2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress paper describes emergent results of an ongoing study that targets identifying alumni and employer perceptions of workplace preparedness of graduates from co-operatively-based (co-op) engineering programs. The study specifically analyzes the perceptions of alumni from Iron Range Engineering (IRE), an ABET-accredited, undergraduate co-op engineering program that integrates theoretical learning with hands-on workplace experience. Students who have completed their first two years of study at other institutions transfer into IRE for an “academy” semester focused on technical training and career development. Then, these students spend two more years working full-time in paid engineering co-ops while concurrently completing their upper-division coursework requirements. Since the inception of this program, there have been four years of graduated alumni. To date, no formal research has been conducted to explore the preparedness of these alumni for full-time engineering work after graduation, either from a student or workplace perspective. Further, while the workplace preparedness of traditional engineering program graduates remains an active area of research, we assert that research regarding the workplace preparedness of work-based-learning (WBL) program, and specifically co-op program, graduates is relatively limited. To address this gap, this study explores alumni and employer perceptions regarding the preparedness of graduates of co-op-based engineering programs for the engineering workplace.

At the time of submission, we have completed a pilot of the intended qualitative study methods. This pilot included purposeful sampling of five program alumni and two supervisors of program alumni. The purpose of this pilot was to refine the data collection methods, identify likely areas for further exploration, and refine the coding processes. To gather relevant data, the first author conducted semi-structured interviews, which were guided by questions regarding what competencies the participants described as important and how the participants described alumni transitions into the workplace. We analyzed transcribed interview data inductively, applying in vivo coding in a first cycle and then values coding in a second cycle. Finally, we performed thematic analysis to identify central themes around preparedness defined by alumni and their supervisors. We analyzed alumni- and supervisor-defined themes for alignment with each other and with ABET outcomes.

The results of this pilot study will inform the development of a larger mixed-methods study regarding student realization of outcomes industry employers find most valuable. The objective of the larger study is to assess the workplace preparedness of co-op program alumni according to alumni- and supervisor defined criteria, the perceptions of employers, ABET outcomes, and engineering credentialing outcomes. These and future findings will contribute to a growing body of research into the effectiveness of work-based learning undergraduate engineering programs.