Conference Session

Enhancing Success/Peristence at Two-Year Colleges

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dan G. Dimitriu, San Antonio College; Jerry O'Connor, San Antonio College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

components the following year, for returning students as well as the new ones. Therobotics project, which had become very popular with students, was refined and diversified toinclude two sequential years of activities and challenges. This enhancement provides increasedopportunity for our students to diversify their design and programming skills.The paper presents rationales for modifications and provides a detailed analysis of the programresults along with the planned developments for the 2014 EDGE Program.Brief History of the ProgramThe EDGE Program was started in 20031 and initially was intended to continue the work startedin the established San Antonio Pre-freshman Engineering Program (PREP) 2 with a more intensefocus on the Engineering

Conference Session

Gainful Employment: Preparing Technicians to Satisfy the Needs of Industry

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Farzin Heidari, Texas A&M University, Kingsville

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

train graduates that perform better in high-tech manufacturing positions: Advancedmanufacturing technologies are the key to competitive production in manufacturing. Theyprovide efficiency, productivity, and better product quality to the production process. Thecurriculum to be developed by technical college instructors will be in the form of lesson plans,student projects, online resources, or instructional materials.Strategy 1.2 Train skilled technicians to increase the productivity, efficiency, and quality ofmanufacturing: Advanced manufacturing incorporates many high-tech computer controlledproduction tools that are developed for and used in the manufacturing field, including high techproducts and processes to produce parts, and flexible

Conference Session

Gainful Employment: Preparing Technicians to Satisfy the Needs of Industry

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David I. Spang, Burlington County College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

industry partners. The project subsequently identified towhat extent, and how, each skill is contained as a student-gained competency within thecurriculum.In order to identify and understand the skills required by employers, they must be engaged andinvolved. Often this entails an educational institution creating a forum where an employerrepresentative can experience the institution’s commitment and communicate their knowledge ofrequired skills.The NSF project mentioned previously identified critical technical and non-technical skills aswell, and further created linkages between courses, programs, and careers. The project, originallybegun in 2008, consisted of a one-day planning conference with manufacturing representativesto learn their views

Conference Session

California on the Move: A Robust Array of Student Success Initiatives

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Courtney Sara Mathews Hadsell, Cañada College; Christine Burwell-Woo, Cañada College; Amelito G Enriquez, Canada College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

follows: “PHYS 150 PREPARATION FOR PHYSICS Focuses on review of algebra and trigonometry required for physics; problem solving; study skills; and description of motion. Designed for students planning to take PHYS 210 or 250”It is for these reasons that the STEM center at Cañada College began implementing a series ofprograms to help students progress efficiently and successfully through the engineering programrequirements. These programs are Math Jam, Physics Jam and Supplemental Instruction. MathJam has been discussed extensively in other publications [4] and thus this paper will focus onPhysics Jam and Supplemental Instruction and the challenges faced implementing academicsupport programs

Conference Session

An Examination of Methods to Enhance Transfer Student Enrollment, Retenion, Persistence, and Outcomes

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shen Liu, West Kentucky Community and Technical College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

the fact that most of our sophomore students may not have good time managementskills, milestones and dates are created by the instructor. Students are given one week of time tothink about the project, make initial plans and discuss project-related issues and questions withthe instructor. Students are required to give group presentations on their final design plans at theend of week two. Students conduct the experiments and analyze the results in week three. At theend of week four, students present their results of the project. Team technical report is due oneweek after the presentation on the final results.AssessmentThe project grades were based on the group as a whole, but student participation in the project

Conference Session

An Examination of Methods to Enhance Transfer Student Enrollment, Retenion, Persistence, and Outcomes

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Laier, University of South Alabama; Sally J. Steadman, University of South Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

general education courses when they enrollin a four-year institution, but have not satisfied the prerequisites for upper level engineeringcourses. To get “caught up” in the most effective way, advisors often suggest a course load of4-5 STEM courses. However, this proves to be rather difficult for many of these students.The most effective advising occurs when a plan is developed for the student to graduate in theminimum number of semesters. Due to prerequisites and limited course offering eachsemester, this can be a challenging task. Hence each department at USA has identified at leastone advisor who is very knowledgeable about transfer curricula. The transfer students areencouraged to enroll in a minimal number of hours the first

Conference Session

A Focus on Non-Traditional Students and Non-Traditional Course Delivery Methods

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Connie Gomez, Galveston College; Leslie Braniger, Galveston College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

the ability of students to take ownership of their work, to increase students’ability to develop research-based expository and analysis essays, and to increase their exposureto STEM-related issues and careers. This endeavor was prompted by a desire to better meet theeducational needs of our diverse student population within our current constraints. Our studentbody typically consists of 2,400 students each semester. Those students are normally earningtheir associate’s degree or a certificate under one of more than 60 degree plans or are earningcredits prior to transferring to a four-year institution to complete their bachelor’s degree. Ourcollege is also facing the same challenges that other community colleges are currently facing,namely 1

Conference Session

California on the Move: A Robust Array of Student Success Initiatives

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amelito G Enriquez, Canada College; Catherine Baker Lipe; Brandon Price

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

are to support students’ three-year tenure at the College, and thefourth to support transfer. Achievement Level 1 scholarship is for students who are eligible toenroll in Trigonometry or Pre-calculus at the time of the award and have three-years of study atCañada College before transfer. Achievement Level 2 is for students who are registered inCalculus 1, or higher, at the time of the award, and are within two years of completing theirStudent Educational Plans (SEP) and transferring. Achievement Level 3 is for students who arewithin a year of completing their lower-division study at Cañada. The Transfer scholarship is forstudents who have completed all coursework included in their educational plan and aretransferring at the time of the award

