Incorporating PDP Themes the Akamai Way - Expert Training Model for Equity & Inclusion

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran

A team developed an engineering activity for the Akamai internship program’s PREP course as part of the ISEE Professional Development Program (PDP). The activity centers on renewable energy and storage technologies and the engineering practice of optimization through iteration and trade-off evaluation. The authors explain how PDP backward design and the Equity & Inclusion (E&I) theme informed a novel “expert training model,” supporting productive participation and STEM identity development while remaining engaging and authentic. The paper also discusses possible pitfalls and adaptation paths.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

PDP themes

Inquiry, equity and inclusion, and assessment

Expert training model

Design and implementation

Trade-offs and optimization through iteration

Outcomes and implications

E&I impacts

Pitfalls and improvements

UC Santa Cruz Activity Descriptions Title Incorporating PDP Themes the Akamai Way Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mn8v4zb](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mn8v4zb) Authors Perez, Kauahi Barnes, Austin Mousavi, Ali et al. Publication Date 2022-09-13 Copyright Information This work is made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution License, availalbe at [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Incorporating PDP Themes the Akamai Way Kauahi Perez*1, Austin Barnes2, Ali Mousavi3, Richard Kassab4 1 Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Hawai ’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA 2 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA 3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA 4 Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, USA *Corresponding author, [kauahip@gmail.com](kauahip@gmail.com) Abstract As part of the Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators Professional Development Program (PDP), our team designed an activity for the Akamai internship program’s Preparation for Research Experiences and Projects (PREP) course. The activity focused on content around different renewable energy and storage technologies, and the widely applicable engineering practice of optimization through iteration and evaluating trade-offs. Here we describe the overall activity, with primary emphasis on how the PDP backward design process and integration of the Equity & Inclusion (E&I) theme led us to design and implement a unique model we call the “expert training model” that has important E&I implications. We found that an educational activity design that focuses on E&I considerations, such as identifying multiple ways to productively participate and developing learners ’identity in STEM, simultaneously satisfies criteria for being an engaging and authentic STEM experience. We also reflect on potential pitfalls and ways to improve and adapt this model. Keywords: activity design, engineering, equity & inclusion, optimization, renewable energy 1. Introduction The Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators (ISEE) Professional Development Program (PDP) is a program operated through the University of California, Santa Cruz, and provides opportunities for early career scientist-and engineer-educators to engage with the teaching and learning of research skills, reasoning skills and content understanding (Hunter et al., 2010) . In addition, PDP participants learn to value and intentionally incorporate diversity and equity considerations, formative and sum- mative assessment strategies, critical use of education research, knowledge about eﬀective education practices, and interdisciplinary dialogue. Participants are then assembled into teaching teams in which they use ISEE ’s educational framework to design their own inquiry activities, develop a detailed lesson plan, and teach their activities in undergraduate science and engineering laboratory settings. It is worth noting here that although the PDP assembles participants into teaching teams, they are not “teachers” per se. Rather, they are regarded asfacilitators of learning. In short, participants come to the PDP early in their careers and emerge as leaders who integrate research and education to facilitate learning in their professional practice. Inquiry activities that are designed within the PDP are then piloted in a variety of PDP teaching venues that include an array of educational settings and learners (Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators, 2019). This paper will describe an engineering activity that was designed in the PDP and implemented as a component of the Akamai internship program’s Preparation for Research Experien

FAQs

What was the purpose of the activity designed for the Akamai PREP course?

The activity was created to support learners in an engineering context around renewable energy and storage technologies, using optimization through iteration and evaluation of trade-offs.

How did the PDP backward design process influence the activity?

Backward design and the Equity & Inclusion theme guided the team to implement an “expert training model,” shaping how the activity was structured and delivered.

What equity and inclusion outcomes did the authors emphasize?

The authors focused on enabling multiple ways to participate productively and on developing learners’ identity in STEM, arguing that such E&I considerations align with engaging and authentic STEM experiences.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran