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1. 2018 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings

   Gupta, SK; Moon, JE; Melton, RE; Kuhl, ME; Johnson, DP; Dunn, T; Lee, JH; Foltz, FA; Garrick, RE (January 2018, 2018 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings)

   This paper introduces two scholarship projects funded by the National Science Foundation that focus on students who transfer at the 3rd year level from 2-year schools to the engineering and engineering technology BS programs at our university. The objectives of both the projects are: (i) to expand and diversify the engineering/technology workforce of the future, (ii) to develop linkages and articulations with 2-year schools and their S-STEM programs, (iii) to provide increased career opportunities and job placement rates through mandatory paid co-op experiences, and (iv) to serve as a model for other universities to provide vertical transfer students access to the baccalaureate degree. The Transfer Pipeline (TiPi) project awarded 25 new scholarships per year from 2012 to 2014 to a total of 75 engineering and engineering technology transfer students. By the end of Fall 2017, 66 (88%) scholars have graduated, 5 (7%) are in process of completing their degrees, and only 4 (5%) left our university, for a 95% retention rate. The paper describes our successes and challenges. The Vertical Transfer Access to the Baccalaureate (VTAB) project recruited its first group of 25 students in Fall 2017 with the goal of recruiting a total of 78 vertical transfers over the next three years. An additional goal of the VTAB project is to conduct research and generate knowledge about the VTAB project elements that will be essential for the success of vertical transfer programs at other universities. The paper describes the research instruments, and the results from an online survey and a focus group interview of the first cohort of VTAB scholars. 

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2. Phase One Research Results from a Project on Vertical Transfer Students in Engineering and Engineering Technology

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--35053  

   Gupta, S. K.; Foltz, F. A; Moon, J. E.; Melton, R. W; Kuhl, M. E.; Valentine, M. S.; Lee, J. H.; Garrick, R.; Liu, R; Johnson, D. P. (January 2020, 2020 ASEE Annual Conference)

   This paper reports on the first phase of research on a scholarship program VTAB (Vertical Transfers’ Access to the Baccalaureate) funded by a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that focuses on students who transfer at the 3rd year level from 2-year schools to the engineering and engineering technology BS programs at our university [1]. The goals of the program are: (i) to expand and diversify the engineering/technology workforce of the future, (ii) to develop linkages and articulations with 2-year schools and their S-STEM programs, (iii) to recruit, retain, and graduate 78 low-income students, and place them in industry or graduate schools, (iv) to generate knowledge about the program elements that can help other universities, and (v) to serve as a model for other universities to provide vertical transfer students access to the baccalaureate degree. 

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3. A Scholarship Program for Students Transferring from Two-Year Colleges

   Foltz, F; Gupta, S. K. (April 2020, ASEE St. Lawrence Section Annual Conference)

   This paper provides a mid-project report on a scholarship program funded by the National Science Foundation that focuses on students who transfer at the 3rd year level from 2-year schools to the engineering and engineering technology BS programs at our university. The goals of the program are: (i) to expand and diversify the engineering/technology workforce of the future, (ii) to develop linkages and articulations with 2-year schools and their S-STEM programs, (iii) to recruit, retain, and graduate 78 low-income students, and place them in industry or graduate schools, (iv) to generate knowledge about the program elements that can help other universities, and (v) to serve as a model for other universities to provide vertical transfer students access to the baccalaureate degree. 

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4. Transfer student capital: Increasing Latinx student participation in STEM

   Stockwell, D. (January 2020, 32nd Annual South Carolina Educators for thPractical Use of Research Conference, Columbia, SC, United States.)

   Currently, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs in community colleges and 4-year institutions are predominantly white spaces that can marginalize underrepresented, racial/ethnic minority students (Kanno & Cromley, 2015; Martin, et al., 2018; Samuelson & Litzler, 2016; Valadez, 2008; Wang, Lee, & Prevost, 2017). Latinx students make up the largest racial/ethnic minority group of college students (Martinez & Deil-Amen, 2015), and they are more likely to begin their postsecondary education paths in community colleges (Arbona & Nora, 2007; Starobin & Bivens, 2014). Many will start at community college in programs that lead to vertical transfer (Martin, et al., 2018). Transferring from a community college to a four-year institution is a difficult process to navigate, especially for racial/ethnic minority students who are likely to have experienced inequitable educational experiences. Institutions seeking to assist them in obtaining baccalaureate degrees must increase these students’ Transfer Student Capital (TSC) (Laanan, Starobin, & Eggleston, 2010). The purpose of this presentation is to show how high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions can partner together to assist Latinx students in acquiring baccalaureate degrees in STEM fields by increasing their TSC. 

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5. Educating Engineering Students Innovatively: A Model for Improving Retention and Academic Performance of Black Upper-Level Students

   Caldwell, Charmane; Perry, Reginald (June 2023, ASEE Annual Conference proceedings)

   Educating Engineering Students Innovatively (EESI, pronounced "easy") is a student support program for sophomores to seniors enrolled in an engineering major offered at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The program is designed to: (1) foster a sense of community, (2) improve students’ engineering skill sets, and (3) provide each student with their direct path of interest from college to the STEM workforce. Universities spend much effort to provide student support programs for first-year students, such as summer bridge programs. However, sometimes upper-level students are not offered the same level of support and can fall off the STEM pathway. Introducing experiential learning experiences centered on the safe space (or community) of students provides a model to address underrepresentation in the STEM workforce and graduate school. This case study of an experiential learning program will provide an option for universities to consider underrepresented minority upperclassmen retention methods. We will present data for students enrolled in an engineering major between 2018-2021, considering students' gender, first-generation, and financial status. This paper will report the results of four (4) different cohorts of EESI Scholars who completed at least one semester in the student support program. We compare the retention rates, persistence, and academic performance of EESI Scholars compared with students that did not participate in the student support program as one measure of the program's success. Then we provide the best practices of the experiential learning program that led to students' persistence at ***** University. This paper could assist other colleges that would like to ensure Black students, who have been historically underrepresented in STEM, persistence in their engineering programs. 

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