This phenomenological study explores the mentoring needs of 13 Black and Latinx engineering postdoctoral scholars who aspire to the professoriate. An adaptation of the ideal mentoring model (Zambrana et al., 2015) is employed as the conceptual framework. Moustakas' (1994) four-stage process of phenomenological data analysis was utilized to examine…

This exploratory study examines the relationship between Aspire's IThrive Collective counterspace community of support and the organizational transformation efforts of members of the IChange Network. Our study examines how a counterspace community of support could inform institutional transformation. We collected focus group data from participants…

The ability to predict spatial elements based on two-dimensional figures, evaluate engineering elements, identify expected deformations, and predict possible failure mechanisms are critical for engineers. However, in applied mechanics courses, many undergraduate engineering students struggle with applying these skills to engineering problems.…

Assessment methods across post-secondary STEM education are traditionally constrained by logistics and likely contribute to the widespread inequities in STEM education outcomes. As part of attempts to improve and diversify the methods used in assessment, the authors have developed a flexible and low-tech style known as 'public exams' based in…

The?"Urban STEM Collaboratory" is a five-year project sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that addresses challenges to student success in STEM disciplines through a multi-institutional collaboration via?the?University of Memphis (UofM), University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver), and Indiana University-Purdue University…

Surveys and interviews were conducted among faculty and students regarding undergraduate research experiences (URE) in an engineering program at an urban research university. In the student survey, students were asked to self-identify if they felt that their URE had provided them with 11 potential benefits. In the faculty survey, faculty were…

Through funding from the National Science Foundation to create a Research Experience for Teachers site at North Dakota State University, the authors provided summer research experiences to current secondary (6th to 12th grade) educators to improve their understanding of the civil engineering field and develop new curriculum modules for their…

Recent improvements in advanced artificial intelligence (AI), including large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, and the subsequent release of these models into the public domain have instantly provided the public with technical capabilities that previously required years of engineering education to acquire. The ability of these models to…

Investigations on the utility of reflective essays in engineering education are firmly grounded in the theory of metacognition. Besides being a tool to measure metacognition, insight acquired from assessing reflective essays can provide context for future instruction and assessment. Some challenges that hinder the critical assessment of reflective…

Nearly 80% of the total American population lives within the urban sprawl, where rapid urbanization has contributed to an immense reduction of green space. Loss of woods, fields, and other green areas, in conjunction with adolescent preference for indoor and screen-based activities, has led to decreased time spent outdoors. However, studies show…

The results of a STEM educational program named "The air we breathe" implemented in a primary rural school in Greece as part of a National Research Project entitled "Diffusion of STEM (DI-STEM)" are presented in this paper. The educational program deepened in air pollution and intended to foster students' eight scientific…

Step Up to Physical Science and Engineering at Randolph(SUPER) is a recruitment and retention program for natural science and mathematics majors at Randolph College, a small liberal arts college in central Virginia. Begun as a pilot program in 2010, and then funded by two National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology,…

Community-based Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a promising practice to improve secondary STEM education. In these projects, students design and conduct authentic investigations with community stakeholders and technical experts. The work culminates with a public display of authentic artifacts like evidence-based advocacy reports or engineering…

This paper describes the application of new Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in engineering education. It demonstrates how VLEs improve student learning in two engineering concepts compared with the traditional classroom setting. Literature has conflicting studies on both the advantages and disadvantages of learning in VLEs. The application of…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were established to further the education of Black Americans and have a long history of service to minority, first-generation, and low-income students. HBCUs are also struggling financially, due to federal and state underinvestment, small endowments, low alumni giving, and decreasing enrollment.…