Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 4: Fostering Belonging - Identity, Self-Efficacy, and Retention

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Quezada-Espinoza, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile; Maria Elena Truyol, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile; Camila Zapata-Casabon, Universidad Andres Bello

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

(sense of belonging) are crucial for students pursuing STEM careers. Thesefactors influence persistence, motivation, and identity development, particularly inengineering students, helping them overcome academic challenges and lack of technicalexperience. High self-efficacy fosters resilience, goal setting, and better academic outcomes,while low levels can lead to demotivation, feelings of inadequacy, and increased dropout risk,especially during the first year. Analyzing students’ GPA is vital for understanding first-yearretention, as it serves as an early indicator of academic performance and identifies students atrisk. However, GPA alone is insufficient to capture the complexity behind academic success.Complementing GPA with measures of

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 5: Supporting Student Transition

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David A. Copp, University of California, Irvine; Anna-Lena Dicke, University of California, Irvine; Dayana Rivas, University of California, Irvine; Analia E. Rao, University of California, Irvine

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Paper ID #47689A Summer Bridge Program Tech Challenge for Improving Self-Efficacy ofDiverse Incoming Engineering First-Year and Transfer StudentsDr. David A. Copp, University of California, Irvine David A. Copp received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Teaching at the University of California, Irvine in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Prior to joining UCI, he was a Senior Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 4: Fostering Belonging - Identity, Self-Efficacy, and Retention

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Patrick O'Connell, Northeastern University; Kathryn Schulte Grahame, Northeastern University; Richard Whalen, Northeastern University; Constantine Mukasa, Northeastern University; Susan F Freeman, Northeastern University

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

360-evaluation that was generalized, this new evaluation mapped all questions backto the individual definitions of the five aspects of team success. Each team member was tasked withevaluating themselves and their teammates on the degree to which they adhered to four of the fiveexpectations (respect, commitment, transparency, and communication) outlined in the team contract theywrote for themselves. This limitation to these 4 was due to the first broad implementation of thisevaluation and those metrics being deemed more immediately visible and measurable for the students.The justice portion of their contracts is intended to be addressed internally and through the gradingadjustments resulting from the evaluations to help students see the

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 4: Fostering Belonging - Identity, Self-Efficacy, and Retention

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter M Ostafichuk P.Eng., University of British Columbia, Vancouver; Carol Jaeger, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; Alireza Bagherzadeh, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; Jon Nakane, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

find a balance between challenges faced and resources available to address them[15]. Insufficient challenge can lead to feelings of stagnation in an individual, but too manychallenges may lead to feeling overwhelmed. To measure feelings of being overwhelmed,including feelings of hopelessness and lack of self-efficacy in addressing challenges, thePerceived Stress Scale (PSS) [11]–[13] was also used in this study.The pressures on university students are varied, with academic pressures being a significantcontributor. In the case of engineering students, highly competitive admissions processes, both tothe first-year program and in some cases to discipline placement, result in extended periods ofgrade pressures, which can negatively impact factors

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 1: Tech-Forward Teaching - Digital Tools to Enhance Engagement

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Minji Yun, University of Florida; Kent J. Crippen, University of Florida

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

3focus on first-year students provided valuable insights into their early career perceptions and thefactors influencing them.InstrumentsTwo sets of survey instruments were utilized to address the research questions. The first setcollected personal data (i.e., gender, ethnicity, and academic major) alongside contextual factors(i.e., career awareness, gaming experience, and robotics experience). To ensure standardizedparticipant comparisons, contextual factors were measured on a 5-point Likert scale rangingfrom 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).The second set, adapted from Chiu et al. [1], assessed the core constructs of SCCT: self-efficacy,outcome expectations, career interest, and career intention. Each construct was measured usingfour

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Work-in-Progress 4: Pathways, Belonging, and Early Experiences

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cynthia Howard-Reed, Pennsylvania State University; Lauren A Griggs, The Pennsylvania State University; Eduardo Granata Rodriguez, Pennsylvania State University; Enrique D Gomez

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

critical retentionwindow between a student’s first and second years is diminished. Therefore, we proposeexposing undergraduate students to research skills and opportunities as early as possible in theircollege journey. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a combinedintervention model, where we leveraged an existing 6-week summer bridge program by addingan introduction to research course to the curriculum. To assess the impact of this enhanced bridgeprogram, we used pre- and post-program surveys to measure any change in student attitudestowards self-efficacy and sense of belonging, as well as their likelihood of pursuing anundergraduate research opportunity and graduate school. We also examined the preliminaryeffect of the

