Pathways to Promote Seamless Transitions for Undergraduate Engineering Majors

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program, this Track 1 project aims to develop and assess an innovative model in engineering education that integrates mentoring, academic coaching, summer research experiences, and outside classroom opportunities to improve learning, retention, and preparation of engineering students from diverse cultural backgrounds. This project seeks to address the underrepresentation of Hispanics in the engineering workforce by developing the engineering curricula and co-curricular activities to better equip students as they proceed through critical transitions in the engineering major. The project has the potential to increase student persistence and success in the engineering major which could then lead to a more diverse engineering workforce.The project seeks to improve critical thinking, as well as increase students' academic competencies, self-efficacy and persistence, tolerance for failure, and level of engagement. Specific aims of the project are to: a) Develop and implement interventions that will increase interest in STEM disciplines; b) Create effective bridge programs to improve students' college preparedness; c) Enhance the student learning experience in STEM gateway courses; and d) Create opportunities for experiential learning though summer research, internships, and co-curricular activities. The project will investigate the ways in which student engagement in high-impact enrichment activities and personalized support services lead to increased student recruitment, retention, and persistence. The project will also investigate how co-curricular activities help to increase students' self-efficacy and successful degree completion. The project will engage students to synergistically weave research and education together while providing several enrichment opportunities that are ideal for students with diverse backgrounds. Students who have experienced these proactive personalized support services and enrichment activities are expected to be better prepared to make successful transitions into the STEM workforce. The project will actively disseminate and share project findings with stakeholders through a project website, presentations at conferences, journal articles, and social media. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.