Virtual On line
June 22, 2020
June 22, 2020
June 26, 2021
Two-Year College
Diversity
19
10.18260/1-2--33981
https://peer.asee.org/33981
493
Ali Zilouchian is currently the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and a professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University. He is also currently the Director of “CAPTURE” program which is related to increasing pipeline, graduation rate as well as future jobs in the State of Florida related to STEM graduates especially Computer Science and Engineering fields. His recent projects have been funded by DOE, Florida BOG, National Science Foundation, Florida Power and Lights (FPL), Broward County School district and several other sources. His recent research works related to alternative energy applications includes Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) for Solar Systems, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) and battery technology to transportation technology. In addition, he has conducted research on the applications of soft computing methodologies to industrial processes including, desalination processes, oil refineries, fuzzy control of jet engines, and fuzzy controllers for car engines.
Dr. Zilouchian has published one book, and over 143 book chapters, scholarly journal papers, and refereed conference proceedings. He has supervised 20 Ph.D. and MS students to completion during his tenure at FAU. He has taught more than thirty (30) different courses related to engineering technology during his tenure at FAU. In 1996 and 2001, Dr. Zilouchian was awarded for the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at FAU. He has also received many awards including 1998 outstanding leadership award (IEEE, membership development), best organizer award(World Automation Congress, 2002), best paper award( WAC, 2002), 2003 and 2004 College of Engineering Dean’s awards in recognition of his contributions toward achievement of the goals of College of Engineering and Computer Science at FAU. He has served as session chair and organizer of many sessions in the international conferences for the past 30 years. Professor Zilouchian is currently an associate editor of the International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering out of Oxford, UK. Professor Zilouchian is senior member of several professional societies including Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, ASEE and IEEE.
Dr. Romance is Professor of Science Education in the College of Education at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and a graduate faculty member in both the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Science at FAU.Her research interests address meaningful learning in complex STEM domains, applying a learning sciences lens in addressing issues ranging from building elementary teachers knowledge and skill in teaching science to coordinating learning communities addressing mathematics curriculum as a persistent barrier impacting student success and retention in undergraduate STEM programs. She is currently Co-PI for the USDOE Title III Hispanic Serving Institution, internal evaluator on FAU's NSF Advance early phase grant, a member of the Advisory Board on the NSF STEM+C in Broward Schools and the NSF MSP at the University of Toledo. She is the newly appointed Director of FAUs STEM Collaborative.
DR. Vitale holds the Ph.D. in Educational Research and Instructional Psychology.
Annie Myers - A dynamic, forthright leader who engages her employees in partnerships for success in process and performance, she exudes positive energy and has the ability to energize others. She is extroverted and optimistic and thrives on action, she relishes change, and has the ability to execute—to get the job done.
A hybrid leader, with 22 years of supervisory, management, and leadership experience from the newspaper industry, proficient in both operations and information systems.
Associate Dean at Broward College and teaching since 2002, providing leadership and policy advice on matters related to all teaching and academic support services which include courses within Baccalaureate degrees, Associate in arts, Associate in science, and Associate in Applied Science.
Dana Hamadeh earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a minor in Mathematics. Some of her professional experiences include over ten years teaching college mathematics, supervising student learning center for physics and mathematics, managing million dollar STEM grant programs, and serving as Associate Dean of STEM Academic Affairs at Palm Beach State College. She continues to develop and present dynamic and interactive staff, faculty, and student workshops and seminars on various academic and professional related topics. She feels privileged and blessed to wake up every morning doing what she loves to do.
Powerful indicators suggest that there may be more than one million new jobs in STEM related fields by the year 2024 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018), with the largest growth rate of 23.1% in the Information Technology (IT) sector. Equally powerful indicators suggest that Hispanics are one of the fastest growing demographic groups in America, but one of the least represented in STEM post-secondary education and STEM careers. The importance of these two indicators in terms of America’s global competitiveness and economic growth cannot be underestimated. In considering how to address these two indicators, a collaborative initiative continues to be expanded in which resources from the Florida Board of Governors and the US Department of Education (USDOE) Title III Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Grant has resulted in a vibrant infrastructure and sustainable model to support the transition of students from the state colleges to the university. In addressing these issues, the session will highlight the “ progress”, “success”, and “lessons learned” of the first three years of a 4.5 M US DOE Title III transformative project for Hispanics and low income students. The awarded five-year (2016-2021) STEM articulation project is based on the extensive collaboration among two state colleges (*) and a recent Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) university (*2016) with a combined undergraduate enrollment of 140,000+ students. The present initiative builds upon the successful Computer Accelerated Pipeline to Unlock Regional Excellence (CAPTURE) program sponsored by the Florida Board of Governors (BOG).
The paper will report on the success of the curriculum mapping and articulation agreements enacted by the two State Colleges in collaboration with the 4 year institution (*) to support student degree completion in computer science and engineering programs. In addition, the session will report on a Systemic, Evidenced-Based and Student Centered (SE-SC) framework designed to maximize the number of academically-talented, Hispanic students who complete a degree and are career ready to enter engineering and computer science (ECS). The SE-SC framework has guided the implementation of select interventions/practices that meet the criteria of being able to be sustained, have broad impact (‘systemic’), are based on evidence supporting their effectiveness in STEM learning environments (‘evidenced-based’), and that directly engage and support students (‘student-centered’) as they traverse the academic pathway leading to degree completion in Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). This research project aligns with the need to boost the nation’s economic growth and competitiveness by not only expanding emphasis on STEM education but systemically addressing ways to expand the impact the success of ‘Hispanic’ students, thus contributing to a growing, more diverse talent pool for STEM education and careers.
Data analysis across the past three years (2016-2019) validate the effectiveness of the research model proposed initiative in increasing student pipeline and graduation rates. The process has also deepened our understanding of students’ needs in terms of how to better align student career aspirations with industry workforce needs. The effectiveness of the collaborative model could be replicated among other institutions interested in promoting engineering degrees among Hispanic and low income students.
Zilouchian, A., & Romance, N., & vitale, M., & Myers, A. L., & Hamadeh, D. (2020, June), A Collaborative Framework to Advance Student Degree Completion in STEM Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--33981
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2020 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015