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Work-in-Progress 4: Pathways, Belonging, and Early Experiences

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Danielle Grimes, Cornell College; Tyler B George

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

high number offirst-generation students and rural recruitment students, much of our population has fewer ofthese college preparatory courses. COVID-19 also drastically decreased the number of studentswith calculus experience before college. While our college has created more tutoringopportunities and different pathways for students with less success, we do not currently know theimpact of these courses on the students.​ There has also been a link between pre-college experiences outside of the classroom andstudent self-efficacy in STEM [5]. Hobbies and extracurricular interests can increase students’retention because they believe more in themselves. Because of the impact ofhobbies/extracurricular activities on retention, we have also

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Work-in-Progress 2: Skills Development and Career Preparation

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Grace Hellen Ford, University of Virginia; Brian P. Helmke, University of Virginia

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

oftenexperience imposter syndrome, feelings of not belonging, and low self-efficacy. Thesechallenges are especially pronounced for first-generation students and members of historicallymarginalized groups [2].Undergraduate research experiences represent high-impact experiential learning opportunitiesthat offer numerous benefits, including increased self-efficacy and persistence in their field ofstudy [3], [4], [5]. Additionally, research experiences increase undergraduate students’ awarenessof and interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers and supportstudents who want to pursue graduate school or work in industry [3]. However, several barriersto entry into undergraduate research experiences exist. Some of these barriers include

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Work-in-Progress 2: Skills Development and Career Preparation

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristin Eden, Old Dominion University; Jeffrey W. Fergus P.E., Old Dominion University; Stacie I Ringleb, Old Dominion University

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

Readiness for the springsemester.The PA are seeking approval from the university's Institutional Research Board (IRB) toimplement a pre-and post-test for all first-year students enrolled in Introduction to Engineering inFall 2025. By utilizing the Longitudinal Assessment of Engineering Self-Efficacy v3.0developed by [7], the PA aim to gain insights into the persistence and success of participants inthe engineering program. Additionally, this approach will enable the tracking of each cohort overtime to evaluate the program's overall success.References[1] A. Tichavakunda and C. Galan, “The Summer Before College: A Case Study of First- Generation, Urban High School Graduates,” Urban Education, vol. 58, no. 8, pp. 1658– 1686, Oct. 2023, doi

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 13: Equity in Action - Identity, Mentorship, and Inclusion

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine M Ehlert, Miami University; George D. Ricco, Miami University

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

support the United States inremaining a strong economic and global competitor [1-3]. However, through analysis of nationaldata sets, approximately only half of the students who enter a STEM major will graduate with aSTEM degree [4].Recent research examining the reasons why students leave STEM disciplines show that theytypically leave for non-technical reasons including poor teaching, curriculum overload, limitedadvising and support, or a rejection of the competitive culture in many STEM disciplines [7-10].In more recent years, studies have continued to document the same factors influencing attritionin STEM degrees as well as student’s lack of self-efficacy, failure of the material to capturestudent interest, overly competitive grade structures

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 8: Division Best Papers

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sonia Travaglini, Stanford University

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

achieve their planned academic or employment next steps, and describes thepathways as participants' progress to post-program, as key information for programadvertisements to potential participants and to the program sponsors.Table 1 below identifies some of the objectives of the AACRE program, the tracked outcomesused to evaluate them, and quantitative or qualitative metric used to objectively measure them:Table 1: Program evaluation metrics developed from objectives and tracked outcomes Program Objective Outcome Tracked Evaluation Metric Develop participants Participant self efficacy at a Likert-scale participant engineering technical and soft variety of ABET-informed self

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Work-in-Progress 4: Pathways, Belonging, and Early Experiences

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leah Rineck, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Mira Rilee Potter, University of Wisconsin - Madison

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Diversity

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

and 17 identified as male.There were 5 Asian students, 14 Hispanic, 1 African American, 1 that selected two or moreraces, 1 International, 17 White, and 3 students that did not select a race. Twenty-four of thestudents requested a scholarship to pay for the cost of the program.Badger Engineering Start (BEST) Program DesignFor students to persist in engineering they need to have a sense of self-efficacy and belonging[20]. To address these needs, as well as fill in gaps in students’ mathematics knowledge, theBEST Program was created as a multi-faceted approach to a bridge program with the goals ofmath and study skills review, facilitating a sense of belonging, preparing students for universityacademics, and increasing persistence and graduation

