Conference Session

Workforce Development, Undergraduate Education

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bailey Kathryn McOwen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Dayoung Kim, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED)

Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award from Purdue University. She was also a Bilsland Fellow of the College of Engineering at Purdue University when she was a Ph.D. student. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Expanding the Engineering Workforce: An Exploratory Study of a Mid-Career Transition from a Non-Engineering BackgroundIntroduction The United States has vocalized a desperate need for an increase of engineers in theworkforce to maintain the country’s position as the forerunning performer and collaborator ofscience and technology activities worldwide [1], [2], [3], [4]. As published by the NationalScience Foundation, the United States’ science and

Conference Session

Continuing Education

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arsalan Ashraf, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Bailey Kathryn McOwen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Emad Ali, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Dayoung Kim, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED)

then worked in the aviation industry. After gaining experience, he changed his career path and went to academia as a lecturer at The University of Faisalabad in 2022. He joined Virginia Tech in the fall of 2024.Bailey Kathryn McOwen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Bailey McOwen is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech with an academic foundation in physics and industrial engineering. Her research focuses on workforce development, professional training for engineering practitioners, and engineering ethics, with an emphasis on how emerging technologies can enhance continued education. Through her research, service, and academic work, she aims to bridge engineering education and

Conference Session

Graduate Education, Artificial Intelligence

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wei Lu, Texas A&M University; Behbood Ben Zoghi P.E., Southern Methodist University

Tagged Divisions

Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED)

universities. The goal is to bridgethe gap between textbook theories and real-world practice. Survey shows that courses taught byprofessors that come from an industry background receive higher level of satisfaction andperceived career-readiness from students [1]; furthermore, learning knowledge and tools that areimmediately applicable in the workplace gives students a comparative advantage for betteremployability, because learning under the guidance and expectations from the future employeralike sets them up for success [2]. While industry experts bring in their unique insights and relevant skill sets that are highlyin demand in the job market, challenges lie within many aspects when they enter the academicenvironment [3]: their teaching

Conference Session

Continuing Education

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jose Daniel Azofeifa, Institute for the Future of Education, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico; Valentina Rueda-Castro, Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM); Luis Jose Gonzalez-Gomez; Mario Zaragoza, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico-UNAM; Julieta Noguez; Patricia Caratozzolo, Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM)

Tagged Divisions

Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED)

have the technical andprofessional competencies necessary for their careers [22, 23]. However, these traditionalmethods often struggle to keep pace with rapid technological advances and changing industrydemands.Several frameworks have been developed to support curriculum design, emphasizing adaptability,industry relevance, and lifelong learning. The WEF highlights critical future skills such asproblem-solving, creativity, and collaboration, which are essential to navigating the complexitiesof modern industries [18]. The Nesta framework emphasizes fostering creativity andinterdisciplinary skills to prepare students for innovative roles in evolving sectors [19].Singapore’s SkillsFuture initiative demonstrates the value of modular, competency

Conference Session

Graduate Education, Artificial Intelligence

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yael Gertner, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Tiffani Williams, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED)

had access to computing education, which leads tohigh-tech careers as industry leaders, educators, and researchers. Barriers to accessiblecomputing education include high costs, admissions requirements that disadvantage studentswithout prior coding or math experience, and large class sizes resulting from the high demand forcomputing education. Our program uses a holistic application process to minimize the barriers toentry into our graduate computing program.Our graduate admissions process encourages applicants to provide a holistic narrative of theirpersonal and career experiences [5] and is designed to minimize biases typically found inadmissions processes. For that reason, we do not use criteria that are habitually used and notessential

Conference Session

Workforce Development, Undergraduate Education

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Francis (Mac) Haas, Rowan University; Smitesh Bakrania, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED)

Hero. Alternative assessments incorporating authentic professionalexperiences within engineering classrooms may instead be preferred. Authentic assessments canprovide students with experiences that they will encounter in their careers while, at the sametime, providing instructors with an opportunity to assess students’ grasp of topical engineeringcontent. This work seeks to examine the question “how do students perceive more authenticassessments?” by documenting a “technical interview” oral midterm exam administered as amajor assessment in a core Introduction to Thermal-Fluid Sciences (ITFS) engineering course.Interviews were led by the course instructor, who asked each team to respond to a previouslyprovided prompt. After each team’s exam