students' career social capitalIntroductionWhile there have been many policy level calls for increasing the diversity of the engineeringworkforce, there is little known about the work experiences of engineering students of identitiestraditionally excluded from engineering (e.g., women, LGBTQ+, Black, and Hispanic/Latinx)engineering students [1]–[7]. As Co-ops and internships are many students first industryexperience, it is important to understand how these experiences shape their career development. Work-integrated learning (WIL) programs, such as Co-op programs, internships, andworkforce development programs, are valuable for engineering students’ career development.WIL programs provide opportunities for students to access valuable
skills tolong-term career preparedness. Embedding PBL into capstone experiences may prove to be ameans of improving the experience and outcomes to realize their full potential.2 BackgroundCapstone programs serve as the culminating experience in the undergraduate academic tenure.Building upon cumulative academic courses, they expose students to unstructured problems tofacilitate a smooth transition to professional practice and better prepare them for their futurecareers [13-14]. Capstone programs were initially pioneered in response to perceiveddeficiencies in exposure to professional practice [15]. Consequently, their primary objective is tohelp prepare students for the real world by providing them with opportunities to solve complexopen-ended
Paper ID #46701From Classroom to Career: Designing a Program to Foster Building ProfessionalCompetencies (Work in Progress)Laurie A. Sutch, University of Michigan Laurie is an experienced administrator in higher education as a director and program manager, workshop presenter, and facilitator of interactive learning experiences. Currently in the College of Engineering Undergraduate Education office at the University of Michigan, she supervises Spire, a program designed to help students develop professional competencies such as teamwork, communication, etc. She has presented at a variety of conferences, and has published
supervision of Prof. Akira Isogai at the University of Tokyo, Japan (2014-2016) and Prof. Lennart Bergstr¨om at Stockholm University, Sweden (2016-2018). Her research activities center on the development and engineering of advanced sustainable materials from biomass, particularly renewable nanomaterials. She has built a research-education integrated platform towards advancing the commercialization of sustainable packaging and renewable nanomaterials and tackle these important research challenges with the help of students, industrial partners, and researchers. This program fosters entrepreneurial thinking to boost outcomes in sustainable advanced materials meanwhile offering career opportunities and professional development
Paper ID #42159Work In Progress: Influences of Team-Based Activities on Engineering Students’Identities and Careers in University and Co-op SettingsFatemeh Mirzahosseini Zarandi, University of CincinnatiDr. David Reeping, University of Cincinnati Dr. David Reeping is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering and Computing Education at the University of Cincinnati. He earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech and was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. He received his B.S. in Engineering Education with a Mathematics minor from Ohio Northern University. His main research
Paper ID #47987BOARD #123: Work in Progress: The Impact of Informational Interviewson Career Choices and Professional Growth for Undergraduate BiomedicalEngineering StudentsThomas Hudnall McGehee, University of ArkansasBryce Williams, University of ArkansasAlyssandra P Navarro, University of ArkansasDr. Mostafa Elsaadany, University of Arkansas Dr. Mostafa Elsaadany is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toledo. Dr. Elsaadany teaches Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanical
Dr. David Reeping is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering and Computing Education at the University of Cincinnati. He earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech and was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. He received his B.S. in Engineering Education with a Mathematics minor from Ohio Northern University. His main research interests include transfer student information asymmetries, threshold concepts, curricular complexity, and advancing quantitative and fully integrated mixed methods. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 WIP: Navigating Career Development: Engineering Students’ Co-op Experiences Through
student’s internship, they are usually assigned a mentor tohelp guide them through their day-to-day job responsibilities. Mentors may be academic mentorswho are faculty from the student’s academic institution, or industry mentors who are employeesfrom the company where the student chooses to intern. For mentors themselves, mentoring astudent intern could serve as an opportunity to help them gain insight into their own careers andhow they have evolved since entering the workforce [1].Relevant research on mentor experiences in engineering internships primarily focuses onacademic mentors as opposed to industry mentors [2]-[4]. The research that focuses on industrymentors’ perspectives on engineering internships is also limited in comparing students
