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1. Preparing Early Engineers through Context, Connections, and Community

   Davishahl, Eric; Booker, Anna Fay; McDonnell-Ingoglia, Petra; Burnett, Pat (June 2024, 2024 ASEE Annual Conference)

   This NSF-IUSE project began in fall 2022 and features cross-disciplinary collaboration between faculty in engineering, math, history, English, and physics to design, pilot, and assess a new learning community approach to welcome precalculus level students into an engineering transfer degree program. The learning community spans two academic quarters and includes six different courses. The place-based curriculum includes contextualized precalculus and English composition, Pacific Northwest history, orientation to the engineering profession, and introductory skills such as problem-solving, computer programming, and team-based design. The program also features community-engaged project-based learning in the first quarter and a course-based undergraduate research experience in the second quarter, both with an overarching theme of energy and water resources. The approach leverages multiple high-impact educational practices to promote deep conceptual learning, motivate foundational skill development, explore social relevance and connection, and ultimately seeks to strengthen our students’ engineering identity, sense of belonging, and general academic preparation for success in an engineering major. Fall 2023 marked the first quarter of piloting the new learning community with a cohort of 19 students out of a capacity limit of 24. This paper reports on the demographics of the first cohort and compares them to enrollment in a parallel section of our Introduction to Engineering course that is not linked. We also share some of the students’ reasons for enrolling and their feedback on the experience. We found that students in populations with intensive entry advising such as International Programs and Running Start (a high school dual-enrollment program) appear to be overrepresented in the first cohort. This finding correlates with a theme in nearly all student responses that they learned about the program through advising. Finally, we describe some example activities and student projects that illustrate how the curriculum design integrates content across the academic disciplines involved. 

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2. Hands-on Precalculus for Engineering: A Work in Progress

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--56681  

   Greendale, Seth; Davishahl, Eric; Burnett, Pat; Honeycutt, Tyler (June 2025, ASEE Conferences)

   Students from historically marginalized backgrounds – especially low-income students, students of color, and/or first generation in college – disproportionately place below Calculus level math and are often underprepared for direct entrance to an engineering baccalaureate degree curriculum. The Engineering in Context learning community at Whatcom Community College seeks to take a holistic approach to address this challenge by welcoming students into a multidisciplinary cohort experience. This course sequence spans two academic quarters and includes six different courses including a two-quarter contextualized precalculus for engineering sequence, contextualized English composition, Pacific Northwest history, and an existing two-quarter introduction to engineering sequence. While this approach leverages multiple high-impact educational practices, this work-in-progress paper will focus on the contextualized precalculus component, and specifically the use of hands-on math labs taught using engineering facilities and equipment. The two Precalculus for Engineering courses are taught by mathematics faculty and feature a series of inquiry-based lab activities designed by the math, engineering, and physics faculty to motivate student effort and to provide additional practice with relevant math skills and concepts. These labs use physics and/or engineering applications to introduce key math concepts and develop student buy-in before scaffolding to more abstract math problems representative of what students will encounter in future math courses. For example, students review right triangle trigonometry and revisit more complex triangle problems in the context of analyzing the kinematics of a robotic arm. In another lab, students explore the concept of composing functions by exploring axial deformation under tension in bars of variable cross-sectional area. The paper discusses these examples and others along with the overall sequence of labs, how they intersect with the concurrent engineering courses or preview future engineering/physics courses, and how they fit together as a whole to support both the precalculus course learning outcomes and the larger goals of the learning community experience. We also share initial student feedback on the lab activities. 

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3. The Historical Marker Project : A Collaboration between History, Math, and Engineering

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--57225  

   Booker, Anna; Honeycutt, Tyler; Burnett, Pat; Davishahl, Eric; Wolff, Anna (June 2025, ASEE Conferences)

   The Engineering in Context learning community at Whatcom Community College seeks to welcome and onboard new engineering students with an integrated two-quarter cohort learning experience. This collaboration between engineering, mathematics, history, English, and physics faculty consists of a six-course curriculum that integrates contextualized precalculus, English composition, Pacific Northwest history, engineering orientation, and introductory problem-solving and computing skills. The program employs high-impact practices including place-based learning, community-engaged projects, and undergraduate research to motivate foundational skill development, emphasize social relevance, and develop students' engineering identity, sense of belonging, and academic readiness. The Historical Marker Project is a cornerstone of the learning community’s first-quarter curriculum drawing on a multidisciplinary approach to reveal the layers of the built environment, from a natural to an engineered shoreline. This quarter-long project seeks to engage students with one of the essential questions of the overarching learning community experience: “How does the engineered world affect how we live?” The project begins in Week 2 with a field trip to the city’s waterfront, which is currently undergoing cleanup and re-envisioning of 137 acres of Bellingham’s downtown core as part of a long-term process of deindustrialization coinciding with the closure of the Georgia Pacific’s pulp, chemical, and tissue operations in 2007. The project culminates in Week 10 with a multi-media presentation evaluating aspects of the cumulative impacts of 150 years of development and alteration of an engineered shoreline. For the history portion, students do original research at the regional archives to identify changes to the landscape over time and evaluate historical sources to determine the causes of these alterations. In the process, students develop history course outcomes, including (1) analyzing primary and secondary sources to evaluate historical arguments for credibility, position, perspective, and relevance; (2) locating sources in their historical context; and (3) identifying the ways political economy have shaped land and resource use in the region. The blending of disciplines occurs in the latter half of the term when students write the story of a site using the methods of a historian while simultaneously using newfound math and engineering skills to analyze the system and create a visual representation. We share student feedback, reflections, and final assessment results demonstrating how skill acquisition in history, engineering, and mathematics can be woven together to foster connections between people and place while making the socially relevant connections crucial for students’ sense of belonging. 

