2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The [Program Blinded] (X) STEM Scholars program is supported through an NSF S-STEM award (Award #[blinded]). Over its six-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 120 full-time students pursuing a BS in Engineering at [University Blinded]. The X STEM Scholars program provides a financially sustainable pathway for students across the nation to graduate with a BS in engineering and up to two years of industry experience. Students typically complete their first two years of engineering coursework at community colleges across the country. Students then join X and spend one transitional semester gaining training and experience to equip them with the technical, design, and professional skills needed to succeed in the engineering workforce; it is during this semester that students receive financial support through the X STEM Scholars program. During the last two years of their education, X students work in paid engineering co-ops, while being supported in their technical and professional development by professors, learning facilitators, and their own peers. Additionally, the project provides personalized mentorship for X STEM Scholars throughout their pathway to graduation.

Currently in its fourth year, the project has supported 60 students, including over 30 students currently on co-op and 11 graduated students. All X students have completed survey data documenting their co-op experiences, engineering identity, and engineering sense of belonging. Additionally, we have qualitative data, through interviews, from select X STEM Scholars on the aforementioned constructs, and the impact of those experiences on thriving, specifically their identity, belonging, and subjective well-being (mental and physical health). As part of a larger concurrent mixed-methods research study, we are exploring the following research questions: RQ1: How do undergraduate students’ engineering identity and belongingness develop over time in a co-op-based engineering program? RQ2: How do undergraduate students’ motivation and identity connect to overall wellbeing in a co-op-based engineering program?

In this paper, we present longitudinal data on co-op experiences for X STEM Scholars, including placement, compensation, and retention, and look at descriptive statistics for these experiences over time. These results will allow us to review and assess the need for updates to supports such as career development, for X STEM Scholars.