system of learning for students seeking to receive university-level creditwhile also being able to acquire necessary skills from the workplace. It requires strong socialcontributions and personal connections from employers, academic staff, and faculty members toresult in a successful learning experience for students [2]. Work-based learning is a two-waybridge between the university classroom and the workplace, where this community of peopleworks cooperatively to provide resources and various learning environments for students to findand develop their career potential [3-4]. The “co-op” model is often used interchangeably withthe “work-based” model to describe the cooperative approach to education. There arestraightforward benefits to work-based
nationa ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2023 Evaluation of a Work-Integrated Learning Program for Undergraduate STEM Outreach InstructorsThis paper describes and evaluates a comprehensive work-integrated learning program,developed and delivered by Actua, a Canadian National STEM organization. The programprovides instructors with a variety of opportunities to improve their skills, career readiness, andtheir employer connections and networks. The program consisted of four sets of activities: (1) Aset of skills-focused training modules to prepare participants for their more immediate STEMoutreach work and longer-term work readiness; (2) Industry-Led Activities andMicro
ENVIRONMENT DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC CONTINUATION POST COVIDThe covid-19 pandemic brought the traditional in-person student engagement activities to a halt and resultedin the redesign and thinking around student engagement that would still maintain the concepts of HighImpact Practices that includes experiential experiences. The paper will focus on two programs at the CityCollege/City University of New York (CUNY) that were utilized in this process. The first, Career Launchwas designed for CUNY students who have not had an internship, and the second, the Federal Work Study(FWS) program (established in1964) and designed to allow students of lower-income backgrounds to gainwork experience while studying were utilized. The host site was established in
, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the nation’s workforce,and meet the objectives of the Justice40 Initiative. Justice40 mandates that at least 40% of thebenefits of certain federal investments must flow to disadvantaged communities, which DoEdefines as “being marginalized, underserved, [or] overburdened by pollution” [1].These requirements present opportunities for universities to provide undergraduate engineeringstudents with career development pathways within the industries targeted by the IIJA and IRA.The opportunities are particularly well-suited for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), such asAsian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) andHispanic Serving Institution (HSIs). Our university
careerplacement [2]. Experiential learning is thought to result in a change in judgment, knowledge, orskills, or the development of professional competencies and identity [1]. The Global State of theArt in Engineering Education report [3] identified experiential learning opportunities as a keypedagogical feature of engineering education. Perhaps this emphasis stems from experientialeducation’s alignment with engineering design education efforts [4], its potential to support thedevelopment of professional competencies [5], [6], or its ability to produce more innovative,career-ready engineers [7]. Within engineering education, experiential learning opportunities caninclude participation in engineering design and competition teams, study abroad
, including: During each WBE, STL was found to occur, regular STIR dialogs supportedSTL, and STL strengthened self-efficacy. These and other qualities of STL were found to helpadvance Broadening Participation in STEM as it is theorized in the literature.1. Introduction1Broadening Participation in STEM (BPiS) is a major initiative funded by the National ScienceFoundation (NSF) in a range of micro-, meso-, macro-, and exo-level programs that span formaland informal education settings for pre-kindergarten thru secondary, undergraduate, graduate,and postgraduate levels, on to transitioning into the STEM workforce as researchers, scientists,engineers, or other STEM professional careers. According to the NSF, “A diverse and capableworkforce is vital to
and studentperspectives. The goal is to foster a shared understanding of the internship programs in the industryas well as student needs, enabling the department to refine the structure of the internship course,as well as collaborate with companies and student career services, to leverage all the resources andhelp with student success.METHODOLOGYThis study used a survey-based approach to collect in-depth information from both employers andstudents involved in the construction internship programs. The methodology aims to thoroughlyunderstand the perspectives of the two major stakeholders in the internship cycle, identify the gapsbetween their expectations and experiences, and explore potentials for improvement.Employer SurveyThe employer
; Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at Portland State University (PSU)has developed a Power Engineering Internship (PEI) program that provides engineering careerdevelopment pathways within the electric utility industry. The PEI is supported by several U.S.Department of Energy grants that aim to develop quality career opportunities and develop afuture electric utility workforce that represents the nation’s diverse populations.The PSU ECE Department intends to use surveys of internship participants as assessment toolsfor its ABET accreditation process, in particular, the ABET Criteria 3 Student Outcomes (SOs).SOs relate to the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress throughan engineering program [1]. They describe
a Professor of Higher Education and Sociology at Florida State University. Her research uses developmental and sociological perspectives to examine the mechanisms that shape entry into and persistence with respect to college and career pathways, from secondary school through the workforce. She especially focuses on post-secondary access and success in scientific and technological career fields. Published work includes over 50 peer-reviewed published articles, chapters, monographs, and books, including the award-winning Latin* Students in Engineering (Rutgers University Press). She has held leadership roles on editorial and advisory boards. Her research has been supported by external funders including the Gates
activities. In this paper, we describe the structure of these programs and associatedmetrics. Early results indicate very high interest by students and employers, high retention ratesin cybersecurity careers, and gains in participation by underrepresented groups. 1. IntroductionThe cybersecurity workforce gap is large, with an estimated 1.1 million employed workers and770 thousand job openings across the country. From the employers’ perspective, the curriculumin some cybersecurity degrees should be more closely aligned with requirements of the jobmarket, enabling new employees to be productive from day one. Meanwhile, new graduatessometimes express frustration with the expectations of job descriptions for entry-level positions,which often include
Hispanic STEM-field enrollment andretention. Science and mathematics in middle school has emerged as a barrier that prevents manyminority students from pursuing advanced STEM courses in high school and, therefore, limitstheir preparation for college and selection of careers in STEM-oriented career paths. Evidenceindicates that traditional STEM curricula and instructional methods are not serving all studentswell [2]; specifically, too few underserved and unrepresented students such as Hispanics aregraduating from high school prepared to begin a STEM degree program or career [3]. A majorobstacle to engagement and motivation in middle-grade STEM education is math anxiety, whichcan be a key barrier to STEM achievement and career choices [4][5
launch the inaugural year(2024) of the STEM Research for Social Change Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)program (National Science Foundation REU) to provide transformative, interdisciplinary experientiallearning to undergraduates through 10-week, faculty-mentored summer research with social changepartners designed to advance UN Sustainable Development Goals achievement. This program is amodel for broadening participation in STEM by providing underrepresented first through third year scienceand engineering students with a structured research experience that builds their self-efficacy related toSTEM research, career development, and future sense of self. This REU also demonstrates effectiveco-mentorship of undergraduate research
college, where they engaged in numerous experiential activities,including on-campus research and internships. The overall goal of this defined path was tointroduce the students to potential mentors within technical fields, who might later assist thestudents with their own careers. Rising Scholars students were sent to the Minority EngineeringProgram’s Academic Boot Camp, prior to entering school as freshmen, and they were scheduledfor annual seminars and continuing social events to provide group cohesiveness. While manyelements of keeping the students on the designated path where they could co-mingle withpotential mentors was difficult, finding paid work experience for the students was particularlychallenging. COVID-19 negatively affected the
panel, and a diversity, equity,and inclusion (DEI) reflective session. The peer support is extended at the end of the REUexperience, as students come together at one of the network sites to present their research andposters via virtual and in-person means; they also tour the facilities to learn more about thevarious aspects of research outside of their assigned REU site. Overall, students show an increasein the research skills gained throughout the REU program. The students are monitoredlongitudinally to learn more about their career paths after they exit the REU program.BackgroundThere continues to be a great need to encourage and prepare a diverse group of undergraduateengineering students to persist in their degree programs and, ultimately
, a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from University of Cincinnati, and a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from SRM University, India. Her research areas of interest are graduate student professional development for a career in academia, preparing future faculty, and using AI tools to solve non-traditional problems in engineering education. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2023 Impact of first COOP experience on student retention and learning: A work in progressAbstractThis work-in-progress research paper examines the impact of the first COOP experience on engineeringstudent retention and students’ learning as measured by
