Biography
Postdoc in STEM Education from the University of Cape Town, PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech, MS in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, B-Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Roorkee; Engaged in faculty development roles since the completion of postdoc in 2020
Research Interests
- Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Engineering Education
- Effect of curricula on STEM students’ learning
Teaching Interests
Selected Publications
- Agrawal, A., & McNair, L. D. (2021). An intersectional analysis of the English-competency experiences of international teaching assistants. Journal of International Students, 11(4), 950-969. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i4.2343 (Print ISSN 2162-3104 & Online ISSN 2166-3750).
- Agrawal, A., Heydenrych, H., & Harding, G. (2022). Application of a decolonisation framework to a second-year chemical engineering design project. Southern Journal of Engineering Education, 1, 39-60. https://sjee.org.za/ojs/index.php/sjee/article/view/10 [No ISSn Number for this journal]
Selected Awards and Honors
- Recognized among the top 5% of the reviewers for the journal during two consecutive academic years, 2020- 21 and 2021-22, in terms of the number and quality of the article reviews conducted by me
Postdoctoral Conference Travel Grant, University of Cape Town 2019 - Awarded ZAR 20000 (~ USD 1300) by the University of Cape Town to present the paper titled “An
exploration of second-year students’ engineering way of thinking” at 2019 Annual SEFI Conference in
Budapest, Hungary Graduate Student Assembly Travel Grant, Virginia Tech 2018 - Awarded USD 225 by the Graduate Student Assembly at Virginia Tech to present the paper titled “Teaching in a foreign land: Experiences of international teaching assistants in US engineering classrooms” at the 125th ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition in Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Best Paper Award Nomination, ASEE Educational Research and Methods Division 2018 - Paper titled “Overriding tradition: Exploring the intersection of institutional and disciplinary cultures on student perceptions” nominated for the best paper award in the Educational Research and Methods (ERM) Division at the 125th ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition in Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Graduate Research Development Award, Virginia Tech 2017 - Awarded USD 890 by the Graduate School at Virginia Tech to conduct my PhD research
Global Perspectives Program Scholar, Virginia Tech 2017 - Selected among 15 graduate students to visit and learn about higher education in Switzerland, France, and Italy Diversity Scholar Award, Virginia Tech 2016
- Awarded financial support (~ USD 800) by the Graduate School at Virginia Tech to lead diversity initiatives aimed at increasing visibility and inclusivity of international LGBTQ+ students at the university and beyond Young India Fellowship, Ashoka University 2012-13
- Awarded full tuition and residential scholarships to pursue a one-year graduate-level certificate program in Liberal Arts and Leadership Development at the university
External Profile Links
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA 2018 Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering Education)
- Dissertation Title: A Multiple-Case Study Exploring the Experiences of International Teaching Assistants in Engineering (Co-advisors: Dr. Lisa D. McNair, Professor, and Dr. Marie C. Paretti, Professor, Department of Engineering Education, Virginia Tech) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA 2018 Future Professoriate Certificate
- Graduate-level certificate program aimed at preparing students to lead sustainable changes in higher education Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA 2015 Master of Science (Electrical Engineering)
- Thesis Title: Performance of PV Generation Feedback Controllers: Power Factor versus Volt-VAR Control Strategies (Advisor: Dr. Robert P. Broadwater, Professor, Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech) Young India Fellowship, Ashoka University, National Capital Region, India 2013 Postgraduate Certificate in Liberal Arts and Leadership Development
- One-year residential program aimed to widen one’s worldview through multidisciplinary education, offered by Ashoka University in collaboration with Penn Engineering (University of Pennsylvania, USA) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, Roorkee, India 2010 Bachelor of Technology (Electrical Engineering)
- Project Title: Design of Digital Signal Processing Toolkit for Teaching and Educational Purposes (Advisor: Dr. Vinod Kumar, Professor, Electrical Engineering Department, IIT Roorkee)
