pedagogical practices, limited access for underrepresented groups, and persistent diversity gaps, that collectively undermine its ability to equip future generations of engineers for a rapidly evolving world. The changes that are needed to reform engineering education are monumental and highlight not only the need for systemic transformation of educational structures but also a fundamental shift in the mindsets of those leading the change. Faculty, professional staff, and administrators must develop knowledge and skills that go beyond their disciplinary training to drive sustainable reform. This article presents a professional development curriculum that has, for over a decade, equipped academic change agents with the tools to implement lasting change. Drawing on experiences from teams supported by the National Science Foundation’s Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (NSF RED) program, the article highlights proven strategies that academic change agents can master and situates them within the broader literature on change in higher education. Specifically, we focus on how academic change agents can develop capacity for systems thinking, build their ability to communicate effectively with various community members, leverage strategic partnerships to increase impact, and cultivate a supportive community of practice with other change agents.
Keywords: change; engineering education; reform; agency; curriculum; professional development change; engineering education; reform; agency; curriculum; professional development

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Andrijcic, E.; Mohan, S.; Litzler, E.; Han, R.J.; Amekudzi-Kennedy, A.; Webster, D.; Haas, K.; Woolard, C. Fixing the Potholes on the Road to Academic Success: A Curriculum for Engineering Educators to Create and Sustain Meaningful Change. Educ. Sci. 2025, 15, 1509. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15111509

AMA Style

Andrijcic E, Mohan S, Litzler E, Han RJ, Amekudzi-Kennedy A, Webster D, Haas K, Woolard C. Fixing the Potholes on the Road to Academic Success: A Curriculum for Engineering Educators to Create and Sustain Meaningful Change. Education Sciences. 2025; 15(11):1509. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15111509

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andrijcic, Eva, Sriram Mohan, Elizabeth Litzler, Rae Jing Han, Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy, Donald Webster, Kevin Haas, and Craig Woolard. 2025. "Fixing the Potholes on the Road to Academic Success: A Curriculum for Engineering Educators to Create and Sustain Meaningful Change" Education Sciences 15, no. 11: 1509. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15111509

APA Style

Andrijcic, E., Mohan, S., Litzler, E., Han, R. J., Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Webster, D., Haas, K., & Woolard, C. (2025). Fixing the Potholes on the Road to Academic Success: A Curriculum for Engineering Educators to Create and Sustain Meaningful Change. Education Sciences, 15(11), 1509. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15111509

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