Conference Session

Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dalton Bishop, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Connie Justice, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis; Eugenia Fernandez, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

is a Fellow of the Mack Center at Indiana University for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning and an Editor of the Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Her research focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning related to learning with technology. Page 26.1563.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 The Perceived Impact of Information Technology Experiential Learning on Career Success: A Pilot StudyInformation Technology has become an integral component of various organizations throughoutthe world. In the early years, IT was seen

Conference Session

Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Yvonne Lanzerotti, Augsburg College; Sean Joseph Creighton, SOCHE; Maggie Varga, SOCHE; Richard Martin, The Air Force Institute of Technology; Derrick Langley, Air Force Institute of Technology; Diana Lynn Cahill, SOCHE

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

interns in engineering careers. These opportunities are reviewed here: • SMART Scholarship Program, a DOD program in which participants receive tuition and other educational expenses, a generous cash award, health insurance allowance, and summer internships at AFCS facilities” [3]; • National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship program, a DOD program in which participants receive an award during their pursuit of a doctoral degree [4]; • Year-round Internship Program [5] a DOD program that is also held at this DOD institution during the school year for students in STEM fields; • Pathways Internship Program, a DOD

Conference Session

Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nichole Ramirez, Purdue University; Joyce B. Main, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Matthew W. Ohland, Purdue University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

understand the factors Page 26.140.2that affect co-op participation, because there are several complicating factors, including studentattributes and differing program requirements. Students consider benefits and drawbacks whenchoosing to participate in a cooperative education program. Eligibility requirements such asstudent classification, grade point average, and courses completed assure that companies arereceiving qualified students at their workplaces 4.While researchers have examined career outcomes and benefits5-7; few have taken priorexperience into account8. We aim to provide a comprehensive quantitative study of theassociation between co-op

Conference Session

Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Simeon Ntafos, University of Texas, Dallas; Maria Hasenhuttl, University of Texas at Dallas, Jindal School of Management

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

than theenrollment growth). Figure 1 shows freshman retention in the School for the past 14 years.Figure 2 shows four-, five-, and six-year graduation rates for the school for the past six years. Page 26.1017.3Generally, these rates are viewed internally as low, and especially so in view of the fact that theschool brags about the quality of its freshman class (in terms of SAT scores, National Meritfinalists, Terry Scholars).Student services in the School include a program that assists students with internships (fromresume preparation, to coaching for interviews, to career fairs, internship database). In terms ofplacements, the program is among

Conference Session

Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chip W Ferguson, Western Carolina University; Paul M Yanik, Western Carolina University; Guanghsu A. Chang, Western Carolina University; Sudhir Kaul, Western Carolina University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

-pointof the discussions, the individual groups would report to the larger group where large-groupdiscussions would follow. The four program directors and four graduate assistants also met as adiscussion group and participated in the overall group discussions by sharing our viewpoints andpast experiences with the larger group.Individual outside-group activities were used to reinforce group discussions. A series of weeklyjournaling assignments (4) focused on the scholars’ fears and anxieties about the new program;current and future academic expectations; future academic and career related activities; andmentorship. Weekly journaling prompts were based on themes generated by the individual peergroups during their discussion meetings. In their

Conference Session

Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard F. Vaz, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Paula Quinn, Quinn Evaluation Consulting

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

survey, the alumni of WPI’s program attributed elements of career and professionalsuccess to their project-based learning experiences8. These findings are not surprising, as theyare consistent with research that discusses employers’ reports of the abilities and skills neededfor success in the engineering profession. Furthermore, the study found that female alumnireported more positive impacts than males in 36 of 39 areas, suggesting that project-basedlearning could also be an effective strategy for attracting and retaining women in engineering9.Nonetheless, some engineering educators remain skeptical about project-based and experientialeducation, and initiatives to substantively engage engineering students in authentic work remainthe exception

Conference Session

Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Greg Rulifson P.E., University of Colorado, Boulder; Nathan E Canney PE, Seattle University; Angela R Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

undergraduate or graduate education that influenced your view of the engineering profession. Describe post-collegiate experiences that have influenced your view. What has been your career path after graduation?Interviews followed a semi-structured format where interviewers were allowed to ask follow-upquestions to allow for more elaborate responses. Interviews lasted from 30 to 60 minutes andwere performed by one of two researchers over the phone, on Skype, or in person depending onthe preference of the interviewee. Interviews were transcribed verbatim using voice recognitionsoftware, then edited to match the conversation exactly in Microsoft Word. All intervieweeswere given a pseudonym using typical methods23. As the first round of interviews

Conference Session

Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher P. Pung, Grand Valley State University; Paul D. Plotkowski, Grand Valley State University; Chris Plouff, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

). Leveraging theadditional knowledge and skills that a student gains via co-op to undertake more challengingsenior projects is the focus of this paper.Skills Sets Acquired Through Co-opThe skills most commonly gained associated with a cooperative education program include:improved social skills[8] (negotiating, team-building, leadership, appropriate listening andspeaking skills, and basic etiquette); communication, teamwork, and understanding ethics andprofessionalism[9]; work skills development, career development, and academic functions[10]; andsocialization to the workplace and occupational roles.[11] Perhaps first among these skills is theability to comfortably communicate and interact with other engineers in an industrialenvironment. In-class

Conference Session

Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Twila Ortiz, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Beth M Holloway, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Michael T. Harris, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Andrea R Pluckebaum, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Leah H. Jamieson, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

experiential learning; however the results alsosuggest that there is a need to refine the definition of experiential learning as it pertainsspecifically to engineering. For example, is a single project in a design-build course a significantexperiential learning experience or is a traditional semester abroad which doesn’t include anyengineering focus? Additionally, this paper will discuss the development of a tool which couldbe shared with academic stakeholders to guide students to participation in experiences which willserve to propel them toward their career goals as well as advance their progress through theircourse of study. Additionally this tool could be used as a means to measure participationthroughout a student’s academic career rather than