WIP: “We Just Did That”: Building Engineering Identity and Sense of Belonging Through Team Accomplishment in First-Year Design Projects

This work in progress research paper explores the ways that team-based design-build-compete projects may build engineering identity and a sense of belonging during the first year of an undergraduate engineering program. We analyzed end of semester retrospective interviews of students to identify instances of the quantity and quality of interaction criteria for developing a sense of belonging and the performance and recognition factors for developing engineering identity. Early findings suggest that the design project provides opportunities to develop both identity and sense of belonging. Additionally, a sense of belonging may have helped students to buffer negative performance and recognition to reframe the project as a positive team experience.