2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 336: Math to Makerspace: Evolution of a Bridge Program to Support Cohort Development

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session

This paper shares the evolution of a summer bridge program designed to support National Science Foundation S-STEM scholarship students as they transition to college. Summer bridge programs provide opportunities for students to get acclimated to college, learn about campus resources, and connect with peers before the school year begins. Cohort development has been shown to positively impact student retention, especially during the first year of college, and has been a central component of many S-STEM programs. The authors chronicle the evolution of a summer bridge program over the span of 4 years as it was adapted to better meet program goals related to student retention and development of sense of belonging. Programmatic adaptations were based on insights gained from the experience of both students and instructors. Data gathered through the evaluation and a mixed methods study was used to inform the changes. In the early years, the bridge program focused on an intensive math review with the goal of preparing them for their first quarter of calculus. This approach left little time for students to connect socially, explore campus, or participate in any hands-on projects or activities. In its final form, the bridge program combines positive attributes of its former iterations and successfully balances preparing students for college socially and academically. Through hands-on maker projects, tours of campus and department labs, math review, and opportunities to connect socially, the updated bridge program seeks to better support the S-STEM scholars during their transition to college.

Authors

Prof. Jill Davishahl Western Washington University [biography]

Jill Davishahl is Assistant Professor and First Year Programs Director in the Engineering + Design department at Western Washington University. Jill's teaching, service, and research activities focus on enhancing the first year student experience by providing the foundational technical skills, student engagement opportunities, and professional skill development necessary to improve success in the major, with emphasis on supporting traditionally underserved student populations. Her current research focuses on creating inclusive and equitable learning environments through the development and implementation of strategies geared towards increasing student sense of belonging.
Dr. Sura Alqudah Western Washington University [biography]

Dr. Sura Al-Qudah is an assistant professor in the Engineering and Design Department at Western Washington University. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from State University of New York at Binghamton in August 2014 and
Dr. Joseph Arthur Brobst http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-0605-757X Old Dominion University [biography]

Joe Brobst holds a BS in Biological Sciences, MA in Curriculum and Instruction, and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, all from the University of Delaware. Formerly a high school biology teacher, he is now an educational research and program evaluation specialist with experience on a broad range of projects funded by NSF, US Department of Education, ONR, and NIH and with participants ranging from elementary school to higher education. Much of his work focuses on broadening participation in STEM.
Dr. Elizabeth Litzler http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0626-8473 University of Washington [biography]

Elizabeth Litzler, Ph.D., is the director of the University of Washington Center for Evaluation and Research for STEM Equity (UW CERSE) and an affiliate assistant professor of sociology. She has been at UW working on STEM Equity issues for more than 17 years. Dr. Litzler is a member of ASEE, 2020-2021 chair of the ASEE Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and a former board member of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN). Her research interests include the educational climate for students, faculty, and staff in science and engineering, assets based approaches to STEM equity, and gender and race stratification in education and the workforce. She was awarded the 2020 WEPAN Founders Award.
Prof. Andrew G. Klein http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6464-9269 Western Washington University [biography]

Andrew G. Klein is a professor in Electrical Engineering at Western Washington University (WWU), having joined in 2014 with a joint appointment to the department of Engineering and Design (Electrical Engineering Program) and the graduate faculty of Comput

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