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Board 402: The Importance of Career Competencies for Engineering Students

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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 Topic

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

22

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43140

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43140

Download Count

160

Paper Authors

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Karen L. Webber University of Georgia

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Karen Webber, is Professor Emeritus of Higher Education in the McBee Institute of Higher Education at The University of Georgia and the PI of the NSF-funded project related to this proposal. Professor Webber's research includes a variety of issues related to postsecondary institution and student success including undergraduate research, gender studies, institutional research and data analytics in higher education.

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Amy Stich University of Georgia

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Associate Professor

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Matthew Grandstaff University of Georgia

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Collin Case University of Georgia

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Abstract

Baccalaureate students’ acquisition of knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for career success emerge from a combination of classroom and co-curricular activities. Work-related experiential activities (WREAs) offer the opportunity for students to engage in experiential activities before degree completion, and these experiences offer students an important way to refine their skills that facilitate career success. Generally, prior research confirms the benefits of work-related experiential activities in students’ transition to the workforce, but more evidence is needed to examine the contribution of WREA participation in the development of career competencies. This paper is part of a larger study funded by NSF’s EHR Core Research Division for Engineering Education and Research. Sixty-three percent of the students surveyed in spring 2021 and spring 2022 at five institutions in one U.S. state said they completed one or more WREAs during their baccalaureate studies. With only a few significant differences by students’ gender, race/ethnicity, or financial aid status, student responses indicated high value in developing skills related to career competence, particularly related to professionalism and communication. Student perceptions are detailed, and implications for engineering education are discussed.

Webber, K. L., & Stich, A., & Grandstaff, M., & Case, C. (2023, June), Board 402: The Importance of Career Competencies for Engineering Students Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43140

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