importance of traditionallearning pedagogies combined with experiential learning has been shown to increase overallcognitive competency [7] - [9]. To maintain relevancy and competitiveness in engineeringeducation, hands-on learning experiences with a global perspective needs to be integrated intothe curriculum [10], [11]. We believe critical skills such as empathizing, weighing ethicalconsiderations and effective communication are needed by graduates to navigate the 21st centuryglobal societal needs [12] - [17]. These learning opportunities could allow them to learn andpractice empathetical and ethical decision making with people from diverse backgrounds.Central to this capability is to provide the students with experiential learning opportunities
Minority Engineering Program and the Purdue Office of Institutional Assessment, Dr. Stwalley collects, analyzes and manages data pertaining to the outreach, recruitment, retention and graduation of engineering students from historically underrepresented groups.Dr. Robert Merton Stwalley III P.E., Purdue University at West Lafayette Dr. Robert M. Stwalley III, P.E. joined the Agricultural & Biological Engineering department as a faculty member in the fall of 2013. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Biological Engineering (ABE) and his M.S.E. and Ph.D. from Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. Dr. Stwalley is the former Director of Professional Practice at Purdue, has more than 20 years in
oreven rewards for their contribution”4. Additionally, NSF encourages REU programs to includefreshmen and sophomore students, adding pressure to programs to prepare lower-level studentsthrough an apprenticeship model traditionally used for advanced-level graduate students.Although typical graduate students working in apprenticeship programs are surrounded by socialrelationships and activities through which the core practices of the engineering community aremade visible over long periods of time, the same may not be true for typical REU studentsworking under shortened timeframes and in more peripheral conditions. Typical REU studentsare legitimately involved in specific laboratory practices but their participation in the field atlarge remains
Joyce B. Main is Associate Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She received an Ed.M. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. degree in Learning, Teaching, and Social Policy from Cornell University. Dr. Main examines student academic pathways and transitions to the workforce in science and engineering. She was a recipi- ent of the 2014 American Society for Engineering Education Educational Research and Methods Division Apprentice Faculty Award, the 2015 Frontiers in Education Faculty Fellow Award, and the 2019 Betty Vetter Award for Research from WEPAN. In 2017, Dr. Main received a National Science Foundation CAREER award to examine
prototyping, testing, and ongoing ideation of programmatic changes andimprovements.IntroductionInternships have been shown to be of great value for both student learning and career attainment.They allow students to build the real-world skills and perspective necessary to engage effectivelywith their own education [1]. There is also evidence to show that they contribute to greater careerengagement later in life [2] and that having an internship is one of the top qualifications thatemployers look for in new graduates [3]. At the University of Colorado Boulder specifically,87% of AY 15-18 Mechanical Engineering graduates who completed an internship rated theirexperience as “extremely useful,” “very useful,” or “useful” [4]. Despite those clear benefits
weremodeled after disciplinary communities of practice outlined by McDermott, Snyder, and Wenger[18]. The explicit mission of the program is to: Prepare students to succeed in their careers and to adapt to an ever-changing world by providing opportunities to engage in inclusive and collaborative communities wherein they accumulate proficiency by putting knowledge into practice. Within these communities, students, together with industry and university experts, explore knowledge of a specific topic area, identify personally meaningful problems, take initiative, design technical solutions, obtain support, implement solutions, develop mentor relationships, serve as leaders in professionalism and innovation, and showcase meaningful
retention and student persistencehas pinpointed the importance of the student building an identity as a “STEM person” in factorsrelated to persistence [25], [26]. A study using identity as an lens established a framework foranalyzing the factors that affect science identity: students build competency with valuedpractices in the field when they have authentic opportunities for the performance of thesepractices, and when they feel recognized for their contributions – that is, “recognition for whatmatters, by people that matter” [27]. This study also found that recognition was particularlyimportant, and was a missing component for the women of color in their study. As describedabove, the Akamai program has integrated teaching and learning STEM
, co-op education competencies, and others specific to faculties ordisciplines such as Engineering, for example, the Graduate Attributes, which represent 12competencies that must be taught and assessed in undergraduate engineering programs [3]. Thecompetency frameworks reviewed were those linked to the University of Toronto Co-CurricularRecord [2], The Canadian University Survey Consortium Survey of University Students [4], TheNational Survey of Student Engagement [1] and the Memorial University Career IntegratedLearning Initiative [5].Finally, interviews were also conducted with several potential employers, including the Actua’scorporate partners, regarding their hiring processes and the competencies they seek in newlygraduated STEM
Center for the Improvement of MentoredExperiences in Research [22]. During Fall 2020, a significantly adapted version of thisprofessional development program was offered as a new course (EGR 193: Introduction toEngineering Research) for the first-year, first-semester students newly admitted to academic yearresearch program.The decision to deploy this new course in the Fall of 2020 was in part an effort to provideadditional supports during the global pandemic. Under normal (in-person) circumstances, first-year college students can struggle to understand course expectations, manage the workload, andbalance personal and academic goals [23]–[25]. High-quality programs that support students’social, emotional and physical wellbeing can assist
. IntroductionThis evidence-based paper assesses strategies for Research Experience for Undergraduates(REU) social program success. REU programs typically bring together students from across thecountry – or even around the world – to a university campus for the summer. While at thisuniversity, the students learn how to conduct real research in their discipline by actually doing it,under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Giving students exposure to conducting bona fideresearch allows them to determine whether they may be interested in pursuing a research career(and, to support this, continuing on to graduate-level education).Many students who participate in REU programs remember these programs long after theprogram is complete. The initial experience