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

卡布里洛学院的这一项目致力于为这所两年制拉美裔服务机构(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，并提高在西班牙裔服务机构的本科生STEM课程的坚持性和毕业率。这个项目将评估一个工程服务留学项目对拉美裔和低收入家庭学生完成工程学位的学术承诺和坚持不懈的影响。工程服务-出国留学活动是学生有效的动力和职业发展经验。这样的经历灌输了对工程学提供的改变世界的潜力的欣赏。然而，参加海外服务学习的成本往往很高，这使得许多就读两年制大学的工科学生实际上无法获得这些经验。该项目将扩大卡布里洛现有的工程服务留学计划，并使低收入学生能够参加。预计海外工程服务学习将对他们对工程事业的承诺和对学位完成的执着产生积极影响。这项研究将积累数据来验证这一假说。一个积极的结果将提供有用的信息，可以用来增加低收入和拉丁裔学生的数量，他们坚持工程专业并完成学位。卡布里略大学海外工程项目开展工程服务海外学习活动。该计划的县外部分发生在拉丁美洲。在这项研究过程中，现有的方案将得到扩展。项目侧重于迫切需要的地区，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，这个工程服务留学项目有潜力提高学生的兴趣和动机，提高他们的毅力。初步工作表明，拉美裔学生参与者是项目团队不可或缺的一部分，因为他们对拉美裔文化的独特理解以及他们作为翻译的技能。许多拉丁裔学生还没有去过美国以外的地方。然而，他们独特的背景导致他们成为小组的领导者，这与他们在传统课堂上的经历相反。研究发现，这些经历对拉美裔学生的自我效能感和赋权感受产生了戏剧性的影响。该项目将更彻底地调查和记录这些结果。该项目将产生关于这些活动在多大程度上提高了参与者的技能的评估数据。将使用既定的服务学习评估方法来衡量：公民参与、与行业相关的技能、全球/文化技能、个人成长、学术和职业成长以及工程技能。其他定量测量将比较参加海外工程经验的学生的学习成绩和学位进步与对照组学生取得的相应结果。定性分析将被用来探索国外的经历如何有助于改变学生的信心、对未来的计划、对自己作为领导者的看法以及对工程领域的承诺。

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.