Asee peer logo

Board 1: Empowering Underrepresented Minority Students in One Aviation Program: Integrating a National Airport Design Competition into the Curriculum

Download Paper |

Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

Aerospace Division (AERO) Poster Session

Tagged Division

Aerospace Division (AERO)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

10

DOI

10.18260/1-2--46654

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/46654

Download Count

12

Paper Authors

biography

Yilin Feng California State University, Los Angeles Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-8843-8987

visit author page

Yilin Feng is an assistant professor at California State University, Los Angeles. She received her Ph.D. degree from Purdue University. Her research interest is in airport simulation, operation, and management.

visit author page

Download Paper |

Abstract

This research paper examines the integration of the [competition name] into a junior/senior level undergraduate course within [college name] at [university name], a Minority Serving Institution characterized by a predominantly Hispanic/Latine student enrollment. Many of these students arrive with varying levels of academic preparedness according to conventional standards. The study explores the approach of using a national competition as the focal point of the curriculum, fostering a dynamic learning environment that directly engages underrepresented minority students (URM). Participation in [competition name] serves as a transformative experience, enabling students to recognize and harness these inherent community cultural wealth, such as aspirational capital, navigational capital, resistant capital, and social capital. This recognition not only bolsters their confidence but also bridges the gaps in their academic proficiency. This paper presents the design and implementation of the course, highlighting how it enables students to apply classroom theory and their practical work experiences to the project to solve real-world problems. This paper includes the changes made by the instructor to address the diverse situations and needs of our students to foster an inclusive learning environment. This paper also discusses how participating in national competitions could potentially benefit student self-confidence, as well as their professional and academic growth. The impact of these practices is evaluated through an analysis of students’ project reports, feedback, and survey results.

Feng, Y. (2024, June), Board 1: Empowering Underrepresented Minority Students in One Aviation Program: Integrating a National Airport Design Competition into the Curriculum Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--46654

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2024 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015