WIP: The Role of [Onboarding Program] in Fostering a Sense of Belonging and Sociocultural Competence in New Engineering Students
- Conference
- Location
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Virtual Conference
- Publication Date
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July 26, 2021
- Start Date
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July 26, 2021
- End Date
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July 19, 2022
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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First-Year Programs
- Tagged Topic
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Diversity
- Page Count
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19
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--38102
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/38102
- Download Count
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279
Paper Authors
Ramsey George Jabaji University of Maryland, College Park
Ramsey Jabaji is an acting director and lecturer of Global Leadership in the A. James Clark School of Engineering. He has more than a decade of experience teaching coursework in leadership and higher education administration at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University in locations such as Australia, China, France, The Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. He brings to his teaching a global focus and keen interest in helping all students develop capacities for leadership in a globally connected world. In his professional work, he oversees one of the largest engineering abroad programs in the country and he has developed a number of innovative and award-winning global and leadership programs in partnership with colleagues across borders and recognized by several leading higher education associations. In addition, he also oversees the Clark in Madrid program-- a partnership with two top Spanish universities and the A. James Clark School of Engineering which offers a robust international experience for nearly 100 STEM students annually. Ramsey holds bachelor degrees in Sociology and Environmental Studies, a master's in Counseling and Personnel Services, and is a doctoral candidate in Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy.
Shannon Hayes Buenaflor University of Maryland, College Park
Shannon Hayes Buenaflor currently serves as the Assistant Director of Transfer Student Advising and Admissions in the A. James Clark School of Engineering. Recently completing her Ph.D. in Higher Education at the University of Maryland, Dr. Buenaflor's research focuses on transfer student success, pre-transfer advising, and the role of self-efficacy in the transfer process.
Brian Farrington Dillehay University of Maryland, College Park
Brian Dillehay is the Assistant Director in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership in the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering. He supports Clark School students in incorporating global experiences into their academic plan and oversees engineering global programming. In addition, he supports the onboarding initiatives for new Clark School students. During his time at Maryland, he has taught courses in international culture both on campus and abroad in Australia, the Netherlands, and Spain. Brian joined the University of Maryland from AMIDEAST where he administered Fulbright students from the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, he has experience teaching and working abroad, primarily in Taiwan. He received his MA in International Training and Education from American University in 2016 and his BA in International Affairs from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2006.
Rebecca Z. Kenemuth University of Maryland, College Park
Rebecca Kenemuth is the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Outreach for the Women in Engineering Program at the University of Maryland. She holds an M.A. in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland and is passionate about empowering girls and women to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.
Elizabeth Kurban University of Maryland, College Park
Elizabeth Kurban serves as the Assistant Director of Retention for the Women in Engineering Program at the University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering. Elizabeth's professional and research interests broadly surround STEM-field access and persistence for women and underrepresented minoritized student populations. She is passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education, particularly in the context of engineering. Elizabeth earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Maryland's College of Education. Prior to her journey at UMD, Elizabeth worked in higher education policy research in Washington, DC and earned an M.S.Ed in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in Cognitive Science from the University of Delaware.
Paige E. Smith University of Maryland, College Park
Paige Smith, Ph.D. is the director of the Women in Engineering Program in the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. She served as the Program Director for Broadening Participation in Engineering in the Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 2017-2020. Paige was the principal investigator for an NSF Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) grant that extended successful women in engineering retention programs to all first-year and new external transfer students in the Clark School. Under her leadership, the Women in Engineering Program received several awards including the Women in Engineering Initiative Award in 2016 and the Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day in 2008 from the Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN). Paige is a Past President of WEPAN (2012-2013) and received the WEPAN Founders Award in 2015 and the Distinguished Service Award in 2009. Paige earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in industrial and systems engineering and B.S. in engineering science and mechanics from Virginia Tech.
Abstract
The purpose of this work-in-progress paper is to describe the development and assessment of a new onboarding program designed for all incoming first-year and transfer engineering students at the A. James Clark School of Engineering (Clark School) at the University of Maryland.
TerrapinSTRONG has the following overarching goals: ● Cultivate a sense of community, sense of belonging, and connectedness amongst students in the Clark School; and ● Develop an appreciation for and understanding of diversity and inclusion.
There are several components and attributes of TerrapinSTRONG in which incoming engineering students participate prior to and during their first semester in the Clark School.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TerrapinSTRONG for fall 2020 was implemented virtually. The online nature of these programs and their various components will be outlined in the work-in-progress paper to provide the ASEE community with an example of recent and continuing developments in first-year and transfer student onboarding programming in an engineering school. We will also discuss past programmatic efforts that took place on-campus and outline promising practices for future cohorts of students. These initiatives, both in-person and online, were developed to promote an understanding of diversity and inclusivity in the engineering context.
Jabaji, R. G., & Buenaflor, S. H., & Dillehay, B. F., & Kenemuth, R. Z., & Kurban, E., & Smith, P. E. (2021, July), WIP: The Role of [Onboarding Program] in Fostering a Sense of Belonging and Sociocultural Competence in New Engineering Students Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--38102
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