Michelle Soledad, Ph.D.

Research Statement

Fundamental engineering courses (FECs) are the foundation upon which discipline-specific courses are built. They are critical to student success in engineering, but have long been known as having learning environments that lead to challenging student experiences that in turn lead to attrition. Examples of these courses are Calculus and Statics, often described as conceptually challenging, abstract, and theoretical such that students often have a hard time recognizing the practical application of the concepts. At some institutions in the United States, FECs are taught in large class environments to accommodate institutional resources, which create additional challenges for students and instructors alike.

Despite these challenges, it is important to provide quality learning experiences for students in these courses because they provide crucial foundational knowledge for student success for the remainder of their engineering undergraduate career. My current research and future research directions directly addresses issues in FECs as I focus on: (1) faculty experiences and perspectives on facilitating learning in FECs, (2) exploring opportunities for synergy and collaboration across courses and departments, towards a coordinated and collaborative fundamental course curriculum planning process, and (3) facilitating ways to effectively integrate student feedback into course planning processes by leveraging institutional data to inform reflective teaching practices.

Biography

Michelle Soledad, Ph.D. is a Collegiate Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Her research and service interests include teaching and learning experiences in fundamental engineering courses, faculty development and support initiatives – including programs for the future engineering professoriate, and leveraging institutional data to support reflective teaching practices.

She has degrees in Electrical Engineering (B.Sc., M.Eng.) from the Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City, Philippines, where she previously held appointments as Assistant Professor and Department Chair for Electrical Engineering. She also previously served as Director for Communications and International Engagement at the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech; Lecturer at the Department of Engineering Education at The Ohio State University; and Assistant Professor at the Department of Integrated Engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Prior to embarking on a career in academia, Michelle worked for Accenture as a software engineer and project manager. She holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech.

Awards & Honors

• Outstanding Service to Undergraduate Students, AY 2020-21, Department of Engineering Education, The Ohio State University

Selected Publications

Chase, L., Soledad, M.M., Sleezer, C., & Sleezer, R. (2022). Engineering Stress Culture in Project-based Engineering Programs. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Minneapolis, MN.

Soledad, M.M., Basu, D., Bhaduri, S., & Virguez, L. (2022). WIP - Retention of women in engineering professoriate : A Systematic Review. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Minneapolis, MN.

Mann, C., Hanegmon, A., Soledad, M.M., Venditto, A., Ulseth, K., Wood-Black, F., & Cox, L. (2022). Building Partnerships to Bridge the Transfer Gap and Increase Student Success. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Minneapolis, MN.

Totman, A., Bhaduri, S., Pakala, K., Edwards, C. & Soledad, M.M. (2022). Engineering Instruction, Inclusion, and Comics – Reflections from a Student Illustrator and an Instructor. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Minneapolis, MN.

Bhaduri, S., Basu, D., Virguez, L. & Soledad, M.M. (2021). A Grounded Theory Analysis of COVID-19 Information and Resources Relayed Through University Webpages: Implications for a more Inclusive Community. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Long Beach, CA (Virtual).

Bhaduri, S., Soledad, M.M., & Matusovich, H.M. (2020). Developing the ESLS – Engineering Students’ Learning Strategies instrument. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Montreal, Canada (Virtual).

Woods, J.C., Chowdhury, T.M., Murzi, H.G., Soledad, M.M., Knight, D.B., Grohs, J.R., Case, S.W., Smith, N. (2019). Factors Influencing Course Withdrawal in Fundamental Engineering Courses in a Research 1 University. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Tampa, FL.

Grohs, J.R., Knight, D.B., Young, G.D., & Soledad, M.M. (2018). Exploring Performance Paths, Academic Motivation, and Student Strategies in a Large Foundational Engineering Course. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology (IJEMST), 6(3), 241-253. DOI: 10.18404/ijemst.428175

Grohs, J.R., Knight, D.B., Young, G.D. & Soledad, M.M. (2018). Leveraging Local Data for Reflective Teaching in Large Classes. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, DOI: 10.1080/14703297.2018.1433548

Grohs, J. R., Kirk, G. R., Soledad, M. M., & Knight, D. B. (2018). Assessing systems thinking: A tool to measure complex reasoning through ill-structured problems. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 28, 110–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2018.03.003

Soledad, M.M., Murzi, H.G., Grohs, J.R., Knight, D.B., Case, S.W., Smith, N. (2018). Reclaiming the Large Foundational Engineering Classroom: Instructors’ Needs and Aspirations. Frontiers in Education Conference, San Jose, CA.

Soledad, M.M., Matusovich, H.M., & Carrico, C. (2018). Faculty Perceptions of the Teaching and Learning Experience in Fundamental Mechanical Engineering Courses. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Salt Lake City, UT.

Grohs, J.G., Knight, D.B., Soledad, M.M., Case, S.W., Murzi, H.G., Smith, N. (2018). Investing in Instructors: Creating Intelligent Feedback Loops in Large Foundational Engineering Courses for Undergraduate Engineering. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Salt Lake City, UT.

Soledad, M.M., Grohs, J.R., Bhaduri, S., Doggett, J., Williams, J. & Culver, S. (2017). Leveraging Institutional Data to Understand Student Perceptions of Teaching in Large Engineering Classes. Frontiers in Education Conference, Indianapolis, IN.

Soledad, M.M., Grohs, J.R., Doggett, J., Williams, J. & Culver, S. (2017). Student Perceptions of Learning Experiences in Large Mechanics Classes: An Analysis of Student Responses to Course Evaluation Surveys. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Columbus, OH.

Knight, D.B., Davis, K.A., Kinoshita, T., Soledad, M.M. & Grohs, J.R. (2017). Assessing Students’ Global and Contextual Competencies: Three Categories of Methods used to Assess a Program with Coursework and International Modules. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Columbus, OH.

Scholarships to Support a Co-Op Based Engineering Education | Award Link

American Society for Engineering Education
IEEE Education Society
Society of Women Engineers
Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines