SETS: Lessons Learned and Best Practices of Implementing S-STEM project in the Engineering Technology Department of a Large Urban Minority Serving Public Research Intensive University

Xiaojing Yuan; WEIHUA FAN

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Conference: 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access
Location: Virtual On line
Publication Date: June 22, 2020
Start Date: June 22, 2020
End Date: June 26, 2021
Conference Session: Focus on ETAC Accreditation
Tagged Division: Engineering Technology
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--35189
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/35189
Download Count: 302

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Paper Authors

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Xiaojing Yuan University of Houston, College of Technology (MERGED MEMBERSHIP WITH COE)

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Dr. Xiaojing Yuan is Associate Professor in the Computer Engineering Technology program of Engineering Technology Department. She is the founder and director of the ISGRIN research lab and actively incorporating undergraduate research activities as part of final project requirements in several undergraduate junior and senior level courses dealing with sensors, instrumentation, and microprocessor hardware and software. Her research interest includes wireless sensor network, quality-of-service enhanced networking protocols, pattern recognition, and data mining.

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WEIHUA FAN

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Dr. Weihua Fan is an associate professor in the Department of Psychological, Health and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, Texas. She obtained her PH.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, Department of Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation. Her research interests are latent trait models and their applications on educational, health and psychological issues. She has published articles in Assessment, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Journal of Experimental Education, Educational Psychology and Multivariate Behavioral Research.

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Abstract

In this paper, the authors detail their journey implementing a S-STEM project in the Engineering Technology Department of a large urban minority serving public research intensive university. Since receiving the award on their “Succeed in Engineering Technology Scholars (SETS)” project in 2015, they gathered support from university and college as well as various student support and service divisions, and achieved great success. In this paper the authors will share the best practices to engaging students as well as student support and service division on campus and across colleges, many of them from well-acknowledged best practices in Technology and Engineering Education community, as well as lessons they learned through the process. Exceeding the project’s objective of awarding up to $5,000 scholarship to twenty promising low-income students every year, we awarded 68 students the scholarship for the first four years of the SETS program. We are able to do this partially because of the success of the leadership development component that all scholars and local industry involved appreciated. Through activities and events around the leadership development, many of the scholars were able to find internship opportunities that utilize the knowledge and skills they learned, thus enhance their learning experience and marketability. Some of the scholars secured additional scholarship opportunities from professional societies. Many of them were able to graduate within three years after they were inducted into the program because they can spend more time studying, starting and building up their professional networks, instead of working in non-STEM related position part- or full- time. Three of the scholars are pursing graduate degree in their chosen STEM program and more indicated their intention to pursue graduate degree in the near future. This phenomenon is due to the success of introducing research experience early on to our scholars so that they have a taste of research project and experience the steps involved through the trial and error process. In addition to providing scholarship for per year, the S-STEM grant allowed a team of faculty from multiple disciplines to develop and test new student support mechanisms and programs at the engineering technology (ET) programs, where such supporting and services are traditionally lacking due to its teaching oriented history and students composition – majority of the students enrolled in ET programs are non-traditional and under-represented and minority (URM) students. In addition to typical challenges facing S-STEM project implementation, including scheduling activities and opportunities for all scholars to participate, choosing mandatory activities to hold them accountable, our SETS program has to overcome several institutional and college level hurdles due to institutional-wide digital transformation and college and departmental level leadership change. In the paper, we will details the impact of the project has on students, faculty, programs, ET department, and College of Technology. We hope the findings will provide evidence based disciplinary practices within Technology and Engineering Education community.

Citation
Format

Yuan, X., & FAN, W. (2020, June), SETS: Lessons Learned and Best Practices of Implementing S-STEM project in the Engineering Technology Department of a Large Urban Minority Serving Public Research Intensive University Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35189

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - In this paper, the authors detail their journey implementing a S-STEM project in the Engineering Technology Department of a large urban minority serving public research intensive university. Since receiving the award on their “Succeed in Engineering Technology Scholars (SETS)” project in 2015, they gathered support from university and college as well as various student support and service divisions, and achieved great success. In this paper the authors will share the best practices to engaging students as well as student support and service division on campus and across colleges, many of them from well-acknowledged best practices in Technology and Engineering Education community, as well as lessons they learned through the process. Exceeding the project’s objective of awarding up to $5,000 scholarship to twenty promising low-income students every year, we awarded 68 students the scholarship for the first four years of the SETS program. We are able to do this partially because of the success of the leadership development component that all scholars and local industry involved appreciated. Through activities and events around the leadership development, many of the scholars were able to find internship opportunities that utilize the knowledge and skills they learned, thus enhance their learning experience and marketability. Some of the scholars secured additional scholarship opportunities from professional societies. Many of them were able to graduate within three years after they were inducted into the program because they can spend more time studying, starting and building up their professional networks, instead of working in non-STEM related position part- or full- time. Three of the scholars are pursing graduate degree in their chosen STEM program and more indicated their intention to pursue graduate degree in the near future. This phenomenon is due to the success of introducing research experience early on to our scholars so that they have a taste of research project and experience the steps involved through the trial and error process. In addition to providing scholarship for per year, the S-STEM grant allowed a team of faculty from multiple disciplines to develop and test new student support mechanisms and programs at the engineering technology (ET) programs, where such supporting and services are traditionally lacking due to its teaching oriented history and students composition – majority of the students enrolled in ET programs are non-traditional and under-represented and minority (URM) students. In addition to typical challenges facing S-STEM project implementation, including scheduling activities and opportunities for all scholars to participate, choosing mandatory activities to hold them accountable, our SETS program has to overcome several institutional and college level hurdles due to institutional-wide digital transformation and college and departmental level leadership change. In the paper, we will details the impact of the project has on students, faculty, programs, ET department, and College of Technology.  We hope the findings will provide evidence based disciplinary practices within Technology and Engineering Education community.
AU  - Xiaojing Yuan
AU  - WEIHUA FAN
CY  - Virtual On line 
DA  - 2020/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - SETS: Lessons Learned and Best Practices of Implementing S-STEM project in the Engineering Technology Department of a Large Urban Minority Serving Public Research Intensive University
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/35189
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--35189
ER  -