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With college advisory boards and potential employers consistently voicing their desire for engineers and scientists who can communicate well, work effectively in teams, and independently problem-solve, the Colleges of Engineering & Computer Science (ECS) and Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) at Sacramento State University, a large, public, primarily undergraduate institution, have deployed two programs to explicitly address these skills for undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. The goals of the NSF-funded Achieving STEM Persistence through Peer-Assisted Learning and Leadership Development (ASPIRE) project are to increase retention and decrease time to graduation for STEM students, as well as increase retention of women and underrepresented minorities (URM) in the STEM workforce by implementing evidence-based practices to promote student success during two critical transitions: 1) from lower-division to upper-division coursework in engineering; and 2) from upper-division coursework to an entry-level STEM career. ASPIRE aims to achieve these goals by: 1) adapting and implementing the NSM Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program in gateway engineering courses; and 2) developing the Hornet Leadership Program which includes scaffolded opportunities for students to explore their leadership capacity and develop leadership skills. The main research questions for this study include: (1) Will the ECS PAL model and Hornet Leadership Program result in increased persistence and workforce readiness in STEM majors at a large, diverse university? (2) What attitude changes will this project have on students and faculty and the relationships between them? The first question is addressed through pre- and post-implementation student surveys and student course/GPA data. The second question is addressed through faculty surveys, faculty focus groups/interviews, and pre- and post-data from a faculty professional development workshop. In general, preliminary results from this study indicate the new ECS PAL program successfully attracts URM students and thus has the potential to support their persistence and STEM workforce readiness. Additionally, undergraduate students across both Colleges who participated in the inaugural Hornet Leadership Program gained non-technical skills and experiences directly linked to competitiveness and preparation for workforce entry and graduate programs. Finally, faculty surveys and the faculty professional development workshop indicate that faculty value student leadership development, but identify barriers to accomplishing this work.
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This content will become publicly available on July 16, 2026
Professional development for STEM departments
Professional development is a highly organized and valuable process designed to disseminate specialized knowledge and skills, thereby enhancing workforce efficiency and institutional alignment with the organization's strategic goals and mission. Typically, most professional development resources focus on supporting student retention and career readiness. Maintaining student success and providing programs that enable students to acquire job skills is paramount. However, implementing strong science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) faculty professional development systems is equally essential to achieving meaningful student outcomes and departmental operational success. Sustainable professional development strategies and faculty support mechanisms must be continually developed, measured, evaluated, and improved to ensure that faculty can meet the needs of STEM majors, the changing educational landscape, and the challenges facing academic institutions. A focus on increased faculty communication from department and executive administration, as well as continuing education opportunities, travel awards, occupational training, mentoring programs, and scholarship initiatives, offers beneficial opportunities to meet faculty professional development needs. The recommendations in this article are intended for STEM faculty but could be adopted for all faculty and modified for STEM department staff.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2306512
- PAR ID:
- 10631753
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International Journal of Science and Research Archive
- Volume:
- 16
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2582-8185
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1168-1171
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- adult learning career development skill enhancement professional engagement job satisfaction
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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