2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work in Progress: Exploring Elements of a Mentoring and Professional Development Program in Engineering Education

Presented at Student Division (STDT) Technical Session 1: Student Success and Mentoring

Undergraduate and graduate students need professional development skills to form expertise applicable to any job or future career. Mentoring is a way that students can learn how to engage in professional development. Likewise, students can learn professional development skills from mentors who they look to for expanding their knowledge base. To help address the needs of undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, the principal investigator developed and facilitated the Mentoring and Professional Development in Engineering Education (MPD-E2) Program. For this study, we examined the program’s general functions and elements using session notes and discussion of our observations. The guiding research question for this study is: what are some elements of a mentoring and professional development program that students value? In this work, we present details about the elements of the program that support student development and insights about potential future opportunities for these types of programs.

Authors

Cyra Anderson University of Michigan [biography]

My name is Cyra Anderson and I am a Junior studying Industrial & Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. This Summer, I gained research experience, under mentor Dr. Joi-Lynn Mondisa, in which I helped cultivate and attend a virtual mentoring and professional development program for undergraduate and graduate students. On campus, I am an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Co-Programming chair of U of M's Collegiate Midnight Golf Program. I also enjoy playing soccer and hanging out with family and friends.
Dr. Joi-lynn Mondisa http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-3959-6548 University of Michigan [biography]

Joi Mondisa, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Industrial & Operations Engineering Department and an Engineering Education Faculty Member at the University of Michigan. She earned her Ph.D. in Engineering Education and an M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University; an M.B.A. degree from Governors State University; and a B.S. degree in General Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to her graduate studies, she worked as a professional in the areas of manufacturing, operations, technical sales, and publishing for ten years. She also served as an adjunct faculty in the Engineering Technology Program at Triton College in River Grove, IL for seven years.
Mr. Nagash Clarke University of Michigan [biography]

Nagash Clarke is a doctoral student at the University of Michigan working with Dr. Joi-Lynn Mondisa. In his research, he examines mentoring and its particular implications for minoritized populations, as well as white male allyship in STEM higher education. He received a Bachelor's in Chemistry from Pace University and Masters degrees in both Chemical Engineering and Engineering Education Research from the University of Michigan. He teaches chemistry at Washtenaw Community College.

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