2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In this paper, the authors provide an overview of institutional supports for engineering and engineering technology students within a community college program. The program currently offers six associate degrees of science and thirteen certificates of achievement in the fields of engineering and engineering technology. These program awards will serve as curricular milestones, with stackable credits, that align with students’ transfer and employment goals. With regards to transfer, the authors are collaboratively developing new articulation agreements with partner institutions, that incentivize completion of engineering curriculum prior to transfer; as well as offering program awards to students who complete engineering credits after they transfer. Additionally, the program has implemented a holistic, non-credit, engineering summer cohort program that introduces students to the disciplines of engineering, as well as critical community college student services and institutional agents.

Evaluators administered student surveys in December 2021 and June 2022. Survey participants retrospectively rated their knowledge, skills, and abilities before participating in the Mt. SAC engineering program and at the time of the survey. Preliminary results were analyzed with R using descriptive and inferential statistical tests, and indicate significant increases in self-reported performance. Across all students enrolled in program courses, interest in completing a baccalaureate degree increased by 39%, and interest in completing an associate’s degree increased by 41%. Preliminary analysis indicates that work/life balance, access to mental health resources, and access to equitable employment opportunities inform students’ readiness for transfer and industry employment. Additional analysis will disaggregate results from underrepresented groups and different engineering majors’ and correlate results to engineering coursework completion.