Work-in-Progress: Developing a First-Year Experience Professionalism Certificate for Engineering Students

Dan Burleson; Janice Quiroz Perez

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Conference: 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference
Location: University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
Publication Date: July 30, 2023
Start Date: July 30, 2023
End Date: August 1, 2023
Page Count: 5
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44861
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44861
Download Count: 80

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Paper Authors

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Dan Burleson University of Houston

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Dr. Dan Burleson is an Instructional Associate Professor in the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston. He has been at the University of Houston since 2010 when he joined as a Graduate Research Assistant, completing his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering in August of 2015. Before coming to Houston, Texas, Dr. Burleson completed B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida. He was a founding faculty for the the First Year Experience in Cullen College of Engineering and he has been the Course Coordinator for ENGI 1331 focusing on instruction, curriculum development, and programming for students and undergraduate teaching assistants from 2016 - 2023. He is currently the Director for Engineering Student Innovation and Design Experience and Co-Director for the University of Houston Grand Challenge Scholars Program.

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Janice Quiroz Perez University of Houston

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Janice Quiroz Perez is the Director of the Engineering Career Center at the University of Houston, Cullen College of Engineering that is also the home for the Co-operative Education Program for the university. She engages both internal and external stakeholders to effectively develop students from academia to the workforce. Janice collaborates with faculty, alumni and industry representatives to enhance professional development opportunities among Engineering Coogs. She partners with industry leaders on initiatives to help increase brand visibility on campus and strategies to revamp student engagement. Janice oversees career related programming including the biannual Engineering Career Fair, networking events, industry panels and career readiness workshops. She holds two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Houston, one in Communications, with a focus in Public Relations and the other in Consumer Science and Merchandising. In May 2019, she earned her MBA from the University of Houston, Downtown.

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Abstract

This work-in-progress develops a First-Year Experience (FYE) Professionalism Certificate for engineering students at the University of Houston for students in the second-semester, first year engineering course, ENGI 1331: Computing and Problem Solving. The certificate program aims to provide a strategy and structure for enhancing student engagement in career and professional development activities during their first year of engineering supporting both first-time-in-college (FTIC) freshman and transfer students. The transition from high school or community college to 4-year institution can be challenging, especially for engineering students who are navigating the complexities of a rigorous academic curriculum while also preparing for their future careers. Many first-year students struggle with finding opportunities to engage in career and professional development activities due to various barriers such as lack of awareness, confidence, and resume preparation skills. To address these challenges, the FYE Professionalism Certificate was originally designed in 2019 to provide external motivation and structure to students' engagement in career and professional development activities, including resume and peer review, career fair attendance, student organization meetings, and other workshops/information sessions. Based on qualitative feedback from students, one of the identified barriers to career fair attendance is the lack of a well-prepared resume. To address this, the certificate program in its most recent implementation (Spring 2023) includes specific resume support early in the semester, providing students with the skills and confidence to create a professional resume that will enhance their chances of success at career fairs. The FYE Professionalism Certificate is a co-curricular approach though students are incentivized with course extra credit. The program is evaluated through an end-of-semester quantitative tools that inform programmatic implementation. Qualitative data, such as student feedback and reflections, are collected to assess the impact of the program on students' career engagement and professional development. Quantitative data, such as attendance and participation rates, are also collected to measure the effectiveness of the program in improving student engagement. Data is currently being evaluated for the Spring 2023 implementation. Initial results indicated engagement of approximately 30% of students enrolled in the second semester first year engineering courses. Among these students, approximately 70% of students completed all requirements for the certificate. Further analysis of participant demographics and academic success is ongoing.

Citation
Format

Burleson, D., & Quiroz Perez, J. (2023, July), Work-in-Progress: Developing a First-Year Experience Professionalism Certificate for Engineering Students Paper presented at 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--44861

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This work-in-progress develops a First-Year Experience (FYE) Professionalism Certificate for engineering students at the University of Houston for students in the second-semester, first year engineering course, ENGI 1331: Computing and Problem Solving. The certificate program aims to provide a strategy and structure for enhancing student engagement in career and professional development activities during their first year of engineering supporting both first-time-in-college (FTIC) freshman and transfer students. The transition from high school or community college to 4-year institution can be challenging, especially for engineering students who are navigating the complexities of a rigorous academic curriculum while also preparing for their future careers. Many first-year students struggle with finding opportunities to engage in career and professional development activities due to various barriers such as lack of awareness, confidence, and resume preparation skills. To address these challenges, the FYE Professionalism Certificate was originally designed in 2019 to provide external motivation and structure to students&#39; engagement in career and professional development activities, including resume and peer review, career fair attendance, student organization meetings, and other workshops/information sessions. Based on qualitative feedback from students, one of the identified barriers to career fair attendance is the lack of a well-prepared resume. To address this, the certificate program in its most recent implementation (Spring 2023) includes specific resume support early in the semester, providing students with the skills and confidence to create a professional resume that will enhance their chances of success at career fairs. The FYE Professionalism Certificate is a co-curricular approach though students are incentivized with course extra credit.  The program is evaluated through an end-of-semester quantitative tools that inform programmatic implementation. Qualitative data, such as student feedback and reflections, are collected to assess the impact of the program on students&#39; career engagement and professional development. Quantitative data, such as attendance and participation rates, are also collected to measure the effectiveness of the program in improving student engagement.  Data is currently being evaluated for the Spring 2023 implementation. Initial results indicated engagement of approximately 30% of students enrolled in the second semester first year engineering courses.  Among these students, approximately 70% of students completed all requirements for the certificate. Further analysis of participant demographics and academic success is ongoing.
AU  - Dan Burleson
AU  - Janice Quiroz Perez
CY  - University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
DA  - 2023/07/30
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Work-in-Progress: Developing a First-Year Experience Professionalism Certificate for Engineering Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44861
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44861
ER  -