successful.Building RelationshipsBuilding relationships with students is the foundation of the learning coach role, and it beginsbefore the start of a semester. As a learning coach, adaptation of multiple leadership styles canhelp students grow throughout their education (Facilitator 1). Before the beginning of eachsemester, an introduction meeting is held. Something that Facilitator 2 has found to be helpful isto “begin each semester by sending out a survey to gather information about their career andeducational goals, what they seek in a learning coach, and what interactions with previouslearning coaches/mentors have been successful” (par. 2). This strategy and adaptations of it,such as some start with just asking a lot of questions verbally (Facilitator 5
introducestudents to research work through rhetorical analysis of scholarly work. These first-timeundergraduate researchers are recruited from various universities and bring with them diverseexperiences based on their backgrounds. The REU program is designed to prepare students forgraduate studies by immersing participants in a authentic research conducted within a tier oneresearch facility alongside graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research staff, and faculty.The program also provides career development workshops on applying to graduate school,writing personal statements, developing a professional network, working in academia andindustry as well as creating graduate level research products (i.e., posters, presentations, andpapers).The Natural
with WIL in French engineeringeducation (CTI, 2023; Rouvrais et al., 2020), which is notably distinct from the prevailingChinese model where practical experience, although required to varying extents, is oftenlimited to company visits (Du et al., 2017).Literature reviewA significant amount of research has been done on the impact of WIL internships onemployability and student development. WIL is considered instrumental in enhancinggraduate employability by improving a range of employability skills (Jackson & Dean, 2023;Patrick et al., 2008), providing opportunities to practice and refine skills in a real worldsetting (Jackson, 2015). Work placement enhances career clarification for students (Zegwaard& Coll, 2011), facilitates graduate
Student Research office offers a robust student research supportnetwork to facilitate research exploration in undergraduate students and their structuredprogramming for students in engaged research experiences layers best practices into structuredresearch programming. Current practices have students participating in research through avariety of options, including engaged scholarship programming, research for academic credit, orstudents can earn wages though research as a work experience.Many research studies extol the benefits to undergraduate students who participate in aconnected research experience, including better conceptualization of course material in theclassroom, determining areas of interest and exploring career paths, improved
to expand across the globe 4 butstill primarily focusing on the “employability/ placement” as the objective5.It is important not only that a student be employable at the end of his/ her graduation, but thats/he continues to remain employable for the rest of the career by staying relevant and future-ready, particularly in the sectors that adopt rapidly transforming technologies.Can the WIL model of education, which has been found successful in meeting theemployability demand serve the graduates to remain relevant? Can such a model be used tomeet the continuing education needs of the people at scale without compromising on the 1A descriptive study of
development, technology and campus collaboration, as well as developing leadership skills. She participated in the CLIR/EDUCAUSE Leading Change Institute in 2014. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 Professional Competency Development Through Reflection (Work-in-Progress)IntroductionStudents attend college for a variety of reasons - particularly for engineering undergraduates, it isto learn the technical skills that will form the knowledge base they will use throughout theirentire careers. However - whether they know it or not - they are also gaining non-technical,professional skills through their experiences both inside and outside of the classroom
?BackgroundProgram Context The broader project involved a partnership between a small Mid-Atlantic college and aNortheastern educational non-profit to design and execute an innovative, immersive engineeringeducation “study away” program. The focus on the pilot semester in Fall 2023 was to deliver aninnovative hands-on engineering curriculum and allow students to engage in career exploration.On the curriculum side, this was conducted through project-based learning and mastery-assessment. Students took five engineering courses during the semester including: CircuitsAnalysis, Circuits Analysis Laboratory, Statics, Calculus III, and Physics II. On the careerexploration side, the students engaged in site visits, called “career treks,” to local