Title: Ocean Discovery Institute’s Model for Empowering Underrepresented Students in STEM: Community-Based, Continuous Belief
Across the United States, there is increasing concern about the poor performance of American students in science and our country’s position as a world leader in innovation (National Science Board, 2022). Furthermore, young people are inequitably prepared to fulfill our nation's workforce needs as educational resources and achievement disparities are magnified in youth from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who live in poverty (National Science Board, 2022). Science test scores for students of color who reside in low socioeconomic status communities lag far behind those of Caucasian students and students from more affluent areas (Irwin et al., 2022). These students are also less likely to pursue the higher education necessary for science- and technology-based careers (Fry et al., 2021). As a result, the United States’ scientific workforce does not reflect the population of the nation as a whole; for example, Hispanic individuals represent 18.9% of the US population, but only 8% of jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields (Fry et al., 2021). The Ocean Discovery Institute, a 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1999 to address this problem. Here, we describe Ocean Discovery’s unique model for empowering underrepresented students. It includes (1) embedding students within the community served, (2) reaching all students in a single cluster of schools (a “school-shed”), and (3) a program structure that emphasizes science identity (“belief”) and reinforces it through intentional mentorship. more »« less
Dorsett, C.
(, Studies on Social and Education Sciences 2021)
Hartono, R.; and Ozturk, O. T.
(Ed.)
In the US, it is a well-known and recognized fact that students from underrepresented groups have suffered longstanding inequities in educational settings. This includes entrance into and success within the higher education system (Adwere-Boamah, 2015; National Science Board, 2020; Whittaker & Montgomery, 2012). The enormous growth in the Hispanic population of the United States and the growth of the Hispanic population in the higher education system has made the imbalance more evident (Gramlich, 2017; National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). Despite being the largest minority group in the country (US Census Bureau, 2021) and in higher education (Postsecondary National Policy Institute, 2021), persistence in college and degree completion rates paralleling that of persons who identify with a White, European background has not evolved (Chun et al., 2016; Gramlich, 2017). These disparities emphasize the need to understand the characteristics of Hispanic/Latinx students in order to better serve their needs in general and in all spheres of education. As a result, an increasing number of studies are focusing on the background, experiences, and perspectives of Hispanic/Latinx individuals and students in a variety of settings and contexts (Champagne et al., 2016; Flores & Park, 2015: Ramos et al., 2021; Rodriguez Amaya et al., 2018; Zhan & Xiang, 2018).
There is a growing need to train a diverse range of students in engineering disciplines and a growing demand for a skilled workforce with graduate degrees (Pearson et al., 2022; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2019; National Science Foundation, 1996). A team of specialists in engineering and organizational systems worked together on a grant sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program to explore how evidence-based strategies used successfully at the undergraduate level might improve the recruitment, retention, and outcomes of graduate programs. In this study, we interviewed a sample of the stakeholders who support low-income, first-generation, and/or rural graduate engineering students, to gain insight into the barriers they face in their efforts. We used a thematic analysis of transcribed interviews to draw conclusions. We found seven themes describing the facilitators and seven themes describing the barriers that stakeholders face in supporting these students. Our findings have implications for researchers who would investigate and implement future organizational support systems as well as for the leaders who would design and implement an array of interventions as part of an organizational support system.
Frady, K.; Hughes, C.; High, K.
(, Annual American Society for Engineering Education Conference)
The purpose of the Research in the Formation of Engineers National Science Foundation funded project, Developing Engineering Experiences and Pathways in Engineering Technology Career Formation (D.E.E.P. Engineering Technology Career Formation), is to develop a greater understanding of the professional identity, institutional culture, and formation of engineer technicians and technologists (ET) who are prepared at two-year colleges. ET professionals are important hands-on members of engineering teams who have specialized knowledge of components and engineering systems. Little research on career development and the role of ET in the workforce has previously been conducted prompting national organizations such as NSF and the National Academy of Sciences to prompt more research in this area [1]. The primary objectives of this project are to: (a) identify dimensions of career orientations and anchors at various stages of professional preparation and map to ET career pathways, (b) develop an empirical framework, incorporating individual career anchors and effect of institutional culture, for understanding ET professional formation, and (c) develop and pilot interventions aimed at transforming engineering formation systems in ET contexts. The three interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks integrated to guide design and analysis of this research study are social cognitive career theory (SCCT) [2], Schein’s career anchors which focuses on individual career orientation [3], and the Hughes value framework focused on the organization [4]. SCCT which links self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and personal goals to educational and career decisions and outcomes ties the individual career anchors to the institutional context of the Hughes framework [2]. To date, the project has collected and analyzed quantitative data from over 330 participants who are two-year college ET students, two-year college transfer students, and early career ET professionals. Qualitative data from historical institutional documents has also been collected and analyzed. Initial analyses have revealed gaps and needed areas of support for ET students in the area of professional formation. Thus far, the identified gaps are in institutional policy (i.e. lack of articulation agreements), needed faculty professional development (i.e. two-year faculty on specific career development and professional ET formation needs and four-year faculty on unique needs of transfer students), missing curriculum and resources supporting career development and professional formation of ET students, and integration of transfer student services focusing on connecting faculty and advisors across both institutional levels and types of programs. Significant gaps in the research promoting understanding of the role of ET and unique professional formation needs of these students were also confirmed. This project has been successful at helping to broaden participation in ET engineering education through integrating new participants into activities (new four-year institutional stakeholders, new industry partners, new faculty and staff directly and indirectly working with ET students) and through promoting disciplinary (engineering education and ET) and cross disciplinary collaborations (human resource development, higher education leadership, and student affairs). With one year remaining before completion of this project, this project has promoted a better understanding of student and faculty barriers supporting career development for ET students and identified need for career development resources and curriculum in ET. Words: 498 References [1] National Academy of Engineering. (2016). Engineering technology education in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. [2] Lent, R.W., & Brown, S.B. (1996). Social cognitive approach to career development: An overivew. Career Development Quarterly, 44, 310-321. [3] Schein, E. (1996). Career anchors revisited: Implications for career development in the 21st century. Academy of Management Executive, 10(4), 80-88. [4] Hughes, C. (2014, Spring). Conceptualizing the five values of people and technology development: Implications for human resource managmeent and development. Workforce Education Forum, 37(1), 23-44.
