Finding Belonging in Engineering Education: A Contemplative Approach.

This Special Session will provide a theoretical and experiential understanding of contemplative pedagogies and how they can be used to create learning spaces that foster belonging. Contemplative pedagogies embrace all aspects of students' authentic selves to create more inclusive learning environments that honor and engage diverse ways of knowing and being. By providing an introspective frame for engaging with course content, contemplative pedagogies allow students to integrate their identities and experiences into the learning process, thereby finding greater meaning and connection to the world around them. In engineering education, contemplative pedagogies have been shown to have a myriad of benefits including enhancing learning, well-being, productivity, self-awareness, empathy, and communication. In addition, contemplative pedagogies engender trust and belonging by inviting students to co-create their learning experiences in compassionate learning spaces. This Special Session will invite participants to engage with contemplative pedagogies while also gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to apply them in their own local contexts. Specifically, through both interactive lecture and experiential practice, participants will be introduced to a set of contemplative pedagogies that are transferrable to diverse learning environments. This session is intended for all audiences who support students' learning so that they can engage these practices in fostering a personal and collective sense of belonging for their respective student populations.