what we do

Research

Projects

Learning from the PROSE: Exploring professional organizations’ role in supporting Black engineering student success

The PROSE study was developed to investigate how organizations providing professional and psychosocial support contribute to the development and success of Black Engineering students. Using multiple targeted interviews as a means of data collection we have executed an exploration of the lived experiences of Black engineering graduate students, who have successfully navigated engineering academic spaces […]

BLASTEM: A look into what Black Doctoral students want and what their faculty are giving

This project addresses the need to understand the ways in which navigating STEM higher education environments impacts Black graduate students, particularly in relation to their mental health and career trajectory decisions, which we explicitly define as both STEM degree completion intentions and intentions to persist in a STEM career. Through analyzing the lived experiences of […]

ENGagED Research experience for undergraduate.

The 2021 ENGagED Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) introduced a virtual opportunity for engineering undergraduates to gain experience conducting engineering education research early enough to inform career trajectories. The goal of this ENGagED REU was to provide a rich exposure to and research experience in engineering education with a focus on underrepresented students, specifically for […]

Engineering a New Reality: Using virtual reality to cultivate inclusive mindsets among engineering faculty

This project seeks to broaden participation in a novel way by seeking to understand, how we might cultivate inclusive cultures in the absence of critical masses of people traditionally underrepresented in engineering. Specifically, this work exposes faculty participants to an Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) experience using a head-mounted HTC Vive platform. The power of IVR […]

The untapped community: Community colleges as an opportunity to broaden participation in engineering

By the year 2022, the demand for engineers is projected to exceed their anticipated graduation from degree programs by 1 million. With the shifting demographics, there is also an imperative need to attract women and people from traditionally underrepresented marginalized groups in engineering to address this workforce shortage. Community colleges are well suited to be […]

Value through the voices: Exploring making and its impact on engineering identity formation of underrepresented groups

The institution of engineering has been resistant to change, but the latest developments of university-affiliated makerspaces present an opportunity to innovatively address such change. Makerspace cultures could perpetuate the normative cultures that have persisted in engineering environments. By looking at makerspaces while in their infancy, we can potentially influence the shaping of future makerspace infrastructure […]

Published
1. Boklage, A., Coley, B., & Kellam, N. (2018). Understanding engineering educators’ pedagogical transformations through the hero’s journey. European Jouranl of Engineeirng Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2018.1500999
Under Review
1. Cirell, A., Kellam, N., Boklage, A., & Coley, B. Remaking Space in the Makerspace, Journal of Engineering Education.
2. Boklage, A., Cirell, A., Coley, B., & Kellam, N. “You can Shake my Hand, too”: Storying Difference to Promote Liberatory Means of Critical Pedagogy in Engineering Education, Journal of Engineering Education.
In Preparation
1. Coley, B. & Kellam, N. (in preparation). Faculty as wanderers: Exploring engineering faculty’s winding trajectories on their journeys to becoming exemplar teachers. To be submitted to: Journal of Engineering Education. Coley Curriculum Vitae | 2
2. Coley, B., Greene, M., Jennings, M., Kellam, N. (in preparation). Using narrative to story how Underrepresented undergraduates cope with stressors in engineering education. To be submitted to: Journal of Engineering Education.

Funding

2018-2021

Learning from the PROSE: Exploring Professional Organizations’ Role in Supporting Black Engineering Student Success, Engineering Education and Centers, National Science Foundation, NSF#1828659, Principal Investigator, $550,000, awarded.

2017-2018

Empowered to Include: A pedagogical innovation applying entrepreneurial thinking to address inequities in Engineering, Kern Foundation, Principal Investigator, $12,000, awarded.

2017-2020

The Untapped Community: Community Colleges as an avenue to Broaden Participation in Engineering. Engineering Education and Centers, National Science Foundation, NSF#1733716, Co-Principal Investigator, $399,388, awarded.

2016-2019

Value through the Voices: Exploring making and its Impact on Engineering Identity Formation of Underrepresented Groups. Engineering Education and Centers, National Science Foundation, NSF#1636475, Co-Principal Investigator, $599,905, awarded.

2005-2010

Adaptive Postural Strategies: Impact of Aging, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIH-NIA 1 F31 AG025684, Principal Investigator, $118,750 + partial tuition, awarded