2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Creating Social Capital: Developing Resources in a Cohort Program

Presented at Engineering Programs and Institutional Factors

This qualitative research paper explores how undergraduate engineering students utilize social capital through the resources of a cohort program. Presented are the emerging themes generated from the data featuring descriptions of which parts of the cohort program were meaningful to undergraduate engineering students. This paper draws on social capital theory as an anti-deficit approach to guide the development of educational systems that support historically excluded students leveraging, developing, and utilizing relationships. The 16 participants in this study were in a four-year-long cohort and took part in focus groups at the end of each semester. This work focuses on the first two focus groups, representing the participants' first year in their engineering programs. Questions about how the cohort program helped the students prompted reflections on their experiences with the different facets of the program. These experiences were used to create themes representing the shared sentiment regarding the specific components of the program. Findings are presented to illustrate the importance of social capital development opportunities to first-year undergraduate students.

Authors

Miss Kiara Lynn Steinhorst University of Nevada, Reno [biography]

Kiara is a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno in the Department of Engineering Education. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the same institution in 2022. Her research interests include facets of undergraduate engineering student experiences relating to social capital, hidden curriculum, barriers to entry and engagement on campus.
Miss Kelsey Scalaro Cornell University [biography]

Kelsey is a recent PhD graduate from the Engineering Education program at the University of Nevada, Reno. She has a BS and MS in mechanical engineering and worked in the aerospace industry for four years before returning to academia to complete her doctoral degree. Her research focuses on undergraduate engineering identity and is interested in exploring how it can be equitably supported through pedagogical practices. She is currently working as a postdoctoral scholar with the STRIDE group at Cornell University.
Ms. Rachael Ciara Young [biography]

Rachael has experience working in kindergarten through college engineering education and is passionate about fostering access and excitement for STEM studies. She graduated with dual bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering and environmental science in 2022. Rachael currently works in aerospace with an emphasis on avionics and electrical power systems.
Ms. Indira Chatterjee University of Nevada, Reno [biography]

Indira Chatterjee received her M.S. in Physics from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio in 1977 and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah in 1981. Indira is Associate Dean of Engineering and Professor of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, NV.
Dr. Ann-Marie Vollstedt University of Nevada, Reno [biography]

Ann-Marie Vollstedt is a teaching associate professor for the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). Dr. Vollstedt completed her dissertation at UNR, which focused on exploring the use of statistical process control methods to assess course changes in order to increase student learning in engineering. Dr. Vollstedt teaches courses in engineering design as well as statics and runs the Engineering Freshmen Intensive Training Program. She is the recipient of the Paul and Judy Bible Teaching Excellence Award, F. Donald Tibbitt's Distinguished Teaching Award, The Nevada Women's Fun Woman of Achievement Award, and the UNR College of Engineering Excellence Award.
Dr. Adam Kirn http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-6344-5072 University of Nevada, Reno [biography]

Adam Kirn is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education at the University of Nevada, Reno.

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