Banisakher, Mubarak; Yordy, Marcie
(, Proceedings of International Conference on Engineering, Science and Technology 2023)
Editors Mack Shelley, Valarie Akerson
(Ed.)
Solutions are needed to help technical programs at educational institutions adopt and modify emerging technology programs more efficiently and expeditiously. The cloud computing industry has become the number one transformative technology trend in the region and the nation. The pandemic has single-handedly sped up this move. Cloud computing has low up-front costs, quick deployment, customizable features, and flexibility, while also being a solution with room for innovation (Ziyad et al., p 2, 2021). Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella advises “Pandemic, digital adoption curves aren’t slowing down. They’re accelerating, and it’s just the beginning” (Microsoft, 2021). Hence, businesses are moving at an unprecedented pace, transforming to cloud solutions. A common theme from our technology workforce partners is the lack of cloud computing technicians, sparking institutional priorities to propose creating a new curriculum to meet the new paradigm in emerging cloud technologies. In this paper, we discuss cloud computing including its basic characteristics and delivery models, and the process of creating a cloud computing AS degree pathway for students with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant.
The goal of this program, funded by the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) program, is to provide additional professional and technical skills to cohorts of high school students through a five-week Saturday Program. The curriculum is continuously reviewed and modified to address current skills needed by the technician workforce. While this program was originally proposed and planned as in-person, the leadership team decided to shift to a virtual environment as the pandemic caused the closure of community college campuses where the program was to be held. Program modalities and curriculum were modified to shift to an online experience. In Fall 2022, the program was able to return to an in-person format. The program’s leadership team disseminates best practices through presentations, social media, publications, and workshops at national conferences. The four-day Summer Teachers’ Workshop brings high school and community college educators from throughout the United States to experience the same program that is used for the high school students. The Program’s outreach efforts and the national dissemination of best practices for engaging underrepresented populations in technology careers has a national impact that will potentially increase the diversity of the technician workforce. The program has inspired participants to have confidence in their own abilities. Principals from participating high schools have commented that students who attended the Program have demonstrated an improvement in their academics and behavior due to the knowledge of professional and technical skills that they have gleaned from the program. The program has provided inner-city students from four high schools with out-of-school, hands-on educational programs focusing on professional skills, technical writing and engineering technology competencies. Participant demographics will be discussed in this paper as diversity is a key objective of the program. The program utilizes industry-driven, project-based learning (PBL) and lessons in career and college readiness to prepare students for the workforce. Each student session consists of five consecutive Saturdays and is taught by a team of high school teachers, community college faculty, and instructors with expertise in professional skills, teambuilding, leadership, technical writing, coding, and STEM disciplines.
Barkan, Joel, John, Jasmin, Drenkard, Elizabeth, and Talley, Drew. Ocean Discovery Institute’s Model for Empowering Underrepresented Students in STEM: Community-Based, Continuous Belief. Retrieved from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10544059. Oceanography 36.4 Web. doi:10.5670/oceanog.2024.117.
Barkan, Joel, John, Jasmin, Drenkard, Elizabeth, and Talley, Drew.
"Ocean Discovery Institute’s Model for Empowering Underrepresented Students in STEM: Community-Based, Continuous Belief". Oceanography 36 (4). Country unknown/Code not available: The Oceanography Society. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.117.https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10544059.
@article{osti_10544059,
place = {Country unknown/Code not available},
title = {Ocean Discovery Institute’s Model for Empowering Underrepresented Students in STEM: Community-Based, Continuous Belief},
url = {https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10544059},
DOI = {10.5670/oceanog.2024.117},
abstractNote = {Across the United States, there is increasing concern about the poor performance of American students in science and our country’s position as a world leader in innovation (National Science Board, 2022). Furthermore, young people are inequitably prepared to fulfill our nation's workforce needs as educational resources and achievement disparities are magnified in youth from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who live in poverty (National Science Board, 2022). Science test scores for students of color who reside in low socioeconomic status communities lag far behind those of Caucasian students and students from more affluent areas (Irwin et al., 2022). These students are also less likely to pursue the higher education necessary for science- and technology-based careers (Fry et al., 2021). As a result, the United States’ scientific workforce does not reflect the population of the nation as a whole; for example, Hispanic individuals represent 18.9% of the US population, but only 8% of jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields (Fry et al., 2021). The Ocean Discovery Institute, a 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1999 to address this problem. Here, we describe Ocean Discovery’s unique model for empowering underrepresented students. It includes (1) embedding students within the community served, (2) reaching all students in a single cluster of schools (a “school-shed”), and (3) a program structure that emphasizes science identity (“belief”) and reinforces it through intentional mentorship.},
journal = {Oceanography},
volume = {36},
number = {4},
publisher = {The Oceanography Society},
author = {Barkan, Joel and John, Jasmin and Drenkard, Elizabeth and Talley, Drew},
}
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