Fostering an Inclusive Community Among Electrical Engineering Students with Mixed-Reality Technologies at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Educators have consistently sought resources to enhance social learning experiences that support diverse student populations.Research shows that a sense of belonging significantly impacts students' learning outcomes, particularly after the shift to hybrid learning models following COVID-19.While the hybrid model has allowed students to continue their education remotely, it has introduced challenges in fostering a sense of belonging within the learning community.We employ a qualitative approach, including interviews and participatory design methods, to examine the experiences of students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at a Hispanic Serving Institution.We focused on existing learning community issues within the hybrid learning environment.We employ a sense of belonging framework to analyze students' learning experience, challenges, and needs in their academic pathways.Our findings reveal the need to foster student belonging to strengthen the ECE learning community.We propose employing mixed reality technologies, known for enabling collaboration across different environments, to address students' lacking sense of belonging.