2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

SCHOLARSHIPS TO ACCELERATE ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP AND IDENTITY IN GRADUATE STUDENTS (ACCEL)

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session II

The Scholarships to Accelerate Engineering Leadership and Identity in Graduate Students (ACCEL) program launched in Fall 2022. This paper presents the outcomes of the first two years of the Accelerated Engineering Leadership (AccEL) program. The inception of the AccEL program responds to projections by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicating a nearly 17% growth in employment for master’s-level occupations from 2016 to 2026, marking the highest growth rate across all education levels [1]. Among the disciplines experiencing the most significant growth in master’s degree awards, engineering is ranked fourth [1]. Despite intentions to pursue further education, the realities of full-time employment and the extended duration required to complete a degree part-time often deter these students from achieving their educational aspirations. Literature indicates that students who continue in engineering careers typically demonstrate high levels of self-efficacy and identify strongly with the engineering community [1,2]. Although research on self-efficacy and engineering identity has expanded, it predominantly focuses on the initial college experience [3,4]. Limited research exists on self-efficacy and engineering identity among students persisting in engineering education and into their professional careers [4,5]. This study aims to identify programming that will lead to more students staying to complete their Master’s degree as well as programming that prepares the MS students for the workforce or doctoral programs.

Authors

Prof. Tracie Ferreira University of Massachusetts Dartmouth [biography]

Tracie Earned her Ph.D. in microbiology from Georgetown University, and completed 2 post-doctoral fellowships, one in microbiology and the second in developmental Biology. She was awarded a K22 grant from the National Institutes of Health. The K22 allowed her to transition to a faculty position at The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She continued her studies in developmental biology, using the zebrafish model. The UMass Dartmouth Bioengineering program was created in 2010, and she joined the faculty in that department transitioning out of the Biology department. Tracie is committed to student success. She was the ABET coordinator for the initial accreditation visit in 2016, as well as the most recent re-accreditation visit in 2022. While in the Bioengineering department, her research has developed into using the zebrafish to test toxicity of biodegraded materials. She is also passionate about developing programs that position her students to enter the work force and become leaders. She enjoys the students at her institution as many of them are first generation college students. She feels that her program continuously improves to meet the current needs of her students and industry constituents.
Shakhnoza Kayumova University of Massachusetts Dartmouth [biography]

Dr. Kayumova holds a PhD in Educational Theory and Practice from University of Georgia. She joined STEM Education and Teacher Development Department in Fall, 2014, and has taught a wide range of courses including Introduction to Qualitative Methods, Introduction to Quantitative Methods, Research Skills II, Emerging Theories and Methods in STEM Education. Dr. Kayumova is a four-lingual researcher, teacher educator, and learning scientist. Dr. Kayumova published and presented in more than 60 peer reviewed journals and conferences and has been awarded multiple research grants from National Science Foundation. Dr. Kayumova is a recent recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Early Career award. Shakhnoza’s work appears in journals such as Anthropology & Education Quarterly, Educational Philosophy and Theory, Democracy and Education, and Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST).

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

« View session