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Enhancing Student Engagement and Skillsets towards Transportation Careers Using Digital Badge Program: A Case Study

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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

Committee on Educational Policy Presents: Holistic Program Topics

Tagged Division

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

17

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43364

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43364

Download Count

145

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Paper Authors

biography

Venktesh Pandey North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

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Venktesh Pandey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. His research integrates intelligent transportation systems and emerging mobility services in traffic operations, congestion pricing, and transportation planning models with a focus on sustainability. Dr. Pandey has broad interests in improving Engineering Education systems of the future.

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Maranda McBride North Carolina A&T State University (CoE)

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Hyoshin Park

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Abstract

Changing technologies and job market dynamics have led many jobs in the transportation industry to require a higher degree of technical skills, a more diverse base of disciplinary perspectives, and adaptability. Targeted training of students in these skills and support networks for student success have been found to be critical for students, particularly those from underrepresented minority (URM) groups, who face additional constraints due to various competing goals vying for their energy, time, and attention. The ASETTS (Advancing STEM Education Through Transportation Studies) program is a digital badge program created to prepare undergraduate students with a variety of skills needed to be successful in the transportation workforce. The program uses a stackable-units framework through which students can earn digital badges (i.e., micro-credentials) that are awarded in the form of certificates and is designed to incentivize student participation in transportation career development activities. This case study addresses the question whether digital badge programs are effective in addressing the stated needs of preparing undergraduate students for a highly versatile and multi-dimensional transportation workforce within the constraints of limited time and motivation for the involved students. Over the course of last year, the program has recruited 100+ students across an array of disciplines who have demonstrated engagement in activities for primarily three badges: Transportation Awareness and Engagement, Transportation Research, and Transportation Core Skills. The program has resulted in an increase in participation in various engagement, research, and experiential learning activities. Through qualitative and quantitative feedback, we observe that digital badges facilitate the engagement of students and help prepare them for relevant skills pertaining to life/career, innovation, technology, research, and core subject matter.

Pandey, V., & McBride, M., & Park, H. (2023, June), Enhancing Student Engagement and Skillsets towards Transportation Careers Using Digital Badge Program: A Case Study Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43364

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