Conference Session

California on the Move: A Robust Array of Student Success Initiatives

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nick P Rentsch, Cañada College; Amelito G Enriquez, Canada College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

in 1968, and is located in Redwood City, California. During the 2012-2013 academic year,the College enrolled 10,271 students, with Hispanic students comprising 45.8% of all full timeequivalent (FTE) enrollments, Caucasians 30.4%, Asians 7.6%, African-Americans 3.7%,American Indian/Alaska Natives 0.3%, Filipinos 3.1%, Pacific Islanders 1.8%, multi-racial 2.9%,unknown 4.5%. 6At Cañada College, the discrepancy in the levels of preparation among different ethnicities ismanifested in student persistence. During a recent planning initiative led by the College President,a cohort study of newly enrolling students at Cañada was performed. Table 1 shows a summaryof one-year and two-year persistence rates of students by ethnicity. Among Hispanic

Conference Session

Enhancing Success/Peristence at Two-Year Colleges

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenan Baltaci, University of Wisconsin, Stout; Melissa Thompson P.E. P.E., BridgeValley Community and Technical College; Bekir Zihni Yuksek, University of Northern Iowa

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

Check is comprised of meetings between the student, the CareerServices counselor, the student’s faculty advisor, and the student’s industry mentor to ensurethat the student has the resources and skills needed to pursue career opportunities aftergraduation.S-STEM Project Management PlanAs part of the S-STEM grant application to the NSF, BCTC developed a project managementplan for the Bridgemont STEM Scholars program.Specifically, the PI has the overall responsibility for project administration and interactions withthe NSF. The PI is responsible for outreach, marketing, recruitment, online visibility, oversightof industry mentors, and event planning. Co-PI`s are responsible for oversight of two advisorycommittees, reviewing applicants, evaluating

Conference Session

California on the Move: A Robust Array of Student Success Initiatives

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sharnnia Artis, University of California, Berkeley; Catherine T. Amelink, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

improve the self-efficacy of community college students as it relates to research andwhether this has an impact on their long-term career plans to pursue a STEM career.Transfer-to-Excellence Research Experiences for Undergraduates ProgramIn 2011, the University of California, Berkeley developed the Transfer-to-Excellence ResearchExperiences for Undergraduates program (TTE REU), a summer research program forcommunity college students that is catalyzed by early hands-on involvement in research projectsthat apply nanotechnology and biotechnology to address energy problems in a high caliberresearch environment. The program objectives are to: 1) provide challenging science andengineering research projects in leading edge research laboratories; 2

Conference Session

An Examination of Methods to Enhance Transfer Student Enrollment, Retenion, Persistence, and Outcomes

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David B. Knight, Virginia Tech Department of Engineering Education; Inger M. Bergom, University of Michigan; Brian A. Burt, University of Michigan; Lisa R. Lattuca, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

likely to enroll in community colleges than seniors who score highly on standardizedmath tests and take coursework more advanced than algebra II10.Although practitioners and researchers have considerable knowledge and understanding of theexperiences and achievements of community college students generally11,12,13, there has beenlittle research on community colleges as a pathway specifically to the bachelor’s degree inengineering. Our analyses consider the academic preparations and personal experiences thatcharacterize students who begin the path to an engineering degree in a community college andwho plan to transfer to a four-year engineering program. We compare these students with twoother groups: 1) community college students who successfully

Conference Session

Gainful Employment: Preparing Technicians to Satisfy the Needs of Industry

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel M. Hull P.E., OP-TEC; Chrysanthos Andreas Panayiotou, Indian River State College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

introducing opticsand laser phenomena for students in elementary and secondary grades,8 and 4) plans, curriculum,materials and activities for high school student and teacher workshops and summer camps.9, 10 Page 24.1151.7ConclusionLaser devices are the core technology in instruments performing vital functions in systems andapplications that enable major sectors of the US economy including transportation, healthcare,and telecommunications. According to a recent National Academy of Sciences report, $4.9billion worth of laser sales enabled $7.5 trillion of the U.S. gross domestic product in these threesectors in 2010.11 Laser and optical devices are

Conference Session

Gainful Employment: Preparing Technicians to Satisfy the Needs of Industry

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel M. Hull P.E., OP-TEC; Greg Kepner M. Ed., Indian Hills Community College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

deliver a secondary-postsecondary sequence ofcourses, and provide the resources necessary to support and sustain the initiative. This workrequires leaders and decision-makers from three vital groups: secondary schools,community/technical colleges, and employers.Additional information, curriculum plans for other technologies, supporting comments andimplementation strategies can be found in the book, Career Pathways for STEM Technicians,University of Central Florida, 2012.Bibliography1. Jonathan Rothwell, “The Hidden STEM Economy,” Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, June 2013.2. Anthony P. Carnevale, Nicole Smith, and Michelle Melton, STEM, Center on Education and the Workforce, October 2011.3. Harvard Graduate School of Education

Conference Session

A Focus on Non-Traditional Students and Non-Traditional Course Delivery Methods

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Armineh Noravian, San Francisco State University; Patricia Irvine, San Francisco State University

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

key factor that allows students to connect their experiences with the concepts theylearn and their future practices is learning through performing projects. Students in this studyreported that technical content combined with the process of learning and applying knowledge tosolve a problem was important. In fact, students saw processes such as planning, thinking incertain ways, learning how to learn on their own, and doing research as important as acquiringtechnical knowledge. These kinds of knowledge can best be acquired through working on bothwell- and ill-structured problems.AcknowledgementThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.DUE 1003589. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or