Board 368: Regional Assets, Factors, and Strategies Supporting Engineering Pre-Transfer Pathways

Kristin Kelly Frady; Randi Sims

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topics: Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 5
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43030
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43030
Download Count: 86

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Paper Authors

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Kristin Kelly Frady Clemson University orcid.org/0000-0002-4194-8848

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Kristin Frady is an Assistant Professor at Clemson University jointly appointed between the Educational and Organizational Leadership Development and Engineering and Science Education Departments. Her research focuses on innovations in workforce development at educational and career transitions. The context of her research emphasizes three primary areas specifically focusing on two-year college and secondary STEM and career education, educational innovations, and the middle skill workforce. Dr. Frady is or has served as Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator, or Senior Personnel on six National Science Foundation, two Department of Labor, one Economic Development Agency, four state level, and three private foundation grants totaling $5,955,928. Also, previously as Faculty Director for Clemson University Center for Workforce Development and the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Center for Aviation and Automotive Technological Education using Virtual E-Schools (CA2VES), Dr. Frady led a team in the development of digital learning tools to expand technician education capacity creating virtual reality tools, advanced e-learning modules, and iBooks which have been utilized in secondary and post-secondary educational environments across the United States.

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Randi Sims orcid.org/0000-0002-6380-2460

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Randi is a current Ph.D. student in the department of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University. Her research interests center around undergraduate research experiences using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Her career goals are to work as an evaluator or consultant on educationally based research projects with an emphasis on statistical analyses and big data.

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Abstract

Two-year colleges play a vital role in educating and awarding advanced credentials to America’s future scientists and technicians. The research supported by this National Science Foundation (NSF) award emphasizes the importance of and expands understanding of the role that two-year colleges play in the engineering education and career pipeline. Yet, racial and location inequity in vertical transfer highlights a lack of access to life-changing educational opportunities. This research focuses on identifying unique geographic and cultural assets to make pre-transfer engineering students, from a variety of backgrounds, locations, and opportunities, more successful thereby increasing the number and preparedness of transfer students. This educational research aims to enhance inclusion and participation in engineering and the development of a more innovative and inclusive technical workforce.

In the first year, this research has focused on gathering data in a mixed methods study to create new knowledge to increase engineering transfer numbers and preparedness more broadly through investigating the geographic and cultural assets of transfer intending two-year college students. The research is informed by Laanan’s theory of transfer student capital and examines core constructs of transfer student capital. The research questions for the research portion of this project are: RQ1: What are assets, factors, and strategies that enable access for two-year college students to engineering transfer pathways? RQ2: Do assets, factors, and strategies vary in magnitude and/or presence across student demographics, locations, institutions, or intention to transfer?

This project aims to broaden participation by improving access to engineering education and baccalaureate degree programs for underrepresented minority, low-income, first-generation, and nontraditional students. Increased transfer pathways and educational innovations specifically designed for marginalized communities can improve transfer outcomes and positively impact college affordability for students from communities not previously well served. This research is distinct from other transfer student research in its combined focus on geographic and cultural assets and needs, the inclusion of multi-institutional data, pre-transfer student focus, data disaggregation by subpopulations, and disciplinary focus on engineering. This research will also inform institutional supports, pathways, and resources needed for increased transfer student capital, stimulate the interaction of researchers and practitioners with policymakers and the public, and expand stakeholder capacity to support and engage diverse populations in STEM education through new partnerships.

Citation
Format

Frady, K. K., & Sims, R. (2023, June), Board 368: Regional Assets, Factors, and Strategies Supporting Engineering Pre-Transfer Pathways Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43030

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Two-year colleges play a vital role in educating and awarding advanced credentials to America’s future scientists and technicians. The research supported by this National Science Foundation (NSF) award emphasizes the importance of and expands understanding of the role that two-year colleges play in the engineering education and career pipeline. Yet, racial and location inequity in vertical transfer highlights a lack of access to life-changing educational opportunities. This research focuses on identifying unique geographic and cultural assets to make pre-transfer engineering students, from a variety of backgrounds, locations, and opportunities, more successful thereby increasing the number and preparedness of transfer students. This educational research aims to enhance inclusion and participation in engineering and the development of a more innovative and inclusive technical workforce. 

In the first year, this research has focused on gathering data in a mixed methods study to create new knowledge to increase engineering transfer numbers and preparedness more broadly through investigating the geographic and cultural assets of transfer intending two-year college students. The research is informed by Laanan’s theory of transfer student capital and examines core constructs of transfer student capital. The research questions for the research portion of this project are: RQ1: What are assets, factors, and strategies that enable access for two-year college students to engineering transfer pathways?  RQ2: Do assets, factors, and strategies vary in magnitude and/or presence across student demographics, locations, institutions, or intention to transfer? 

This project aims to broaden participation by improving access to engineering education and baccalaureate degree programs for underrepresented minority, low-income, first-generation, and nontraditional students. Increased transfer pathways and educational innovations specifically designed for marginalized communities can improve transfer outcomes and positively impact college affordability for students from communities not previously well served. This research is distinct from other transfer student research in its combined focus on geographic and cultural assets and needs, the inclusion of multi-institutional data, pre-transfer student focus, data disaggregation by subpopulations, and disciplinary focus on engineering. This research will also inform institutional supports, pathways, and resources needed for increased transfer student capital, stimulate the interaction of researchers and practitioners with policymakers and the public, and expand stakeholder capacity to support and engage diverse populations in STEM education through new partnerships.
AU  - Kristin Kelly Frady
AU  - Randi Sims
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Board 368: Regional Assets, Factors, and Strategies Supporting Engineering Pre-Transfer Pathways
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/43030
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--43030
ER  -