EAGER - Strengthening Student Commitment through an Engineering Abroad Program (SSC-EAP)

卡布里洛学院的这个项目正在努力为这所两年制西班牙裔服务机构（HSI）的学生开发一种有效的本科工程教育方法。 这项研究的重点是制定策略，提高学生的兴趣和动机，提高西班牙裔服务机构本科STEM课程的持久性和毕业率。该项目将评估工程服务海外学习项目对拉丁美洲和低收入学生的学术承诺和完成工程学位的坚持的影响。工程服务海外学习活动是学生有效的激励和职业发展经验。 这样的经历灌输了对工程所提供的改变世界的潜力的欣赏。 然而，通常在国外参加服务学习的成本很高，使得这些经验实际上是遥不可及的，许多工程专业的学生参加两年制大学。该项目将扩大卡布里洛现有的工程服务海外学习计划，并使低收入学生能够参与。预计国外的工程服务学习将对他们致力于工程职业和坚持完成学位产生积极的影响。本研究将积累数据来检验这一假设。一个积极的结果将提供有用的信息有关的战略，可用于增加低收入和拉丁美洲学生谁坚持在工程专业和完成学位的数量.卡布里洛学院工程海外计划进行工程服务学习国外活动.该计划的县外部分发生在拉丁美洲。 现有方案将在本研究过程中扩大。项目重点放在迫切需要的领域，最近的海外工程项目是一个雨水收集系统，为一个小村庄提供饮用水。在Cabrillo的初步工作表明了这个工程服务海外学习计划的潜力，以提高学生的兴趣和动机，并提高他们的持久性。 最初的工作表明，拉丁美洲学生参与者是不可或缺的项目团队，因为他们对西班牙文化的独特理解和他们作为翻译的技能。许多拉丁裔学生没有去过美国以外的地方。然而，他们独特的背景导致他们担任小组的领导者，这与他们在传统课堂上的经验相反。这些经验被发现有一个戏剧性的影响，对拉丁美洲学生的自我效能感和赋权。该项目将更彻底地调查和记录这些成果，并将产生关于这些活动在多大程度上提高了参与者技能的评估数据。既定的服务学习评估方法将用于衡量：公民参与，行业相关技能，全球/文化技能，个人成长，学术和职业发展，以及工程技能。其他定量测量将比较参加国外工程经验的学生的学业成绩和学位进展与对照组学生取得的相应成果。 定性分析将探讨如何国外的经验可能有助于学生的信心，对未来的计划，对自己作为领导者的看法，并致力于工程领域的变化。

This project by Cabrillo College is working to develop an effective approach in undergraduate engineering education for students at this two-year Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). This research focuses on developing strategies that enhance interest and motivation of students and improve persistence and graduation rates in undergraduate STEM programs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. This project will evaluate the impact that an engineering service-learning abroad project has on Latino and low-income students' academic commitment and persistence in completing engineering degrees. Engineering service-learning abroad activities are effective motivators and career development experiences for students. Such experiences instill an appreciation for the world-changing potential that engineering offers. However, often the high cost of participation in service-learning abroad makes these experiences effectively out-of-reach for many engineering students attending two-year colleges. This project will expand the existing engineering service-learning abroad program at Cabrillo and make it possible for low income students to participate. It is expected that engineering service-learning abroad will have a positive influence on their commitment to engineering careers and persistence to degree completion. This study will accumulate data to test this hypothesis. A positive result will provide useful information regarding strategies that might be used to increase the number of low-income and Latino students who persist in engineering majors and complete degrees.Cabrillo College Engineering Abroad Program conducts engineering service-learning abroad activities. The out-of-county component to this program takes place in Latin America. The existing program will be expanded in the course of this study. Projects focus on areas of dire need and the recent engineering abroad project was a rainwater catchment system to provide potable water to a small village. Initial work at Cabrillo indicates the potential of this engineering service learning abroad program to enhance the interest and motivation of students and improve their persistence. Initial work shows Latino student participants are integral to the project team because of their unique understanding of Hispanic culture and their skill as translators. Many Latino students have not traveled outside the United States. However their unique background results in their serving as leaders of the group which is the reverse of their experience in traditional classrooms. These experiences were found to have a dramatic impact on Latino student feelings of self-efficacy and empowerment. This project will more thoroughly investigate and document these results.The project will yield evaluation data regarding the extent to which these activities have improved the skills of the participants. Established service-learning assessment methods will be used to measure: civic engagement, industry-relevant skills, global/cultural skills, personal growth, academic and career growth, and engineering skills. Other quantitative measurements will compare the academic performance and degree progress of students participating in the engineering abroad experience to corresponding outcomes achieved by students in a comparison group. Qualitative analyses will be employed to explore how the experience abroad may have contributed to changes in students' confidence, plans for the future, perception of themselves as leaders, and commitment to the field of engineering.