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 12: Bridging the Gap - Strategies to Support Diverse Learners in Early Engineering Courses

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aishwary Pawar, Southern Methodist University; DeLean Tolbert Smith, University of Michigan - Dearborn

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

success [23]. K-12 PENGactivities increase self-efficacy and engineering motivation [24], and Project Lead The Wayexperience raises GPAs [25]. The ToC approach provides a comprehensive framework foridentifying and understanding community needs, designing tailored interventions, andmonitoring progress toward desired outcomes. This research uses ToC and HCD to improvePENG program evaluations and include student viewpoints. HCD uses surveys, interviews, andworkshops to identify student, faculty, and advisor needs, whereas ToC sets long-term goals andcriteria for result assessment. Using qualitative and quantitative assessments, mixed methodsimprove PENG program results.Interview Protocol Refinement (IPR) framework offers a methodical approach to

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 1: Tech-Forward Teaching - Digital Tools to Enhance Engagement

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Caroline Cvetkovic, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Madison Christine Fanning, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Shreya Khosla Gustafson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Sarah Meece, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Divya Bendigeri, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Trisha Patnaik, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

topics related to other talks/readings we’ve done in class, so I had the opportunity to learn more in depth about [point-of-care] devices and connect it to both fluid flow and what we learned in class.” • “It helped me connect more to the presentations from [guest speakers] this semester.” • “Doing the work hands on gives you [a] perspective to realize that all of the content the [guest speakers] come speak about is real and tangible work.”These results align with prior findings from PRiSE [17, 25], which show that students’ earlyeducational experiences significantly shape their STEM interests and self-efficacy. As PRiSEwas designed to examine the connection between the exposure of high school students to avariety

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) GIFTS Session 2: Foundational Skills in the First-Year Engineering Classroom

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nichole Ramirez, University of Texas at El Paso; Meagan R. Kendall, University of Texas at El Paso; Lucas Galey, University of Texas at El Paso

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

be launching a retrospective post-survey usingvalidated instruments, including sense of belonging, engineering design self-efficacy, mathperceptions, and career intentions. We are currently pursuing IRB approval for a more systematicevaluation of the course’s impact. In conclusion, this paper described the development and implementation of the first-yearEngineering Design Experience course at a Hispanic Serving Institution. By intentionallyintegrating activities that foster a sense of belonging across culture, the course itself, theengineering discipline, and the university, this course aims to improve student retention andpersistence in engineering. Initial instructor reflections and student feedback have alreadyyielded valuable insights

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Work-in-Progress 5: Academic Support, Retention, and Success Strategies

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Renisha Howard Jones, North Carolina A&T State University; Melissa Siegel Barrios, MSB Consulting LLC; Stephanie Luster-Teasley, North Carolina A&T State University

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

contributing to the academic success of mid-range engineering studentsThis is a works-in-progress submission. In engineering, the expectation is that students oftenhave a 3.0 GPA or above to be eligible for internships and scholarships and are on track for acareer in the field. The present study seeks to examine how students can use forms of communitycultural wealth [1] to enhance their engineering identity and self-efficacy and increase thesupport of community and resources to increase their GPA performance and persistence inengineering. Using an assets-based approach to examine how students achieve academic success,this study will examine the effect participation in an academic program aimed at student successhad on mid-range

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division (FPD) Technical Session 3: Session 3: Curriculum in Motion - Redesigning the First-Year Experience

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ivan E. Esparragoza, Pennsylvania State University; Abbie Canale, Pennsylvania State University; Erin A Hostetler, The Pennsylvania State University; Bradley J. Sottile, The Pennsylvania State University

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First-Year Programs Division (FPD)

-economic disparities, inadequate K-12 preparation, and social isolation[8-9]. Studies have shown that these students often experience lower self-efficacy and a weakersense of belonging, which can negatively impact their persistence in engineering programs [10-11]. According to researchers, well-structured first-year seminar courses permit students toexperience a better transition from high school to college, understanding the new expectationsand work demands, developing time-management and study skills, particularly for students atrisk [12]. Besides, small group seminars facilitate the interaction with faculty and peers creatinga community of support leading to a better outcome of persistence and performance [13]. First-year seminars offer also an