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Board 266: Engaging Transfer Students in a College of Engineering

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Tagged Topic

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

7

DOI

10.18260/1-2--42717

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/42717

Download Count

124

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Paper Authors

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Christy Wheeler West University of South Alabama Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-0172-7212

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Christy Wheeler West is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of South Alabama, where she also serves as Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. She holds a Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. from the University of Alabama.

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Eric Steward P.E. University of South Alabama Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-1714-740X

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Associate Professor in the Civil, Coastal, & Environmental Engineering Department at the University of South Alabama

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Joseph David Richardson

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Joseph D. Richardson is an Assistant Professor in the William B. Burnsed, Jr. Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering at the University of South Alabama.

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Tom Thomas

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Nicole Carr

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Abstract

The LINK scholarship program at the University of South Alabama is funded by an NSF S-STEM grant, awarding scholarships to low-income students transferring from community colleges in the Gulf Coast region to complete degrees in chemical, civil, computer, electrical, or mechanical engineering. The program provides financial support and academic mentoring to foster student success and optimize time to degree completion after transfer. Part of that effort includes providing pre-transfer advice through interactions with faculty and advisors at the regional community colleges. A further objective is to promote transfer student integration into the college, as this is expected to enhance academic achievement and professional development. This engagement is encouraged through faculty mentorship with frequent meetings, a cohort-building academic success seminar, and expected participation in engineering-focused student organizations.

Our project includes a mixed-methods study to improve our understanding of what support mechanisms effectively integrate transfer students in our college, and how students perceive that integration to enhance their academic and professional development. Early data analysis is presented here. Student surveys indicate that they believe that peers in their classes and their assigned faculty advisors have the greatest impact on their integration and academic success. For professional development, the transfer students find that internships the most importance, followed by participation in student organizations.

West, C. W., & Steward, E., & Richardson, J. D., & Thomas, T., & Carr, N. (2023, June), Board 266: Engaging Transfer Students in a College of Engineering Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42717

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