Transformation of First-Year Engineering with Dr. Donna Riley

Author: Teresa Walker, Director of Communications for the School of Engineering Education
PodbeanID: 4ei55-f47a26
Episode: 27
PodbeanTitle: Transformation of First-Year Engineering with ENE's Dr. Donna Riley
In this episode, we’ll have a conversation with Dr. Donna Riley, the Kamyar Haghighi Head of Purdue University's School of Engineering Education and discuss the origin of the first School of Engineering Education in the world, the transformation of our First-Year Engineering program, and how we adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Riley shares about the founder of Purdue's School of Engineering Education, Kamyar Haghighi and his vision for the first School of Engineering Education in the world.  She also discusses the research based approach used to transform the First-Year Engineering program to increase student engagement and retention and how the school adapted to teaching the largest incoming class of engineering student during a pandemic. 

Prior to becoming Head of the Purdue’s School of Engineering Education Dr. Riley was Professor and Interim Head in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. From 2013 to 2015, she served as Program Director for Engineering Education at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Riley spent thirteen years as a founding faculty member of the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College, the first engineering program at a U.S. women’s college.  Riley earned a B.S.E. in chemical engineering from Princeton University and a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in Engineering and Public Policy. She is a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education.  See full bio.