2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Two-year colleges play a vital role in educating and awarding advanced credentials to America’s future scientists and technicians. The research supported by this National Science Foundation (NSF) award emphasizes the importance of and expands understanding of the role that two-year colleges play in the engineering education and career pipeline. Yet, racial and location inequity in vertical transfer highlights a lack of access to life-changing educational opportunities. This research focuses on identifying unique geographic and cultural assets to make pre-transfer engineering students, from a variety of backgrounds, locations, and opportunities, more successful thereby increasing the number and preparedness of transfer students. This educational research aims to enhance inclusion and participation in engineering and the development of a more innovative and inclusive technical workforce.

In the first year, this research has focused on gathering data in a mixed methods study to create new knowledge to increase engineering transfer numbers and preparedness more broadly through investigating the geographic and cultural assets of transfer intending two-year college students. The research is informed by Laanan’s theory of transfer student capital and examines core constructs of transfer student capital. The research questions for the research portion of this project are: RQ1: What are assets, factors, and strategies that enable access for two-year college students to engineering transfer pathways? RQ2: Do assets, factors, and strategies vary in magnitude and/or presence across student demographics, locations, institutions, or intention to transfer?

This project aims to broaden participation by improving access to engineering education and baccalaureate degree programs for underrepresented minority, low-income, first-generation, and nontraditional students. Increased transfer pathways and educational innovations specifically designed for marginalized communities can improve transfer outcomes and positively impact college affordability for students from communities not previously well served. This research is distinct from other transfer student research in its combined focus on geographic and cultural assets and needs, the inclusion of multi-institutional data, pre-transfer student focus, data disaggregation by subpopulations, and disciplinary focus on engineering. This research will also inform institutional supports, pathways, and resources needed for increased transfer student capital, stimulate the interaction of researchers and practitioners with policymakers and the public, and expand stakeholder capacity to support and engage diverse populations in STEM education through new partnerships.