College of Education and Human Development Faculty Research
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Browsing College of Education and Human Development Faculty Research by Department "Engineering Education"
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Item Assessing the Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning Across Two Concrete Construction Courses(Gate Association for Teaching and Education, 2022-07-30) Torres, Anthony; Hu, Jiong; Sriraman, Vedaraman; Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Membrillo-Hernández, JorgeThe goal of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy that was implemented in two different concrete construction courses. Both courses are a part of an industry focused four-year undergraduate concrete degree program. One of the classes focused on concrete problems, diagnosis, and repair of existing concrete, while the other class focused on handling and management methods of various concrete mixtures. In both courses, a PBL pedagogy was implemented such that students were self-learning and discovering the knowledge through an action-research case study. The action-research case study was specific to the course outcomes relevant to each course, but were assessed similarly. A total of eight different assessment methods were implemented across both courses’ multiple times from 2012 – 2019. The results showed that the students are highly benefiting from the PBL pedagogy, which was indicated across all assessment methods. Each assessment technique provided a unique insight into student comprehension or benefits of the PBL pedagogy. The most beneficial assessment techniques were; pre- and post-student assessment, level of understanding and confidence, pre- and post-objective student assessment, and report assessment. These four assessment techniques provide both direct (objective) and indirect (subjective) assessment, while only requiring four total surveys.Item Comprehensive Assessment of a Project Based Learning Application in a Project Management Course(Gate Association for Teaching and Education, 2021-05-22) Torres, Anthony; Sriraman, Vedaraman; Martinez Ortiz, AraceliThe focus of this study is to implement multiple assessment methods in order to comprehensively assess the impact of a Project Based Learning (PrBL) application in construction project management course. The assessment methods include various direct (objective) and indirect (subjective) evaluations methods. These methods included a pre and post questionnaire of student opinions, homework grades, in-class “clicker” quiz grades, overall project grades, embedded test question grades, a video lecture project, and short answer case study questions on exams from the Fall 2017 to Fall 2019 semesters. The data for this study was taken from the past six offerings of the same course, which was compared to a similar course in the same department. The analysis demonstrated that the students preferred both the use of an actual real-world project and the PrBL delivery method. The particular assessment methods that provided the most beneficial assessment were the embedded test questions and the case study section of the exam. The overall grade assessment method demonstrated an average of four percentage point increase in grades from previous offerings of the course and a similar course that does not include the PrBL pedagogy.Item A Comprehensive Model for Motivating and Preparing Under-represented Students, Educators and Parents in Science, Engineering, and Technology(American Society for Engineering Education, 2014-06-18) Martinez Ortiz, AraceliA comprehensive informal learning STEM outreach program for kindergarten through grade 4 (K-4) students is described along with the program’s theory of change and findings based on the participation of more than 200 urban minority students and their parents over a four-year period. This NSF-funded informal learning program was grounded in parental engagement theory of planned behavior and integrated both active-learning pedagogies and in-situ professional development for teachers. A unique age-appropriate science, engineering and technology integrated curriculum was delivered as a series of Saturday workshops set in a community science museum. Each year, cohorts of K‐3 African American and Hispanic students and their parents participated in eight 3-hour workshops comprised of student/parent sessions of hands-on science and engineering activities as well as separate parent awareness and development sessions in STEM education and technology skill development. The aim of this program has been to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by attending to students early in the educational process. To accomplish this, the program has been guided by the following goals: to increase the knowledge, skills, and interest of K–3 students from underrepresented population groups in STEM fields; to increase parents’ knowledge and skills in science and engineering and their capacity to support their children in pursuing education and careers in these fields; and to increase the effectiveness of teachers in engaging students and parents in the Saturday science-related learning activities. Mixed methods research methodology has been used to measure the program’s contribution to the advancement of the program goals. Learning, motivational, and efficacy outcomes have been measured with pre and post student, teacher and parent survey instruments. This program has incorporated major findings of more than 10-years of research that suggests that improving children’s academic outcomes are much more effective when the family is actively engaged. This program has offered