GoldShirt Transitional Program: First-Year Results and Lessons Learned on Creating Engineering Capacity and Expanding Diversity

Tanya D. Ennis; Jana B. Milford; Jacquelyn F. Sullivan; Beth A. Myers; Daniel Knight

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Conference: 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Vancouver, BC
Publication Date: June 26, 2011
Start Date: June 26, 2011
End Date: June 29, 2011
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Attracting Young Minds: Part I
Tagged Division: Minorities in Engineering
Page Count: 15
Page Numbers: 22.754.1 - 22.754.15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--18035
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/18035
Download Count: 368

Paper Authors

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Tanya D. Ennis University of Colorado Boulder

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Tanya D. Ennis is the current Engineering GoldShirt Program Director at the University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Science. She received her M.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her career in the telecommunications industry included positions in software and systems engineering and technical project management. Tanya most recently taught mathematics at the Denver School of Science and Technology, the highest performing high school in Denver Public Schools.

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Jana B. Milford University of Colorado at Boulder

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Jana B. Milford is professor of mechanical engineering and faculty advisor for the Engineering GoldShirt Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and a J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law. Her research and teaching focus on atmospheric chemistry and transport modeling and air quality management.

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Jacquelyn F. Sullivan University of Colorado, Boulder

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Jacquelyn Sullivan is founding Co-Director of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program and Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence at the University of Colorado at Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Science. She received her Ph.D. in environmental health physics and toxicology from Purdue University and held leadership positions in the energy and software industries for 13 years. She founded and leads CU’s extensive K-12 Engineering Initiative and spearheaded the Engineering GoldShirt Program. In 2004 she founded the ASEE K-12 Division and in 2008 received NAE’s Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education.

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Beth A. Myers University of Colorado Boulder

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Beth A. Myers is the Director for Access and Recruiting at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She holds a B.A. in biochemistry and is a graduate student in the Engineering Management Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has worked for the University of Colorado in various capacities for 11 years, including as a program manager for a small medical research center. Her interests are in quantitative and qualitative research and data analysis. She has been involved with the Engineering GoldShirt Program implementation since its inception.

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Daniel Knight University of Colorado, Boulder

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Daniel W. Knight is the engineering assessment specialist at the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program (ITLL) and the Broadening Opportunity through Leadership and Diversity (BOLD) Center in CU’s College of Engineering and Applied Science. He holds a B.A. in psychology from the Louisiana State University, and an M.S. degree in industrial/organizational psychology and a Ph.D. degree in counseling psychology, both from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Knight’s research interests are in the areas of retention, program evaluation and teamwork practices in engineering education. His current duties include assessment, evaluation and research for the ITL Program’s and BOLD Center's hands-on initiatives.

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Abstract

Innovative Retention and Development Programs for Undergraduate Minority Engineering Students (including Summer Bridge Programs) GOLDSHIRT TRANSITIONAL PROGRAM: FIRST-YEAR RESULTS AND LESSONS LEARNED ON CREATING ENGINEERING CAPACITY AND EXPANDING DIVERSITYWomen and underrepresented minority students pursue engineering degrees at disproportionatelylower rates as compared to the majority male population. One reason for the low participationrate among underrepresented minorities is that a high proportion of them lack adequatepreparation coming out of high school to enter university level engineering programs. To addressthis preparation gap, the GoldShirt engineering program at the University XXX seeks to providestudents the opportunity to prepare academically to enter engineering and to persist to graduationand beyond.The University XXX has established aggressive goals to increase the number and percentage ofunderrepresented and women students enrolling in and graduating from the College ofEngineering and Applied Science. The GoldShirt program is a key strategy for achieving thesebold goals. Supported in part by the National Science Foundation, the GoldShirt programprovides a performance-enhancing preparatory year for under-prepared students directlyadmitted to the engineering college. This GoldShirt year includes coursework in mathematics,physics, chemistry and the humanities to prepare students to enter the regular engineeringcurriculum in their second year of college. Most GoldShirt students live together in a living andlearning environment focused on engineering excellence.The pilot cohort (cohort #1) entered the program in fall 2009 with 16 students, of whom 15returned for the fall 2010 semester. This cohort achieved strong academic success in their firstyear. Based on the academic success of the first cohort, the university doubled the GoldShirtprogram’s capacity to 32 students in the fall 2010 (cohort #2). Cohort #2 consists of 24underrepresented minority students, 6 female students, 20 first generation college students and 8English language learners. Students in cohort #1 serve as mentors for the entering students incohort #2.The program is assessed based on the students’ academic performance and retention and theirfeedback on a variety of topics including their perceived preparedness in key courses (math,science, engineering, humanities and writing), sense of community within the program andcollege, and their intention to graduate and pursue a career in engineering.This paper examines and reports on the performance of the GoldShirt program. The paperexamines the factors that influenced students to join and persist in the program, and how thestudents performed academically both in the GoldShirt year and into the first year of the regularengineering curriculum. The paper also examines the role of support services, the residential lifeprogram and the new peer mentoring program in the students’ progress.

