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Enhancing STEM Degree Completion: A Framework for the Civil and Mechanical Engineering (CAM) Scholarship Project

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 14: Advanced Pedagogical Techniques

Tagged Division

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/47314

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Paper Authors

biography

Israd Hakim Jaafar Utah Valley University

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Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Utah Valley University. Highly interested in methods to improve engineering education, novel pedagogical approaches to teaching, as well as accessibility and inclusiveness in assessment methods. Research interests include advanced and additive manufacturing materials and methods.

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Matthew J Jensen Utah Valley University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-5229-7382

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Dr. Matthew J. Jensen received his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2006. Matthew received his doctorate from Clemson University in 2011 in Mechanical Engineering, focused primarily on automotive cont

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biography

Sean Tolman P.E. Utah Valley University

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Sean S. Tolman is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Program at Utah Valley University in Orem, UT. He earned his BSME degree at Brigham Young University in 2002 and a MSME degree from the University of Utah in 2008 before returning to

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Amanda C Bordelon Utah Valley University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-2616-6730

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Amanda Bordelon, PhD, P.E. joined Utah Valley University's faculty in the new Civil Engineering program in August 2018. She has all of her degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering emphasized in transportation infrastructure and construction material, particularly forensics and testing evaluations of concrete. She has been teaching since 2011, starting out at University of Utah in their Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Since at UVU now, she has been a Program Coordinator for the Civil Engineering Program since 2019, served as a Society of Women Engineers faculty mentor, served as a faculty mentor for multiple Concrete Canoe Teams, serves on the Utah State Higher Education Civil Engineering Sub-Committee since 2020, serves as a co-Chair of the College of Engineering and Technology's Equity Inclusion and Diversity committee since 2020, and a chair of our internal Introduction to Engineering Design course planning committee.

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Bennington J Willardson Utah Valley University

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Janis P Raje

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Janis Raje is a free-lance technical writer for higher education programs. She received her B.A. from
Brigham Young University and her M.A. from University of Maine in English. She has a particular interest in STEM programs at the baccalaureate and pre- baccalaureate levels.

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Abstract

This paper presents the practical framework for implementing the Civil and Mechanical Engineering (CAM) Scholarship project, using a recently received grant from the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NSF-S-STEM) program. This project is focused on supporting the retention and degree completion of low-income, and high-achieving students with proven financial need in the Civil and Mechanical Engineering programs at the College of Engineering and Technology (CET) at the University. The University is an open-admissions public institution of higher education with a dual mission model that aims to combine the resources and rigor of a major university yet keep the accessibility of a community college. The institution’s student body is markedly different than those at research focused institutions: 37% are first generation, 80% work while enrolled, 30% are over 25 years old, and only 48% are full-time students. These circumstances create challenges in degree completion, leading to high attrition rates at the university level. The overall retention rate is 65%, the typical 4-year undergraduate graduation rate is only 13%, and the 6-year graduation rate is 29%. Specific to the Mechanical and Civil Engineering programs, the first-year retention rate for students starting in 2020 was 64%. Students cited several reasons for leaving, with 35% reporting that they are unable to afford college. Although a 2020 Institutional Research study found that scholarships are the most effective form of financial aid to increase persistence, CET has few dedicated scholarships to award students. Furthermore, the few scholarships available in the college are based on merit and do not factor in low-income and other factors that lead to attrition. This project aims to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income and high-achieving students. This project also seeks to advance understanding about the effect of evidence-based, context-specific interventions to ensure success for STEM program students in open-admissions universities. The framework of this project is to study and address several institutionally identified attrition points in the XXX that includes: (i) high attrition of first- and second-year students, (ii) slow pace of students to matriculation into the Civil and Mechanical Engineering programs, and (iii) low participation and completion rates of women, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation students. In addition to the scholarship award, several approaches have been identified for implementation to support scholarship recipients’ success: (i) Multi-layered Mentoring, (ii) Social and Academic Support via an active, collaborative, and inclusive cohorts, (iii) Professional Preparation, and (iv) High Impact Practices. This project can be used to inform other institutions with similar populations and/or concerns on impactful programs, practices, and interventions that are most impactful for students. This paper provides the framework of what will be implemented in the CAM Scholarship project.

Jaafar, I. H., & Jensen, M. J., & Tolman, S., & Bordelon, A. C., & Willardson, B. J., & Raje, J. P. (2024, June), Enhancing STEM Degree Completion: A Framework for the Civil and Mechanical Engineering (CAM) Scholarship Project Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47314

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