opportunities for parents to work along side their children; provided strategies promoting positive parental/child engagement; and provided ongoing training and professional development for project teachers. Young minority children have been exposed to African American, Latino, and women scientists and engineers through personal contact at special events, and via a featured program website section. Preliminary evaluation findings based on pre and post surveys, interviews, and observational data will be presented that indicate this program is helping parents and students persist in the program for multiple years and is motivating positive changes in student content understanding and career motivation.Item Considering the Effectiveness of Comprehensive Assessment and the Impact of PBL Implementation in a Concrete Industry Project Management Course(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06-26) Torres, Anthony; Sriraman, Vedaraman; Martinez Ortiz, AraceliThe objectives of this study were two-fold: first, to assess the effectiveness of using Project Based Learning (PrBL) pedagogy and second, to determine the efficacy of a comprehensive set of assessment methods from the standpoint of assessing learning in a PrBL implementation. The project used in this study incorporates actual, in-the-field projects that represent real-life scenarios that the students will encounter once they graduate. Various direct assessment methods were implemented in this study. These assessment methods included a pre and post questionnaire of student beliefs and opinions, homework grades, in-class ‘clicker’ quiz grades, overall project grades, embedded test question grades, a video lecture project, and short answer case study questions on exams. The data sets collected with these assessment methods were compared to data taken from the past two offerings of the same course and with data from a similar course taught by the same professor in the same department. The analysis reshowed that the students favored both the actual concrete construction project and the milestone deliverable method. The particular assessment methods that provided the most feedback were the embedded test questions and the case study section of the exam. Since students had to work with an individual real-world case study on the exam, the individual student’s effort, understanding, and ability to solve technical problems from the milestone project were quantified through the exam. The overall grade assessment method revealed an average of 4.5 percentage point increase in grades from past offerings of the course and a similar course that does not include the PrBL pedagogy.Item Design and Development of Augmented Reality Engineering Expeditions - Innovations in Online Engineering Education(American Society for Engineering Education, 2021-03-24) Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Spencer, Bobbi J.; Rojas, CindyThis paper presents a framework for the design of augmented reality expeditions in engineering education settings to motivate student learning of engineering fundamentals and careers. The impact of social distancing has been significant for students of all ages and there is a great need for additional and creative online learning resources. The engineering field has an opportunity to not only motivate and support student learning, but to do so by featuring the very innovative nature of engineering as a tool to develop those experiences. A case study regarding the development of NASA-themed aeronautics virtual tours and virtual field trips highlights the capabilities of various software technologies and offers design considerations. The three developed virtual expeditions serve as an opportunity to engage and educate high school and university students. A research plan to collect student feedback on these experiences is also presented.Item Development And Implementation Of Challenge Based Instruction In Statics And Dynamics(American Society for Engineering Education, 2010-06-20) Freeman, Robert; Vasquez, Horacio; Knecht, Martin; Martin, Taylor; Fuentes, Arturo; Walker, Joan; Martinez Ortiz, AraceliThis paper discusses challenge-based instructional (CBI) materials developed for courses in Statics and Dynamics. This effort is a component of a funded College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) grant from the Department of Education, and focuses on student retention and development of adaptive expertise. Studies have shown that minority science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students leave STEM undergraduate fields in part due to lack of real world connections to their classroom learning experiences. Furthermore, in STEM fields the conventional approach is to teach for efficiency first and for innovation only in the latter years of the curriculum. This focus on efficiency first can actually stifle attempts at innovation in later courses. Our response to these issues is to change the way we teach. CBI, a form of inquiry based learning, can be simply thought of as teaching backwards. In this approach, a challenge is presented first, and the supporting theory (required to solve the challenge) second. Our implementation of CBI is built around the How People Learn (HPL) framework for effective learning environments and is realized and anchored by the STAR Legacy Cycle, as developed and fostered by the VaNTH NSF ERC for Bioengineering Educational Technologies. The developed materials are a result of collaboration between faculty members at the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) and South Texas College (STC), a two year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).Item Early Internships for Engineering