IRISE
I-RISE Programs and Partners
Illinois Partnership for Respecting the Identities of Students in Engineering
The IRISE Graduate Course (Currently ME 598EO: Sustainable Engineering Outreach) engages graduate students from across campus in conversations around issues of power, privilege, and identity as they pertain to STEM education and outreach. In this course, we attempt to break out of the deficiency frameworks that drive most STEM outreach programming with marginalized students and communities. To do this, we first need to understand the historical, social, and political context for the current educational inequities marginalized students face. Next, we work to recognize the cultural capital and knowledge these same students bring, but are generally not allowed to express in the context of their STEM education. Finally, we imagine ways to harness students’ cultural knowledge as a resource for STEM learning that is transformative for students, teachers, outreach educators, and the broader community.
This course includes a teaching practicum in Champaign Unit 4 AVID classrooms.