2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Exploring Transformative Learning from a Summer Bridge Program

Presented at First-Year Programs Division (FYP) - Technical Session 2: Program Design

Summer bridge programs are designed to increase students’ academic readiness and promote their social integration into college. Transformative learning experiences have the potential to support these outcomes. This paper uses Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory to explore the extent to which summer bridge programs are transformative. Data were collected from a cohort of 30 incoming first-year engineering students who participated in summer 2022 at a Midwestern public university. The findings show that transformative learning was evident during the program. Such conclusions support the consideration of the King’s Journey of Transformation as an in-situ assessment of the effectiveness of summer bridge programs rather than the ex post facto assessment currently used which only benefits program improvement for future cohorts, not the current cohort.

Authors

Ms. Sukeerti Shandliya http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-1346-0845 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Sukeerti Shandliya is a doctoral student in Engineering and Computing Education and a GRA in the Department of Engineering and Computing Education at the University of Cincinnati. Her research interests include engineering workforce development, DEI in STEM, experiential learning, development of global competencies and cultural competencies in higher education and the workforce. She has completed her bachelor's in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Banasthali University, India, and has an MBA from NIT Trichy, India.
Mr. Gibin Raju http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-2559-6931 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Gibin Raju is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Texas A&M University in the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering. He completed his Ph.D. in Engineering Education from the Department of Engineering and Computing Education within the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. His research interests focus on spatial skills, engineering design, engineering skills, cognitive stress, cognitive load, STEM accessibility issues, workforce development, engineering pathways, STEM education, ID/ODD, and educational practices.
Dr. So Yoon Yoon http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1868-1054 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Dr. So Yoon Yoon is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering and Computing Education in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Cincinnati, OH, USA. Dr. Yoon received her Ph.D. in Gifted Education, and an M.S.Ed. in Research Methods and Measurement with a specialization in Educational Psychology, both from Purdue University, IN, USA. She also holds an M.S. in Astronomy and Astrophysics and a B.S. in Astronomy and Meteorology from Kyungpook National University, South Korea. Her work centers on elementary, secondary, and postsecondary engineering education research as a psychometrician, data analyst, and program evaluator with research interests in spatial ability, STEAM education, workplace climate, and research synthesis with a particular focus on meta-analysis. She has developed, validated, revised, and copyrighted several instruments beneficial for STEM education research and practice. Dr. Yoon has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings and served as a journal reviewer in engineering education, STEM education, and educational psychology. She has also served as a PI, co-PI, advisory board member, or external evaluator on several NSF-funded projects.
Dr. Cedrick Kwuimy http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2949-3000 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Dr. Kwuimy is currently an Assistant Professor - Educator in the Department of Engineering & COmputing Education - CEAS at the University of Cincinnati. He graduated from the University of Yaounde 1 in Cameroon with a focus on applied nonlinear dynamics and applied physics. Prior to joining the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Kwuimy was Research Fellow at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in South Africa, and at the Villanova Center for Analytics of Dynamic Systems (VCADS) in PA. Dr. Kwuimy is research in engineering education aims to support students journey through transformative learning experiences.

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