Using a Summer Bridge Program to Develop a Situational Judgment Inventory: From Year 1 to Year 2

Malini Josiam; Walter C. Lee

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Conference: 2024 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD)
Location: Arlington, Virginia
Publication Date: February 25, 2024
Start Date: February 25, 2024
End Date: February 27, 2024
Conference Session: Track 4: Technical Session 5: Using a Summer Bridge Program to Develop a Situational Judgment Inventory: From Year 1 to Year 2
Tagged Topics: Diversity and CoNECD Paper Sessions
Page Count: 51
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--45493
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/45493
Download Count: 11

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Paper Authors

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Malini Josiam Virginia Tech Department of Engineering Education orcid.org/0000-0001-9872-8603

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Malini Josiam is a Ph.D. candidate in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She has a M.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech (2023) and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UT Austin (2021). Her research interests include improving equity in engineering and sustainability.

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Walter C. Lee Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University orcid.org/0000-0001-5082-1411

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Dr. Walter Lee is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education and the director for research at the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED), both at Virginia Tech.

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Abstract

The College of Engineering at [University] offers a comprehensive five-week summer program known as a summer bridge program (SBP) for incoming students. The primary objective of this program is to familiarize first-time-in-college students with the university environment and community, setting them up for success in their academic journey. During this period, students engage in non-credit courses that cover subjects typically deemed challenging and necessary for first-year students, including calculus, chemistry, and engineering fundamentals. In addition to these courses, over the course of the program, students actively participate in informative seminars conducted by different campus offices, providing them with a comprehensive understanding of the wide array of opportunities and resources available to support their them during their academic journey.

In the previous year, we organized a workshop during the SBP with a total of 60 participating students. The purpose of this workshop was to gauge students' reactions to a series of open-ended scenarios that reflected potential opportunities and constraints commonly encountered in the field of engineering. Students were given the opportunity to respond to these scenarios both individually and in groups, with each group assigned four unique scenarios. To further enhance our understanding, we also conducted interviews with 11 students. By analyzing the individual and group responses, along with the interview data, we developed a Situational Judgment Inventory (SJI), aggregating students’ open ended responses into closed-ended responses to the scenarios. The primary objective of this SJI is to promote better alignment between students' navigational tendencies and the expectations of professionals regarding students' navigational approaches within the learning environment.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide a comprehensive overview of our instrument refinement process and present preliminary findings regarding the anticipated navigational approaches of incoming engineering students. To address this purpose, we conducted a 90-minute workshop with SBP students, where we administered the piloted SJI containing the closed-ended responses we developed earlier. The primary purpose of piloting the SJI was to understand how to enhance the instrument's accuracy in capturing the full spectrum of navigational tendencies that students possess and expect to employ prior to commencing their engineering studies. The quantitative analysis of the pilot results will not only identify areas of improvement for the instrument but also contribute to our understanding of how incoming students anticipate navigating the field of engineering.

Citation
Format

Josiam, M., & Lee, W. C. (2024, February), Using a Summer Bridge Program to Develop a Situational Judgment Inventory: From Year 1 to Year 2 Paper presented at 2024 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD), Arlington, Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--45493

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The College of Engineering at [University] offers a comprehensive five-week summer program known as a summer bridge program (SBP) for incoming students. The primary objective of this program is to familiarize first-time-in-college students with the university environment and community, setting them up for success in their academic journey. During this period, students engage in non-credit courses that cover subjects typically deemed challenging and necessary for first-year students, including calculus, chemistry, and engineering fundamentals. In addition to these courses, over the course of the program, students actively participate in informative seminars conducted by different campus offices, providing them with a comprehensive understanding of the wide array of opportunities and resources available to support their them during their academic journey. 

In the previous year, we organized a workshop during the SBP with a total of 60 participating students. The purpose of this workshop was to gauge students&#39; reactions to a series of open-ended scenarios that reflected potential opportunities and constraints commonly encountered in the field of engineering. Students were given the opportunity to respond to these scenarios both individually and in groups, with each group assigned four unique scenarios. To further enhance our understanding, we also conducted interviews with 11 students. By analyzing the individual and group responses, along with the interview data, we developed a Situational Judgment Inventory (SJI), aggregating students’ open ended responses into closed-ended responses to the scenarios. The primary objective of this SJI is to promote better alignment between students&#39; navigational tendencies and the expectations of professionals regarding students&#39; navigational approaches within the learning environment.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide a comprehensive overview of our instrument refinement process and present preliminary findings regarding the anticipated navigational approaches of incoming engineering students. To address this purpose, we conducted a 90-minute workshop with SBP students, where we administered the piloted SJI containing the closed-ended responses we developed earlier. The primary purpose of piloting the SJI was to understand how to enhance the instrument&#39;s accuracy in capturing the full spectrum of navigational tendencies that students possess and expect to employ prior to commencing their engineering studies. The quantitative analysis of the pilot results will not only identify areas of improvement for the instrument but also contribute to our understanding of how incoming students anticipate navigating the field of engineering.

AU  - Malini Josiam
AU  - Walter C. Lee
CY  - Arlington, Virginia
DA  - 2024/02/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Using a Summer Bridge Program to Develop a Situational Judgment Inventory: From Year 1 to Year 2
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/45493
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--45493
ER  -