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1. Enhancing Student Veterans’ Self-Efficacy and Sense of Belonging in a Targeted Learning Community: Four Years of Qualitative Results

   Dean, Anthony W ; Tomovic, C ; Jovanovic, V. M. ( August 2023 , American Society of Engineering Education)

   Eight semesters of qualitative data, collected over four academic years, are presented from a project that resulted in the development of a student professional learning community of high-achieving, low-income engineering and engineering technology student veterans. In the context of this project, student veterans received academic, professional, and financial support that helped them to be successful in school and to prepare them for a career in the STEM workforce. As adult learners, students in this learning community were a vital part of the curriculum development which resulted in increasing the students’ interest and buy-in. Typically, adult learners have lower levels of engagement than tradition-age students due to their non-traditional status. However, by engaging students in the development of a seminar course which served as the foundation for the student learning community, the course curriculum addressed student needs while being built on faculty expertise. Focus groups were conducted at the end of each semester to determine if students perceived the course as an effective professional development intervention. The course was comprised of various guest speaker who addressed different topics related to engineering, and the course also addressed other topics of professional development. In addition to hearing from various guest speakers, students also learned critical professional skills including how to search for an internship and/or permanent position; how to develop a cover letter, resume, and follow-up letter; how to prepare for and respond to questions during interviews; how to present themselves, how to dress, eat and hold a professional conversation at a formal meal during an interview; and how to network and follow-up after meeting people professionally. The guest speakers, veterans themselves, were excited to present to these highly motivated student veterans and to share their stories, and in the process, they inspired this next generation of engineers and engineering technologists. 

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2. Enhancing Student Veterans’ Self-Efficacy and Sense of Belonging in a Targeted Learning Community: Four Years of Qualitative Results

   Anthony W. Dean ; Cynthia Tomovic ; Vukica M. Jovanovic ; Kim E. Bullington ( June 2023 , American Society of Engineering education)

   Eight semesters of qualitative data, collected over four academic years, are presented from a project that resulted in the development of a student professional learning community of high-achieving, low-income engineering and engineering technology student veterans. In the context of this project, student veterans received academic, professional, and financial support that helped them to be successful in school and to prepare them for a career in the STEM workforce. As adult learners, students in this learning community were a vital part of the curriculum development which resulted in increasing the students’ interest and buy-in. Typically, adult learners have lower levels of engagement than tradition-age students due to their non-traditional status. However, by engaging students in the development of a seminar course which served as the foundation for the student learning community, the course curriculum addressed student needs while being built on faculty expertise. Focus groups were conducted at the end of each semester to determine if students perceived the course as an effective professional development intervention. The course was comprised of various guest speaker who addressed different topics related to engineering, and the course also addressed other topics of professional development. In addition to hearing from various guest speakers, students also learned critical professional skills including how to search for an internship and/or permanent position; how to develop a cover letter, resume, and follow-up letter; how to prepare for and respond to questions during interviews; how to present themselves, how to dress, eat and hold a professional conversation at a formal meal during an interview; and how to network and follow-up after meeting people professionally. The guest speakers, veterans themselves, were excited to present to these highly motivated student veterans and to share their stories, and in the process, they inspired this next generation of engineers and engineering technologists. 

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3. NSF S-STEM Project Update: A Pathway to Completion for Pursuing Engineering and Engineering Technology Degrees

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--35004  

   Bullington, Kim ; Tomovic, Cynthia ; Jovanovic, Vukica ; Dean, Anthony ; Landaeta, Rafael ( January 2021 , ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line)

   null (Ed.)

   This poster showcases the progress of students who are receiving scholarships from the National Science Foundation S-STEM project: A Pathway to Completion for Pursuing Engineering and Engineering Technology Degrees. Thus far, 20 academically high-achieving students who demonstrate financial need have participated in the project. Thirty-six scholarships have been awarded to date, in which a maximum of twelve scholarships are awarded per semester; some students have received scholarships multiple times. Students are from electrical engineering, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, civil engineering technology, and modeling and simulation majors. As part of this S-STEM project, students also receive academic support, mentorship related to the development of professional workforce skills, career search skills, and opportunities to participate in industry-related field trips. Role models, many of whom are practicing engineers with STEM degrees and are military veterans, serve as presenters and share their personal career pathways and answer students’ questions in the required one-hour weekly seminar. Although the students participating in this project meet the strenuous academic criteria set by the project (3.0/4.0), many of the students struggle financially, due to having expended their G.I. benefits, which can impede their academic performance and graduation. While many student success programs focus on freshman and sophomore students, what makes this project unique is its focus on enabling student success at the junior and senior years. This project provides a portfolio of different activities for the more mature student, e.g. financial aid through scholarships, community-based learning opportunities, and academic success strategies that enable stronger retention and student completion rates. Project activities are tailored to veterans and adult learners as this group of students is particularly vulnerable given their need to simultaneously juggle academic, family, and financial obligations. 

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4. Redesigning Learning Spaces and Credentials for 21st-Century Emerging Tech Careers

   Billionniere, E. ; Rahman, F ( April 2020 , Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference)

   With the rise of “Do-It-Yourself" approach, a shift to new paradigms in accessing education has spread out and disrupt the strict linear higher education pathway. Internet and digital technologies changed the approach to learning and teaching. From digital learning to competency- based education, 21st century learners acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities in new ways to meet tomorrow’s workforce needs, in particular in the area of emerging technologies. Additionally, with the influx of nontraditional adult students, these educational innovations can best prepare learners for EmTech careers and provide them a more affordable, convenient, and practical-oriented education without sacrificing quality learning. This paper discusses educational pathways, both informal and formal, to gain knowledge and skills in EmTech as well as addresses the continuous reshaping of higher education to take into consideration various experiences of learning so learners can further their education with credit programs. 

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5. Facilitating Veteran and Adult Students’ Learning and Retention in Engineering: Faculty-Student Partnership – A Model of an Evidence-based Practice

   Bullington, K. E. ; Dean, A. W. ; Jovanovic, V. ; Tomovic, C. ; Landaeta, R. ( January 2021 , 2021 CoNECD)

   A model for facilitating veteran students’ learning and retention is presented based on andragogy - the science of adult learning. Adults are independent self-directed learners who accept responsibility for their own learning. Adults can be skeptical and challenge new information but are particularly motivated when the information presented is applicable and relevant to their careers. With a growing number of veterans entering higher education and the challenges associated with retention, it is important to understand and incorporate the basics of andragogy in curriculum and course development to facilitate veteran and adult students’ learning and degree completion. STEM education, and in particular engineering education, continues to be a major focus in K-12 and higher education. Funded by the NSF, this S-STEM project proposes interventions to retain and graduate students with academic promise and strong financial need. The researchers for this project seek to develop innovative, reliable, and replicable ways in which to affect the learning and retention of engineering students, with a focus on veteran students and adult learners. Drawing on the lessons of andragogy, in this paper, faculty share the processes implemented, content derived, and preliminary data from a faculty-student partnership in the development of a mid- to near-degree completion seminar as a model of an evidence-based practice that is affecting student learning and retention. 

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