2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Building College Capital for Community College Students: The Perspectives of Students Participating in an Engineering Program

Community colleges have a critical role in providing education and training for students who pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Yet, many community college students, particularly underserved students in STEM, face challenges in achieving their educational aspirations due to a lack of what we define as “college capital”—that is, the access to academic, co-curricular, social, financial, and professional support that students need to be successful within institutions of higher education. As an academic and professional initiative aiming to bolster students’ college capital and promote students’ engineering achievement, the Engineering Program: 1) Provides academic support to ensure that they are prepared to succeed in calculus, which is a gateway for engineering majors; 2) Paid research internships to guide them toward lucrative engineering careers; and 3) Transfer advising to help them navigate the pathways from community college to four-year engineering programs. Using a survey instrument for data collection and our college capital framework to guide our analysis and interpretations, this study investigates how students who participated in the Engineering Program in their first year in community college perceive their experiences and how they value the program’s impact on their academic and career decisions. The findings suggest that over 70% of student participants intended to remain in an engineering or computer science major or program. Students perceived that the Engineering Program’s components, workshops, and support from program-trained, embedded staff were valuable for their academic and professional journey in their first year. They highly rated their participation in the program and its wrap-around support as beneficial in their preparation for math and engineering courses, as well as the help with internship applications. Students also reported that emotional wellness, work obligations, and financial pressure were the three main barriers to their success in the Engineering Program, which could provide insight into ways to further improve the program and its offerings. This study further discusses practical implications for institutions interested in developing interventions to improve community college engineering students’ academic and career-related outcomes.

Authors

Dr. Jingjing Liu Florida International University [biography]

Dr. Jingjing Liu is a Postdoctoral Associate in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education (SUCCEED) at Florida International University.
Ms. Janet Yowell http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8013-5535 University of Colorado Boulder [biography]

Janet serves as the Director of Strategic Community College STEM Initiatives for the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. In this capacity, she develops systems-level programming to improve two- to four-year transfer pathways in engineering for the college. She currently works with 30 community colleges nationwide (including in Colorado) to better prepare developmental math community college students for transfer into engineering bachelor's degree programs or entry into the engineering enterprise.
Dr. Bruk T Berhane Florida International University [biography]

Dr. Bruk T. Berhane received his bachelorâ€™s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 2003. He then completed a masterâ€™s degree in engineering management at George Washington University in 2007. In 2016, he earned a Ph
Dr. Nick Stites University of Colorado Boulder [biography]

Nick Stites is the Director of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program at CU Boulder and an instructor with the Integrated Design Engineering program. Dr. Stites is the principal investigator (PI) of the Denver-Metro Engineering Consortium, which is a partnership between local community colleges and universities to support engineering pathways for transfer students. He is also involved with ASPIRE, an NSF Engineering Research Center that is focused on developing the technology and workforce for electrifying the nation's transportation system. Dr. Stites earned degrees in Mechanical Engineering (BS Colorado State University, MS Purdue University) and Engineering Education (PhD Purdue University). His research interests include the development of novel pedagogical methods to teach core engineering courses and leveraging technology to enhance learning experiences and broaden access to engineering education. He has experience as a practicing engineer and has taught at the university and community-college levels.
Daniel I. Adeniranye http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1907-9463 Florida International University [biography]

‘Daniel Adeniranye’ holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, a joint and dual master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering and Project Development, and a Project Management degree. He is currently a Research Assistant at the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education.
Before joining FIU, Daniel worked as a STEM specialist for the Ministry of Education in Dubai.
Julian Rodrigo Sosa-Molano Florida International University [biography]

Julian is a graduate research assistant at Florida International University. He holds a BSc in Electronics Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia and a MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Arizona. He is pursuing his PhD degree in Engineering and Computing Education at Florida International University. He has professional experience in Information Technology, Semiconductors, and Telecommunications in international companies such as Ecopetrol, Texas Instruments, and Ericsson. His research interests focus on inclusive STEM learning and teaching methodologies for students with physical disabilities.
Mr. Joseph Ronald Sturgess Florida International University [biography]

Joseph Sturgess is a Ph.D. student in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education majoring in Engineering Education at Florida International University, where he also serves as a graduate research assistant contributing to various projects supporting post-traditional students and transfer students. His research interests include community college-minority serving institution partnerships, transfer students, post-traditional students, and broadening participation in engineering education. He received his B.S. in electrical engineering from Tuskegee University, an M.S in journalism from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, an M.S. in physics from Fisk University, an M.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Central Florida and an M.Ed. in educational leadership from Texas Christian University.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

For those interested in:

1st Generation
2 Year Institution
Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology
computer science
engineering
transfer