2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Co-constructing Interventions within a Community College Engineering Program
The economic demand for engineering and engineering technology professionals in the United States continues expand with the support of national government policy. In this paper, the authors will describe their efforts to design and implement an engineering and engineering technology program within a community college. In the Fall of 2022, the program began to offer five associate degrees of science and eleven certificates of achievement in the fields of engineering and engineering technology. In one year, the program has produced 43 completers and the home department has experienced significant increases in course enrollments. While research in engineering education has shown mixed impacts from associate degree engineering programs, these program awards are designed to serve as curricular milestones that align with students’ transfer and employment goals. As evidence of their promise, these program awards are being incorporated into an assembly bill proposal for statewide engineering pathways in two higher education systems. Other program interventions include high school course articulations, a summer bridge program, student participation in national engineering societies, wellness activities, and revised STEM course curriculum designed to reduce time-to-degree.
Previous quantitative studies of this program were analyzed using inferential statistical tests; and indicate that a majority of program students are knowledgeable of program awards, industry standards, interview procedures, and transfer application processes. This project will share findings from a new qualitative study of program students, program alumni and industry advisors. The evaluation team will develop and implement an interview protocol for focus group studies with participants. The study design is conceptually framed by a holistic model (DRESS) for student success that identifies each student’s Desires, Resources, Engineering Identity, Skills, and Sense of Belonging.