Technology Student Retention: A Pilot Study(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06-26) Sriraman, Vedaraman; Spencer, Bobbi J.; Talley, Kimberly Grau; Martinez Ortiz, AraceliResearch in engineering technology major retention suggests that early internships present an outstanding opportunity for freshman and sophomore students to engage, socialize and learn in communities of practice and to “discover” the link between theory and practice early in their academic tenure, leading to a consequent improvement in retention rates. At xxxx State University, the traditional senior level capstone internship program was reengineered and converted into a sophomore level program with minimal prerequisites so as to enable sophomore level engineering technology students to participate early in the internships, explore their majors and undergo experiential learning in the world of practice in their chosen disciplines. The motivation for this project came from onsite internship industry interviews and our industrial advisory boards which strongly suggested that early, “immersion” type industrial experiences would prepare students to become better learners. This conversion coincided with the strategic imperatives that stemmed from a university wide second year STEM major retention effort. This latter effort culminated in a four year NSF funded project, of which the early internships are a module. This paper describes the internship program reengineering effort, the details of the early internship program implementation and aspects of how the program is facilitating the assessment of student learning outcomes for ABET and other accreditation processes. The paper concludes with preliminary results that were harvested from the pilot implementation in Summer 2015 and with directions for future work.Item Engaging Students in Sustainability Education and Awareness of Green Engineering Design and Careers through a Pre-Engineering Program(American Society for Engineering Education, 2015-06-17) Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Asiabanpour, Bahram; Aslan, Semih; Jimenez, Jesus Alejandro; Kim, Yoo-Jae; Salamy, HassanA framework for an active learning summer program for middle school students is presented along with survey instruments and pre and post program data regarding student attitudes and awareness of sustainable design issues and career motivation in the field. This summer program was designed to attract students, especially from underrepresented groups, into early motivating experiences in the engineering fields and to increase their awareness of concepts and careers in renewable energy, and green engineering design principles and technologies. Twenty-four students from a low social economic school district were provided the opportunity to experience many state of the art engineering technologies at the university’s school of engineering and to learn from a diverse group of knowledgeable mentoring faculty. In the week-long program, students were involved in hands-on engineering and renewable energy activities appropriate to their age and knowledge. Topics covered included: the engineering design process, CAD solid modeling, 3D Printing and water jet cutting, hands-on assembly, renewable energy resources for homes, sustainable site selection, and water efficiency principles. Using project-based learning, student teams participated as designers of their own green home models by integrating their learning of renewable energy use, conservation practices, and appropriate design and material selection. Pre and post surveys revealed increases in student awareness of general engineering and renewable energy concepts as well as increased interest in pursuing engineering careers.Item Engineering Outreach: Ambassador Girls Empowering Girls in the Field(American Society for Engineering Education, 2020-06-22) Hug, Sarah; Eyerman, Suzanne; Fletcher, Trina L.; Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Soltys, Michael A.The EngineerGirl Ambassadors program is designed to recognize, support, and promote high school girls who intend to give back to their community through youth outreach activities. In its second year, the program is an extension of the National Academy of Engineering’s “EngineerGirl” online community, established in 2001. EngineerGirl Ambassadors apply in the spring for acceptance to the program in the fall and attend the Society of Women in Engineers (SWE) conference with a local adult sponsor to participate in professional development. The Ambassadors program emphasizes the “Five Cs” of youth development: confidence, connection, competence, character, and caring/compassion. Trainings for the Ambassadors relate to multiple aspects of informal STEM education, including recruitment, activity selection, problem based learning, and effective questioning. Ambassadors also attend the traditional SWE events, such as keynote talks, the outreach expo, and programming centered on developing leadership qualities. High school Ambassadors develop programming, partner with community leaders such as school administrators, librarians, and nonprofit leaders to secure venues for their youth-focused activities and receive a modest sum to purchase materials for programs. The Ambassadors recruit participants with an emphasis on middle school students who are underrepresented in engineering (female students, as well as students who identify as Native American/Pacific Islander, African American/black, and LatinX/Hispanic), utilizing school and community connections to reach middle school students (e.g., asking former middle school science teachers if they can recruit in their classrooms). Upon the completion of their