Professor Profile: Supporting Diversity and Inclusivity In and Out of the Classroom

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Professor Wible


Starting college can be a difficult time. You’re in a new environment away from your family and close friends, and it can take time to find new friends and establish new routines. Additionally, while the number of women entering the STEM fields has increased, only 27% of the first-year engineering discipline are women. This number has been growing over the years, but it is still a relatively small number. Fortunately, promoting and celebrating diversity in the classroom is a goal of many Purdue engineering professors. One first-year engineering professor who teaches with this goal in mind is Professor Wible. She is the instructor for two first-year engineering courses: Transforming Ideas to Innovation I and II (ENGR 131 and ENGR 132). Throughout her time at Purdue, she has consistently worked to make sure all her students feel included and that they have a voice in her classroom.

In the eyes of Professor Wible, diversity is a celebration of the different types of people that come from all over the world. If someone comes from a small town in Indiana or a large city in India, the differences they experience growing up give them unique and important perspectives. The differences between us are valuable assets and we should enjoy meeting new people and hearing about where they are from, how they learn, what experience has taught them, and so much more. She states that diversity is more than black and white; female and male. Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions, and that’s okay. We are supposed to think differently, it’s one of the things that makes us human.  Regardless of your race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation, Professor Wible wants you to feel included and represented in her classroom.

Over the years, Professor Wible has worked at a number of colleges prior to coming to Purdue, i.e. DeVry, Westwood, and Davenport to name a few. In comparing her experiences among these different institutions, she noted one big difference. At Purdue, teamwork is valued, encouraged and promoted in a way that sets Purdue apart and best prepares students for the real world. She brings this view to her classroom where teamwork and group projects are a focus of her teaching.

The ability to effectively work together in group settings is an important skill to have for future jobs. In Professor Wible’s classroom, she uses a tool called CATME to form the groups that students will be working in for the entire semester. This tool uses both the similarities and differences between people to form groups that will give students the best chance for success during their time in her class.  For many students, working in these diverse teams is the first time they have gotten to know and work with people from different backgrounds.

If an individual or an entire team in her classroom is struggling or feeling underrepresented, Professor Wible has steps in place to make sure she responds with the help they need to resolve the problem. One way she helps students is by having four peer teachers in the classroom. These peer teachers are not graduate teaching assistants (TAs); they are upper-class undergraduate students who have recently taken the first-year engineering courses. This way, current students can not only get help from someone who has recently gone through the class, they are still undergraduates and can better relate to what you are experiencing as a student. Of course, Professor Wible is constantly checking in with students, the CATME program, and her email to see if any students have mentioned any difficulties they are having with other students or with the course material. In an effort to foster more inclusive interactions, and an overall better college experience, she encourages students to get together outside of the classroom to study or have dinner.

Professor Wible is an outstanding example of an instructor that truly cares about her students’ success and wellbeing. Her main goal for the class is to make sure you are comfortable, feel included, and are learning new material. She encourages open communication between groups and between her students and herself. You will also find a place in her classroom, no matter where you come from. 

- Grace Filley, ABE '21
Recruitment Project Committee Member

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Purdue Women in Engineering

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