Minneapolis, MN
August 23, 2022
June 26, 2022
June 29, 2022
8
10.18260/1-2--41181
https://216.185.13.187/41181
249
Dr. Ashish Borgaonkar works as Asst. Professor of Engineering Education at the New Jersey Institute of Technology's (NJIT) Newark College of Engineering (NCE) located in Newark, New Jersey. He has developed and taught several engineering courses primarily in first-year engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and general engineering. He has won several awards for excellence in instruction; most recently the Saul K. Fenster Award for Innovation in Engineering Education. His research focuses on increasing diversity in STEM education and the STEM workforce. He has received multiple grants to run workforce development training programs as well as undergraduate research experience programs to train underrepresented minority and first-generation students. He is the Founding Director of NJIT's Grand Challenges Scholars Program. He also has worked on several research projects, programs, and initiatives to help students bridge the gap between high school and college as well as to prepare students for the rigors of mathematics. He is also involved in various engineering education initiatives focusing on the integration of novel technologies into the engineering classroom, and excellence in instruction. His additional research interests include water, and wastewater treatment, civil engineering infrastructure, and transportation engineering.
Dr. Jaskirat Sodhi is interested in first-year engineering curriculum design and recruitment, retention and success of engineering students. He is the coordinator of ENGR101, an application-oriented course for engineering students placed in pre-calculus courses. He has also developed and co-teaches the Fundamentals of Engineering Design course that includes a wide spectra of activities to teach general engineering students the basics of engineering design using a hands-on approach which is also engaging and fun. He is an Institute for Teaching Excellence Fellow at NJIT and the recipient of NJIT's 2022 Excellence in Teaching Award - Lower Division Undergraduate Instruction, 2022 Newark College of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award, and 2018 Saul K. Fenster Innovation in Engineering Education Award
Abstract This abstract is for a work in progress paper in the Evaluation of Program/Curriculum category. Research indicates that students who participate in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competitions are more likely to develop interests in STEM careers. Students who participate not only learn more about STEM subjects, they also acquire skills in teamwork, communication, problem solving, and time management. However, students should not have to wait until high school, or even middle school, to participate and experience the benefits of STEM competitions. New Jersey Institute of Technology's (NJIT) Center for Pre-College Programs, in partnership with NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering (NCE) addressed this issue by conducting an annual hands-on Elementary STEM (eSTEM) Challenge for third through fifth grade students. The Challenge is based on the engineering design process focusing on a renewable energy theme. The goal is to help students foster an interest in STEM at an early age so that students are more likely in the future to study, and pursue a career in STEM. In addition, it provided students with a structured experience to prepare them for STEM based activities and competitions. The eSTEM Challenge was designed to support teams, especially those comprised of mostly girls and others from underserved and underrepresented groups that would benefit from supports before the day of the competition. Feedback surveys are administered to the student participants, teacher-coaches and student mentors (current NJIT undergraduate students). The first-year results indicate that the competition was highly effective in increasing student’s interest in engineering and other STEM disciplines. Students indicated that they would be very likely to participate in future STEM competitions. All teacher-coaches are provided professional development support and they indicated that participating in the structured competition gave them the tools necessary to support their students’ interests in STEM.
Berliner Heyman, S., & Borgaonkar, A., & Sodhi, J. (2022, August), Work in Progress (WIP): Engineering Design Competition to Increase STEM Awareness Among Underrepresented Elementary School Students Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41181
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