Engagement in Engineering Pathways: An Initiative to Retain Non-Traditional Community College Students Using Peer-Led Instruction and Learning

学生参与STEM课程仍然是本科教育的一个挑战，并且仍然是所有学生保留的障碍，特别是那些代表性不足和/或非传统的学生。为了成功地实现STEM劳动力的多样化和增加，以及提高进入劳动力市场的STEM毕业生的质量，必须提高学生的参与度。瓦伦西亚学院是一个高度多样化的两年制，非住宅，开放式公共机构，服务于佛罗里达地区的奥兰多。该项目在瓦伦西亚学院的目标是在核心工程课程中使用同伴促进教学，以留住工程专业的非传统学生。该项目采用在四年制院校证明成功的循证教学实践，旨在衡量对两年制学院工程专业学生参与的影响，目的是使工程专业的参与多样化和扩大。该项目有可能增加对两年制大学STEM课程中这些方法的理解，并提高瓦伦西亚学院的教学质量和学生参与度。此外，该项目围绕在两年制大学中使用同伴促进教学产生的新知识有可能提高非传统学生在工程和STEM学科中的成功和参与。更具体地说，该项目将设计和实施与基础工程课程相关的同伴促进背诵活动，如工程分析，静力学，和动态。在瓦伦西亚学院，这些课程在女生和代表性不足的少数民族学生中的不及格率最高。通过在这些基础工程课程中设计和实施同伴引导的，基于问题的和情境化的现实世界应用程序，该项目的目标是提高学生的参与度和持久性。作为一个横断面研究设计，参与将使用量表，如学生的数学效能，工程效能，学术自我概念和归属感测量。通过采用在大型研究密集型大学有效的教学和学习模式，拟议的项目提供了一种创新和适应性强的方法，以支持和留住社区学院入门工程课程的不同学生。从学生指标的结果将告知教师专业发展的努力，以增加教师的支持和最大限度地提高学生的学习。该项目将影响由数据提供信息的机构实践，并接触STEM社区的全国受众，以进一步激发教育实践和教育研究。

Student engagement in STEM coursework continues to be a challenge in undergraduate education and continues to be a barrier in the retention of all students, especially those that are underrepresented and/or non-traditional. To succeed in diversifying and increasing the STEM workforce, as well as improving the quality of STEM graduates entering the workforce, student engagement must improve. Valencia College is a highly diverse two-year, non-residential, open access public institution that serves the Orlando, Florida area. The goal of this project at Valencia College is to use peer-facilitated instruction in core engineering coursework known to have high attrition rates, with the goal of retaining non-traditional students in engineering. Adopting evidenced-based teaching and learning practices proven successful at four-year institutions, the intent of this project is to measure the impact on engineering students' engagement at two-year colleges with the aim of diversifying and broadening the participation in engineering. This project has potential to increase understanding of these methods in STEM courses at two-year colleges, as well as improve the teaching quality and student engagement at Valencia College. Further, the new knowledge generated during this project around the use of peer-facilitated instruction at two-year colleges has potential to improve the success and participation of non-traditional students in engineering and STEM disciplines across a broad range of institutions.More specifically, the project will design and implement peer-facilitated recitation activities linked to fundamental engineering courses, such as engineering analysis, statics, and dynamics. At Valencia College, these courses have the highest failure rate among female and underrepresented minority students. Through the design and implementation of peer­led, problem-based, and contextualized real-world applications in these fundamental engineering courses, the goal of the project is to increase student engagement and persistence. As a cross-sectional study design, engagement will be measured using scales such as students' mathematics efficacy, engineering efficacy, academic self-concept, and sense of belonging. By adopting a teaching and learning model that has been effective at large research-intensive universities, the proposed project offers an innovative and adaptable approach to supporting and retaining diverse students at a community college in introductory engineering courses. Results from student metrics will inform faculty professional development efforts to increase faculty support and maximize student learning. The project will affect institution practices informed by data as well as reach a national audience in the STEM community to further ignite educational practice and educational research.