S-STEM Summer, Sophomore Bridge: Successes of Two Cohorts and Experiences of our Year 5 Cohort

Katie Evans; Marisa Orr; Mitzi Desselles

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 5
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41943
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41943
Download Count: 169

Paper Authors

biography

Katie Evans Houston Baptist University

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Dr. Katie Evans is Professor of Mathematics and the Dean of Science and Engineering at Houston Baptist University (HBU). Prior to HBU, she was on faculty at Louisiana Tech University for 16 years in the College of Engineering and Science, where she served as Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives, Academic Director of Mathematics & Statistics and Online Programs, the Entergy LP&L/NOPSI #3 & #4 Professor of Mathematics, the Director of the Integrated STEM Education Research Center, and the Director of the Office for Women in Science and Engineering. Dr. Evans serves as on the Interim Executive Committee and as Chair of the New Programs Committee for the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, founded by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. She earned her B.S. in Mathematics from Morehead State University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Mathematics at Virginia Tech. After a postdoctoral position in Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University, she joined Louisiana Tech, where she is now Professor Emerita. Dr. Evans’ current scholarship focuses on STEM Education.

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Marisa Orr Clemson University orcid.org/0000-0001-5944-5846

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Marisa K. Orr is an Associate Professor in Engineering and Science Education with a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University. Her research interests include student persistence and pathways in engineering, gender equity, diversity, and academic policy. Dr. Orr is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award for her research entitled, ”Empowering Students to be Adaptive Decision-Makers.”

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Mitzi Desselles Louisiana Tech University

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Abstract

Louisiana Tech has completed its fifth year of an S-STEM Scholarship Program to serve as a Sophomore Bridge for engineering majors. The project is now in a one-year no cost extension with sufficient scholarship funds to support a Year 6 cohort in Summer 2022. The Fast-Forward Scholarship program supports engineering majors in the summer between their first and second years to take one engineering and one mathematics course in their major, along with a professional development (PD) course that includes opportunities to visit regional companies employing engineers. The purpose of the program is to provide students with scholarships and support while they have a gentler transition into more challenging sophomore engineering and mathematics coursework. Additionally, completing this coursework early allows for more enriching experiences later in the curriculum, such as minors, internships, and undergraduate research. The professional development course content helps students develop a stronger engineering identity and prepare to search for internships.

The first and second cohorts of Fast-Forward students from Summer 2017 and 2018, respectively, have now had sufficient time to achieve a four-year graduation. This poster will examine the four-year graduation rates and job/post-baccalaureate placement of these cohorts, to the extent that information is available from post-graduation surveys. The third cohort of Fast-Forward students from Summer 2019 are presently enrolled in their senior design courses if they have remained on-track in their engineering majors. This poster will also examine the on-track success of this cohort.

After running a completely online Fast-Forward Program in Summer 2020, with eleven students, we were able to run a hybrid program in Summer 2021, with seventeen students. Many program elements were held face-to-face, but the rise in Delta variant COVID-19 cases precluded the opportunity for face-to-face visits to area companies and manufacturing plants. Student feedback in response to the hybrid program will be discussed and compared to the feedback from the Summer 2020 students who experienced an online summer program.

Citation
Format

Evans, K., & Orr, M., & Desselles, M. (2022, August), S-STEM Summer, Sophomore Bridge: Successes of Two Cohorts and Experiences of our Year 5 Cohort Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41943

TY - CPAPER
AB - Louisiana Tech has completed its fifth year of an S-STEM Scholarship Program to serve as a Sophomore Bridge for engineering majors. The project is now in a one-year no cost extension with sufficient scholarship funds to support a Year 6 cohort in Summer 2022. The Fast-Forward Scholarship program supports engineering majors in the summer between their first and second years to take one engineering and one mathematics course in their major, along with a professional development (PD) course that includes opportunities to visit regional companies employing engineers. The purpose of the program is to provide students with scholarships and support while they have a gentler transition into more challenging sophomore engineering and mathematics coursework. Additionally, completing this coursework early allows for more enriching experiences later in the curriculum, such as minors, internships, and undergraduate research. The professional development course content helps students develop a stronger engineering identity and prepare to search for internships.

The first and second cohorts of Fast-Forward students from Summer 2017 and 2018, respectively, have now had sufficient time to achieve a four-year graduation. This poster will examine the four-year graduation rates and job/post-baccalaureate placement of these cohorts, to the extent that information is available from post-graduation surveys. The third cohort of Fast-Forward students from Summer 2019 are presently enrolled in their senior design courses if they have remained on-track in their engineering majors. This poster will also examine the on-track success of this cohort.

After running a completely online Fast-Forward Program in Summer 2020, with eleven students, we were able to run a hybrid program in Summer 2021, with seventeen students. Many program elements were held face-to-face, but the rise in Delta variant COVID-19 cases precluded the opportunity for face-to-face visits to area companies and manufacturing plants. Student feedback in response to the hybrid program will be discussed and compared to the feedback from the Summer 2020 students who experienced an online summer program.
AU - Katie Evans
AU - Marisa Orr
AU - Mitzi Desselles
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - S-STEM Summer, Sophomore Bridge: Successes of Two Cohorts and Experiences of our Year 5 Cohort
UR - https://peer.asee.org/41943
DO - 10.18260/1-2--41943
ER -