(476c) Community of Practice in Action: A Participatory Framework for Faculty Professional Development in Chemical Engineering Education

In the past decade, there has been an increasing call for chemical engineering faculty to incorporate the social implications of techno-economic fundamentals into their undergraduate courses. However, achieving this requires significant changes in teaching, learning, and assessment methods. To address this, this work proposes a conceptual framework for faculty professional development in engineering education, using participatory action approaches and strategic agency. The Community of Practice in Action (CoPA) model consists of five components: community participation, reflection, strategy, action, and time, which fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement within professional societies like AIChE. The CoPA model provides a flexible framework for professional development that can be adapted to the needs of individual faculty members and diverse institutional cultures.

Professional societies can play a unique and convenient role in supporting faculty transformation and, subsequently, their students because they are established communities of practice that disseminate shared understanding through evolving standards, norms, and perspectives. They can provide a safe and collaborative space for faculty to create critical consciousness to support their transformation. The CoPA model encourages faculty to reflect critically on their teaching practices, collaborate with colleagues, and implement evidence-based changes to improve student learning outcomes. By adopting the CoPA model, professional societies can support their faculty in addressing the complexities of teaching and learning in diverse and rapidly changing contexts while fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the CoPA model, a cohort was created from September 2022 to May 2023, consisting of chemical engineering faculty from various institutions. The cohort participated in a CoPA to develop scholarly activities incorporating social responsibility themes into the chemical engineering curriculum. The cohort engaged in semi-structured activities that fostered collaboration, reflection, and action to promote social responsibility in engineering education. The presentation will highlight the successes and challenges of this cohort and the impact of the CoPA model on faculty professional development and curriculum transformation.

In summary, the proposed CoPA model provides a flexible and collaborative framework for faculty professional development in chemical engineering education. Professional societies like AIChE can play a crucial role in supporting faculty transformation, and the effectiveness of the CoPA model will be demonstrated through the cohort's experience. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement, the CoPA model can help address the complexities of teaching and learning in diverse and rapidly changing contexts while promoting social responsibility in engineering education.