Idalis Villanueva Alarcón will speak at the virtual seminar for the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11. She will present "Understanding hidden curriculum and what it means for engineering education."

Alarcón is the associate chair for research and graduate studies and associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida,

Abstract

In engineering, the issue of underrepresentation continues to be a topic of high debate amongst engineering departments in the U.S. and internationally. While there have been many approaches to tackling this issue, one underexplored area is around hidden curriculum. The hidden curriculum of engineering is a relatively new concept and describes the (un)intentional, explicit, or implicit messages that are systemically transmitted and structurally sustained and supported.

These hidden messages cue to people different lessons about their environment and their overall sense of belonging and influences subsequent decisions and actions (e.g., persistence, retention). A mixed-methods study was conducted across 58 colleges of engineering for undergraduates, graduates, and faculty across the United States and Puerto Rico from 2018 to 2020. The results of the session revealed many differences across gender, race, and institutional type and role. This session will introduce the audience to the concept of hidden curriculum, how it is perceived by faculty and students and how an individual’s response to the acquired hidden curriculum may serve to reinforce or mitigate the status quo in engineering. The talk will culminate with some suggestions and strategies to mitigate the negative outcomes of hidden curriculum.

Idalis Villanueva Alarcón will speak at the virtual seminar for the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11. She will present "Understanding hidden curriculum and what it means for engineering education."

Alarcón is the associate chair for research and graduate studies and associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida,

Abstract

In engineering, the issue of underrepresentation continues to be a topic of high debate amongst engineering departments in the U.S. and internationally. While there have been many approaches to tackling this issue, one underexplored area is around hidden curriculum. The hidden curriculum of engineering is a relatively new concept and describes the (un)intentional, explicit, or implicit messages that are systemically transmitted and structurally sustained and supported.

These hidden messages cue to people different lessons about their environment and their overall sense of belonging and influences subsequent decisions and actions (e.g., persistence, retention). A mixed-methods study was conducted across 58 colleges of engineering for undergraduates, graduates, and faculty across the United States and Puerto Rico from 2018 to 2020. The results of the session revealed many differences across gender, race, and institutional type and role. This session will introduce the audience to the concept of hidden curriculum, how it is perceived by faculty and students and how an individual’s response to the acquired hidden curriculum may serve to reinforce or mitigate the status quo in engineering. The talk will culminate with some suggestions and strategies to mitigate the negative outcomes of hidden curriculum.