2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Connections between a layered mentorship program and STEM identity for engineering students at an urban research university

Abstract

This evidence-based research paper explores the connection between a mentorship program and STEM identity of the engineering students in an urban university. Research shows that a meaningful mentorship program, with several layers of support for students, contributes to the overall success of students. In this paper, we study the positive impact of a Layered Mentorship Program (LMP) on the development of STEM identity for engineering students. This impact becomes more evident in urban universities with many commuting students. In such circumstances, the students have less opportunities for community building and development of STEM identity. As a result, the significance of mentorship programs becomes more obvious. The main objective of this research study is to understand the relationship between participation in LMP and student success through the development of STEM identity.

In the previous work by the research team, a theoretical framework was proposed to examine the relationships between mentorship programs, student success, and STEM identity. Here, we study how the mentorship program affects STEM identity using qualitative methods involving semi-structured interviews and surveys. Five students (mentors and mentees) were interviewed, and twenty two students completed the survey. The qualitative analysis of the results shows that students who participated in LMP derived significant benefits, not only towards the enhancement of their STEM identity, but also through better academic achievements and stronger sense of community and belonging.

Authors

Dr. Maryam Darbeheshti http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7988-0906 University of Colorado Denver [biography]

Maryam Darbeheshti is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Denver. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Denver in 2009. She has been teaching at CU Denver since 2010. Darbeheshti's research interests are in the area of Fluid Mechanics and Engineering Education. She is the PI of a recent NSF award that focuses on STEM identity at Urban Universities.
William Taylor Schupbach University of Colorado Denver [biography]

William is working towards a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Denver and is a research assistant and a part time instructor.
Prof. Tom Altman [biography]

Dr. Altman received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh. He specializes in optimization algorithms, formal language theory, and complex systems.
He has published a book and over 90 journal/refereed papers. He received numerous research and teaching awards. Tom has been a PI/co-PI on over 20 external grants, including the NSF(4) and DARPA(2). An ABET CAC Program Evaluator, Dr. Altman has expanded his research interests into STEM and, in particular, Engineering Education.
Dr. Michael S. Jacobson http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0255-6507 University of Colorado Denver [biography]

Dr. Mike Jacobson received his B.S. in Mathematics from the State University of New York @ Stony Brook in 1975. He completed his MS and PhD. In Mathematics at Emory University in 1977 and 1980, respectively. Dr. Jacobson’s mathematics specialization is Graph Theory and Combinatorics. He also has been actively involved in training pre-service and in-service teachers. He joined CU Denver in 2003 as Professor and Chair, after spending 23 years at the University of Louisville as Assistant, Associate and Professor, Chair, as well as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. Dr. Jacobson has published over 150 journal, conference, and technical papers. He has been a recipient, as PI or co-PI, of numerous research awards, including awards from the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation (in both Mathematical Sciences and Education and Human Resources).

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