Supporting Degree Completion in Engineering and Engineering Technology Programs through Experiential Learning and Self-Directed Professional Development

通过体验式学习和自主专业发展支持工程和工程技术课程的学位完成

• 批准号: 2221230
• 负责人: Jiayue Shen
• 金额: $ 74.96万
• 依托单位: SUNY Polytechnic Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-02-15 至 2029-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2221230&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Supporting; Degree; Completion; Engineering; Technology

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at the State University of New York (SUNY) Polytechnic Institute. Over its 6-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 20 unique full-time first-year and transfer students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering, Civil Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering Technology. First-year students will receive up to four years of scholarships while transfer students will receive up to three years of scholarships depending on the estimated time to degree. The project aims to increase first-year and transfer student persistence by linking scholarships with effective supporting activities, including enhanced pre-college mathematics preparation, a seminar series, academic advising, faculty mentorship, a self-directed professional development fund, and experiential learning opportunities such as internships and undergraduate research. The project will identify the most impactful initiatives for first-year and transfer students regarding improved retention, degree completion, and increased identity and self-efficacy as an engineer. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. STEM graduates are tasked with solving the critical challenges of today and tomorrow, requiring a dedication to continued intellectual growth. Therefore, this project also aims to foster a dedication to self-directed professional development and continuing education through a series of programmatic initiatives. First is access to a 1-credit first-year course that explores engineering ethics and the 14 Grand Challenges for engineering. Second is a series of seminars and workshops dedicated to explaining the process for obtaining and maintaining, through continuing education, a professional engineering license. Third is a 1-credit course to prepare for the fundamentals of engineering exam (FE) which is the first step in the licensure process. Students will also be provided with a self-directed professional development fund which will: (1) provide additional financial resources to explore specific topics of interest to the student, (2) reinforce the concept that continued education requires dedication and commitment of financial resources, and (3) introduce professional resources that provide continuing education resources post-graduation. The effectiveness of these initiatives will be evaluated using results from institutional data, surveys, FE passing rates, and interviews of students, faculty, and project partners. Results will be disseminated through the SUNY Polytechnic Institute website, presentations at conferences, and publications in peer-reviewed journals. This project is funded by NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.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.

该项目将通过支持州立大学纽约（SUNY）理工学院表现出经济需要的高成就、低收入学生的保留和毕业，促进国家对受过良好教育的科学家、数学家、工程师和技术人员的需求。在6年的时间里，该项目将为20名正在攻读土木工程，土木工程技术，机械工程和机械工程技术学士学位的全日制一年级和转学生提供奖学金。一年级学生将获得长达四年的奖学金，而转学生将获得长达三年的奖学金，这取决于估计的学位时间。该项目旨在通过将奖学金与有效的支持活动联系起来，包括增强大学预科数学准备，系列研讨会，学术咨询，教师指导，自我指导的专业发展基金以及实习和本科生研究等体验式学习机会，来提高一年级和转学学生的坚持性。该项目将为一年级和转学生确定最具影响力的举措，以提高保留率，完成学位，提高工程师的身份和自我效能。 该项目的总体目标是提高低收入，高成就的本科生与证明财政需要完成STEM学位。STEM毕业生的任务是解决今天和明天的关键挑战，需要致力于持续的智力增长。因此，该项目还旨在通过一系列方案倡议，促进对自我导向的专业发展和持续教育的奉献。首先是获得一个1学分的第一年课程，探讨工程道德和工程的14个大挑战。其次是一系列研讨会和讲习班，致力于解释通过继续教育获得和维护专业工程许可证的过程。第三是一个1学分的课程，为工程考试（FE）的基础知识做准备，这是许可过程的第一步。学生亦会获提供一个自我导向的专业发展基金，该基金将：（1）提供额外的财政资源，以探索学生感兴趣的特定课题;（2）加强持续教育需要奉献和承担财政资源的概念;以及（3）引入专业资源，在毕业后提供持续教育资源。这些举措的有效性将使用机构数据，调查，FE通过率，学生，教师和项目合作伙伴的访谈结果进行评估。研究结果将通过SUNY Polytechnic Institute网站、会议上的演讲以及同行评审期刊上的出版物进行传播。该项目由NSF的科学，技术，工程和数学奖学金计划资助，该计划旨在增加低收入学术人才的数量，这些学生表现出经济需求，并获得STEM领域的学位。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并提供有关低收入学生的学术成功、保留、转学、毕业和学术/职业途径的知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并且通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响力审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。