programs, they assist in survey data collection for the evaluation team, and a selection of participants are observed. Ambassadors are encouraged to return to the SWE conference the following year through SWE-funded awards, so they can serve as role models to newly selected Ambassadors. Program evaluation includes participant observation, survey data collection and analysis of Ambassador’s participants, interviews with Ambassadors and sponsors, and (in year two) surveys of sponsors and Ambassadors directly following the SWE conference experience. Ambassadors described increased confidence in engineering, and stronger connection to a network of like-minded young women. Results indicate youth attending outreach activities run by Ambassadors increased their interest in engineering (88%), know more about what engineers do (91%), know the engineering design process (84%), and feel increased belonging to a group interested in the field (87%). Program formative and summative evaluation uncovered multiple challenges and worked with the program director, staff, and the steering committee to address challenges, such as coordinating travel with youth participants, selecting with equity and diversity in mind, balancing innovation with “field tested” outreach programs, and coaching at a distance throughout the academic year. Challenges and successes will be addressed at length in the full paper, for example, the authors will describe the rubric development and refinement process in detail, including how changes may have supported a focus on equity in the selection process.Item Exploring Faculty Insights Into Why Undergraduate College Students Leave STEM Fields of Study - A Three-Part Organizational Self-Study(The Clute Institute, 2015-06-01) Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Sriraman, VedaramanAn institutional self-study at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) explored factors thought to impact students’ decisions to persist in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields of study. This self-study is presented as a model first step for Institutions of Higher Education interested in launching efforts to improve STEM education and STEM student success and persistence. A methodology combining qualitative and quantitative analysis approaches was used to examine different aspects of the overarching research question, “Why do undergraduate students leave college STEM fields of study?” A quantitative review of institutional data was used to identify four particular gaps in student persistence and success in STEM fields of study at Texas State University. An online survey and a focus group guide were developed based on existing but more broadly focused instruments and used to collect faculty insights regarding faculty and student experiences and possible reasons for student attrition in STEM. A review of retention theories was undertaken to better inform the process of generating remedies to the STEM persistence issue. Data were collected and analyzed separately for each component to produce two sets of findings. Findings indicated that there were retention issues in regard to STEM majors in general and underrepresented student groups in particular. Underrepresented students do not pursue STEM degrees percentage wise in comparison to other degrees. The self-study and retention theories suggest the following remedial measures: supporting faculty to transform their teaching, providing supplemental instruction in math and science and including discipline specific introductory courses and early internship experiences.Item Fifth Grade Students’ Understanding of Ratio and Proportion in an Engineering Robotics Program(American Society for Engineering Education, 2011-06-26) Martinez Ortiz, AraceliThe research described in this study explores the impact of utilizing a LEGO-robotics integrated engineering and mathematics program to support fifth grade students’ learning of ratios and proportion in an extracurricular program. One of the research questions guiding this research study was “how do students’ test results compare for students learning ratio and proportion concepts within the LEGO‐robotics integrated engineering and mathematics program versus when using a non-engineering textbook‐based mathematics program?” A mixed method repeated measures experiment with a control group was conducted. The subjects were 30 fifth grade students from a large urban school district who participated in one of two intervention programs, a LEGO‐robotics integrated engineering and mathematics program (experimental) versus a non-engineering textbook-based mathematics program (control). The understanding of ratio and proportion through numerical computation was measured using the Intra‐Mathematical Proportional Reasoning Test (Intra‐Prop). The understanding of ratio and proportion in general‐context mathematical word problems was measured using the Extra‐Mathematical Proportional Reasoning Test in a General Context (Extra-Prop) and the understanding of ratio and proportion in a LEGO engineering context was measured using a mathematical tool called Extra-Mathematical Proportional Reasoning Test in an Engineering Context (Engin-Prop). Students’ understanding of select basic engineering and mathematics definitions was measured using the Background and Definitions Test (Definitions Test). Data collected included classroom video, student interviews and written mathematical assessments of ratio and proportion problems in the four forms defined above, using repeated measures across three time periods-- prior to the beginning of the intervention programs, after the conclusion of the intervention program and ten weeks after the