Conference Session

Minorities in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Krystel Castillo P.E., The University of Texas - San Antonio; Mauricio Cabrera-Rios, University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez; Michael W. Persans, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Hudson R. DeYoe, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

not considered in academic programs, which are rigid and only aim to providefundamental technical skills. A valley of death (i.e., gap or disconnection) exists between thestudents’ competencies and the needs of industry, government and the emerging green sectors,which often place more emphasis on pragmatic knowledge and soft skills instead of on highlyspecialized theoretical training (hard skills).A major reason for low retention in STEM programs is that students are exposed to core coursesfor more than half of their program with no exposure to experiential learning related to theirmajors. The traditional education model is significantly lacking in the development ofcompetences such as interdisciplinary training. Students usually take core