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4. Enhancing Sense of Belonging among Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Students: First Insights from the NSF S-STEM Grant in Community College

   Silvestri, Fanny; Neal, Nichole; DeMartini, Erika (June 2024, 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition)

   Introduction: Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) in Arizona offers two-year degrees for diverse engineering disciplines and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AIM) studies. After their Associate’s degree, students transfer to Universities to complete their bachelor’s degree. Since the Fall of 2023, CGCC has nurtured students through the NSF S-STEM Grant initiative called Scholarships, Mentoring, and Professional Support to Improve Engineering & Artificial Intelligence Student Success at Community Colleges. This grant, also known as Reaching Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Career Heights (REACH), empowers students with scholarships, personalized mentoring, and industry-oriented activities. This study delves into the sense of belonging and academic integration of REACH recipients and their peers. Methodology: A survey was administered to students across six courses: engineering (3), AIM, chemistry, and physics. The courses were chosen because one REACH student was attending the same course, with the same instructor. The survey, adapted from Gurganus et al., was comprised of demographic data and 20 questions categorized into Sciences Identity, Expectations and Goals, Academic Integration, Sense of Belonging to the program, and Sense of Belonging to the campus. Unpaired t-tests were utilized to compare the responses of 5 REACH students with 58 of their peers, with significance set at p≤0.05. Results: Sixty-three students agreed and filled out the study, comprising 5 REACH students and 58 peers. Students are enrolled in AAS, Engineering Technology (1 REACH, 1 peers), AAS, Emphasis in Artificial Intelligence (2 REACH, 3 peers), AAS, Emphasis in Engineering (2 REACH, 30 peers), and 24 were not registered in one of those degrees. Twenty females, 41 males, and one binary student in their first to sixth semester at CGCC filled out the survey. Among those total students, 7 identified as Asian, 2 as black or African American, 11 as Hispanic or Latino, 39 as White, and 4 as Other. In the category of Sciences Identity, REACH students demonstrated a significantly stronger sense of belonging compared to their peers. Specifically, REACH recipients scored higher on three questions: "I have a strong sense of belonging to the community of engineering or AI" (REACH 4.40 vs Peers 3.47, p=0.017), "I feel like I belong in the field of engineering or AI" (REACH 4.60 vs Peers 3.71, p=0.032), and "The daily work of an engineer or AI scientist is appealing to me" (REACH 5.00 vs Peers 3.98, p=0.011). Furthermore, REACH students reported a significantly stronger sense of belonging to Chandler-Gilbert Community College compared to their peers (REACH 4.60 vs Peers 3.78, p=0.046). However, concerning academic integration, REACH students identified areas that require attention. Notably, they provided a lower score for the question "Understand what your professors expect of you academically" (REACH 1.20 vs Peers 2.00, p=0.025). REACH recipients also scored lower for: “Develop effective study skills”, “Adjust to the academic demands of college”, and “Manage your time effectively”. Academic Integration is the only category where REACH students scored less than their peers. Conclusion: The REACH initiative at CGCC has notably enhanced the sense of belonging and connection to the college among engineering and AIM students. While REACH students showed superior community affiliation, they identified areas for academic integration enhancement. A tailored workshop focusing on study skills and time management is planned for Spring 2024 to address these concerns. As the program expands in 2024, involving six more students, continued assessment and support mechanisms will foster a more inclusive and integrated academic environment. Acknowledgment: The authors would like to express their sincere thanks and gratitude to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) award No. 2220959. 

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5. Measuring the Impact of an Enrichment Program for First-Term Undergraduate Engineering Students in Mathematics and Engineering Curricula

   Cruse, K. C.; & Boyet, C.; Savercool, L.; Holloway, H. (June 2023, 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition)

   First-year students frequently struggle with the transition from high school to college as they juggle academic requirements, new living accommodations, and social expectations. Transitional struggles can be amplified for engineering students due to the challenging mathematics, engineering, and science courses taking during their first term. First-year students are commonly ill-equipped to manage their time wisely and study properly. Structure and guidance can assist in fostering skills and behaviors that are vital for success. The SUCCESS Scholars (SS) Program was developed to provide foundational support for 24 low-income first-year engineering students. The program was designed to provide academic support in the form of extra Fridays sessions for engineering and peer mentorship led supplemental instruction (SI). The 24 students were grouped into exclusive sections of a precalculus course and an engineering course. Two upper-level students were selected to lead the SI sessions while providing peer mentorship and community engagement for the first-year students. The faculty teaching both courses worked together with the peer mentors to develop a plan for the SI sessions. This paper will detail the SS Program and analyze the performance of the students in their first quarter at the university. Data from common exams given in their precalculus and engineering courses will be used to examine the effectiveness of the program. 

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