Document Type
Conference Paper
Publication Date
2020
DOI
10.18260/1-2--35171
Pages
12 pp.
Conference Name
2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On Line, June 22-26, 2020
Abstract
The Becoming Engaged Engineering Scholars (BEES) is an NSF S-STEM project that responds to the challenges in recruiting and retaining academically talented, low-income students from diverse backgrounds into undergraduate engineering programs. The new, ABET-accredited engineering programs at Western Washington University (WWU) have faced unique challenges in recruitment and retention, particularly in the first two years for pre-engineering students. Building on the success of prior S-STEM awards in other disciplines at WWU, the proposed program provides a systematic sequence of academic, social, and career support services specifically designed to enhance the success of engineering students during these first two years of undergraduate study.
The primary program goal is to ensure the engineering programs offer an equitable pathway into engineering careers, particularly for low-income, academically talented students. In addition to providing financial support for participants, the BEES program adapts existing institutional support structures to offer a one-week bridge program prior to the start of their first year, implements a multi-level mentoring system that includes internal and external mentors, engages students in multiple curricular and co-curricular activities including an engaged engineering project experience, and offers a first-year seminar focused on engineering and society.
The project devotes significant resources to studying the impact of the proposed activities. Specifically, the research seeks to answer how and to what extent the program activities support retention through the end of the 2nd year of engineering study, as well as how and to what extent the program activities impact students' self-efficacy, identity, and sense of belonging. In this paper, the proposed program and its various support structures are described in detail, and some insights and results from the first year of the project are reviewed and discussed.
Original Publication Citation
Alqudah, S., Litzler, E., Brobst, J. A., Davishahl, J., & Klein, A. G. (2020). S-STEM Becoming Engaged Engineering Scholars (BEES): Insights from year 1. 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Experience, Virtual, June 22-26, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.18260/1-2--35171
Repository Citation
Alqudah, S., Litzler, E., Brobst, J. A., Davishahl, J., & Klein, A. G. (2020). S-STEM Becoming Engaged Engineering Scholars (BEES): Insights from year 1. 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Experience, Virtual, June 22-26, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.18260/1-2--35171
ORCID
0000-0003-0605-757X (Brobst)
Comments
© 2020 American Society for Engineering Education.
Included with the written permission of the publisher.