Citation
Format

Ennis, T. D., & Milford, J. B., & Sullivan, J. F., & Myers, B. A., & Knight, D. (2011, June), GoldShirt Transitional Program: First-Year Results and Lessons Learned on Creating Engineering Capacity and Expanding Diversity Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--18035

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -            Innovative Retention and Development Programs for Undergraduate           Minority Engineering Students (including Summer Bridge Programs)          GOLDSHIRT TRANSITIONAL PROGRAM: FIRST-YEAR           RESULTS AND LESSONS LEARNED ON CREATING         ENGINEERING CAPACITY AND EXPANDING DIVERSITYWomen and underrepresented minority students pursue engineering degrees at disproportionatelylower rates as compared to the majority male population. One reason for the low participationrate among underrepresented minorities is that a high proportion of them lack adequatepreparation coming out of high school to enter university level engineering programs. To addressthis preparation gap, the GoldShirt engineering program at the University XXX seeks to providestudents the opportunity to prepare academically to enter engineering and to persist to graduationand beyond.The University XXX has established aggressive goals to increase the number and percentage ofunderrepresented and women students enrolling in and graduating from the College ofEngineering and Applied Science. The GoldShirt program is a key strategy for achieving thesebold goals. Supported in part by the National Science Foundation, the GoldShirt programprovides a performance-enhancing preparatory year for under-prepared students directlyadmitted to the engineering college. This GoldShirt year includes coursework in mathematics,physics, chemistry and the humanities to prepare students to enter the regular engineeringcurriculum in their second year of college. Most GoldShirt students live together in a living andlearning environment focused on engineering excellence.The pilot cohort (cohort #1) entered the program in fall 2009 with 16 students, of whom 15returned for the fall 2010 semester. This cohort achieved strong academic success in their firstyear. Based on the academic success of the first cohort, the university doubled the GoldShirtprogram’s capacity to 32 students in the fall 2010 (cohort #2). Cohort #2 consists of 24underrepresented minority students, 6 female students, 20 first generation college students and 8English language learners. Students in cohort #1 serve as mentors for the entering students incohort #2.The program is assessed based on the students’ academic performance and retention and theirfeedback on a variety of topics including their perceived preparedness in key courses (math,science, engineering, humanities and writing), sense of community within the program andcollege, and their intention to graduate and pursue a career in engineering.This paper examines and reports on the performance of the GoldShirt program. The paperexamines the factors that influenced students to join and persist in the program, and how thestudents performed academically both in the GoldShirt year and into the first year of the regularengineering curriculum. The paper also examines the role of support services, the residential lifeprogram and the new peer mentoring program in the students’ progress.
AU  - Tanya D. Ennis
AU  - Jana B. Milford
AU  - Jacquelyn F. Sullivan
AU  - Beth A. Myers
AU  - Daniel Knight
CY  - Vancouver, BC
DA  - 2011/06/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - GoldShirt Transitional Program: First-Year Results and Lessons Learned on Creating Engineering Capacity and Expanding Diversity
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/18035
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--18035
ER  -