Asee peer logo

Facilitating Veteran and Adult Students’ Learning and Retention in Engineering: Faculty-Student Partnership – A Model of an Evidence-based Practice

Download Paper |

Conference

2021 CoNECD

Location

Virtual - 1pm to 5pm Eastern Time Each Day

Publication Date

January 24, 2021

Start Date

January 24, 2021

End Date

January 28, 2021

Conference Session

CoNECD Session : Day 2 Slot 1 Technical Session 4

Tagged Topics

Diversity and CoNECD Paper Submissions

Page Count

12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--36088

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/36088

Download Count

476

Paper Authors

biography

Anthony W. Dean Old Dominion University

visit author page

Dr. Anthony W. Dean has had several roles in academia. He is currently Assistant Dean for Research, Batten College of Engineering and Technology (BCET) at ODU. His previous appointments include Associate Professor of Engineering Technology and as Associate Director of the Institute for Ship Repair, Maintenance, and Operations at Old Dominion University (ODU).His research has focused mostly on control systems (integration and testing) and the reliability and maintainability of complex systems. He has been selected as both a NASA and an ONR Faculty Fellow. He regularly teaches courses in Marine Engineering and in Maintained Systems. Most recently Dr. Dean was on the Headquarters Staff the American Society of Naval Engineers. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, and a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering Technology, from the Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University. Additionally, Dr. Dean received an MBA from the College of William and Mary. Prior to is academic career Dr. Dean was Director of Operations and Business Development for Clark-Smith Associates, P.C., and served as an Electrician in the US Navy aboard the USS South Carolina and the USS Enterprise.

visit author page

biography

Kim Bullington Sibson Old Dominion University

visit author page

Dr. Bullington Sibson is an experienced and accomplished leader in higher education and university administration with strong expertise in program management, organizational development, and student and academic affairs administration, with over two decades of university experience.

Dr. Bullington Sibson's research interests include student success - especially in the veteran and non-traditional student realm, higher education policy, and student access to higher education resources.

visit author page

biography

Cynthia Tomovic Old Dominion University

visit author page

Professor, STEM Education and Professional Studies; Director, Training Specialist Program; Co-Director, ODU BLAST (Building Leaders to Advance Science and Technology), Darden College of Education, Old Dominion University, VA.

visit author page

biography

Vukica M. Jovanovic Old Dominion University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-8626-903X

visit author page

Dr. Vukica Jovanovic is an Batten Fellow and Associate Professor of Engineering Technology in Mechanical Engineering Technology Program. She holds a Ph.D. from Purdue University in Mechanical Engineering Technology, focused on Digital Manufacturing. Her research is focused on mechatronics, digital manufacturing, digital thread, cyber physical systems, broadening participation, engineering education, and career pathways. She is a Director of Mechatronics and Digital Manufacturing Lab at ODU and a lead of Area of Specialization Mechatronics Systems Design. She worked as a Visiting Researcher at Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing in Disputanta, VA on projects focusing on digital thread and cyber security of manufacturing systems.

visit author page

biography

Rafael E. Landaeta Old Dominion University

visit author page

Dr. Landaeta is an Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and an M.S. in Engineering Management from the University of Central Florida, as well as, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UNITEC Venezuela. He serves as an Associate Editor for the Engineering Management Journal and as faculty advisor of Old Dominion University's student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. His scholarship focuses on generating, transferring, and applying multi-disciplinary knowledge that addresses current and future challenges in knowledge-intensive organizations. He is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management.

visit author page

Download Paper |

Abstract

A model for facilitating veteran students’ learning and retention is presented based on andragogy - the science of adult learning. Adults are independent self-directed learners who accept responsibility for their own learning. Adults can be skeptical and challenge new information but are particularly motivated when the information presented is applicable and relevant to their careers. With a growing number of veterans entering higher education and the challenges associated with retention, it is important to understand and incorporate the basics of andragogy in curriculum and course development to facilitate veteran and adult students’ learning and degree completion. STEM education, and in particular engineering education, continues to be a major focus in K-12 and higher education. Funded by the NSF, this S-STEM project proposes interventions to retain and graduate students with academic promise and strong financial need. The researchers for this project seek to develop innovative, reliable, and replicable ways in which to affect the learning and retention of engineering students, with a focus on veteran students and adult learners. Drawing on the lessons of andragogy, in this paper, faculty share the processes implemented, content derived, and preliminary data from a faculty-student partnership in the development of a mid- to near-degree completion seminar as a model of an evidence-based practice that is affecting student learning and retention.

Dean, A. W., & Bullington Sibson, K., & Tomovic, C., & Jovanovic, V. M., & Landaeta, R. E. (2021, January), Facilitating Veteran and Adult Students’ Learning and Retention in Engineering: Faculty-Student Partnership – A Model of an Evidence-based Practice Paper presented at 2021 CoNECD, Virtual - 1pm to 5pm Eastern Time Each Day . 10.18260/1-2--36088

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: © 2021 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