Motivational Factors Influencing Engineering Faculty's Pursuit of Instructional Faculty Positions at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Abstract

This work-in-progress (WIP) research paper seeks to explore the diverse backgrounds and experiences of engineering instructional faculty (EIF) and what motivates them to pursue their current positions at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Full-time, professional-track faculty focusing on either teaching or research, who are often not eligible for tenure, are a growing population in higher education and remain an under-explored and under-supported group in engineering. Of those in teaching-focused positions, these professional-track faculty typically teach critical courses within a student's curriculum, such as first-year, introduction to engineering, design, or other foundational courses. Therefore, to understand the impact their various backgrounds, and personal and professional experiences have on their current positions, this WIP describes an exploratory study aimed at communicating the motivations of these EIFs for transitioning into professional-track faculty positions at HSIs. Preliminary data analysis suggests that even with a diverse educational and work background, EIFs share motivational factors, such as a desire for work-life balance, enthusiasm for teaching, enthusiasm for learning, and enthusiasm for their engineering discipline that played an important role in their decision to pursue an EIF position at an HSIs.