conclusion of the intervention program. The results of this study indicated that all students were able to make significant progress in learning new concepts of ratio and proportion as a result of participating in the intervention program learning experiences. Experimental students’ performance on the Intra-Prop was not significantly higher than that of the control students’ performance. However, experimental students’ performance on the Extra-Prop, Engin-Prop, and Definitions tests was significantly higher than that of the control students, indicating that students that learn about ratio and proportion in an engineering related context improve in their understanding significantly and retain their learning for a longer period of time when they encounter these situations in an extra-mathematical context versus in an intra-mathematical context. In addition, and of special note to practitioners, is the fact that students in the experimental group were able to learn at least as much and as well (if not more) the mathematics content of ratio and proportion as compared to the control group of students, and in addition, within the same amount of time, control group students learned and retained engineering and related ratio and proportion mathematics concepts.Item Implementing PBL in a Concrete Construction Course(American Society for Engineering Education, 2014-06-18) Hu, Jiong; Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Sriraman, VedaramanThis paper presents an action-research case study detailing the evolutionary changes in the implementation of the problem-based learning (PBL) method in an undergraduate concrete construction course. The case study incorporates the perspective of the course instructor as action-researcher and the quantitative and qualitative student impact data. PBL was first implemented in this course in 2011 as a student centered active learning pedagogy. The first implementation adopted a minimalist approach owing to the issues typically associated with PBL adoption such as increased instructor effort and student resistance to a new learning paradigm. Through 2012 and 2013, the action researcher continued to adopt and increase the scope of PBL application. In 2013, the course moved from a summer offering to a spring offering. This change proved to be very positive for both instructor and students alike. Most significantly, the change in schedule permitted a longer time span in which the PBL activities could be more effectively implemented compared to the short, fast paced summer offering. The evolution in the adaptation of PBL pedagogy and key components for success in the implementation of PBL in the engineering and engineering technology classroom will be presented. In addition, a discussion of the assessment methods that also underwent an evolution in scope and detail will be presented. The paper concludes with recommendations for further research.Item The Influence of Early STEM Career Exploration as Related to Motivation and Self-determination Theory(American Society for Engineering Education, 2018-06-23) Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Kawaguchi Warshauer, Hiroko; Garcia Torres, Sara; Rodríguez Amaya, LauraA science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) summer intervention program is the setting for a career-exploration research study with over 30 adolescent students in a low-income community. Using motivation and self-determination theory as a framework, the impact of early exposure to engineering and mathematics career opportunities is examined. This study utilized mixed methods to analyze how changes in middle school students’ affective characteristics may be linked to their future career decision-making after participating in an integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics academic/ career summer camp. We examine three students’ decisions regarding their changes in self-reported future academic major choices and career goals utilizing measures of motivation, self-efficacy, and self-determination. Interview data provides qualitative evidence that participants’ experiences during camp may indeed impact their short-term outlook towards their informed decision making and motivation related to pursuing STEM careers. Repeat participants (two or more years) are highlighted as case studies and their survey and interview input is analyzed to determine to what extent, if any, students attribute changes in motivation to their summer camp experiences. Given that the student participants represent a majority demographic of low income and historically underrepresented populations in STEM, particular patterns related to the participants’ ethnicity and/or gender are presented.Item Integrating an Introduction to Engineering Experience into an University Seminar Course(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06-26) Talley, Kimberly Grau; Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Novoa, Clara; Sriraman, VedaramanRetention statistics show that the most drastic decline in retention rates for engineering and engineering technology majors at Texas State University occur after the first and second years. To address this issue, the LBJ Institute of STEM Education and Research at Texas State is employing a multi-faceted approach to implement proven strategies for increasing student retention as a part of an NSF IUSE (Improving Undergraduate STEM Education) grant, Texas State STEM Rising Stars. One of these strategies is to introduce a new first-year introduction to engineering/engineering technology course that was designed to support student retention. A new course could not simply be added to the existing curriculum of the university’s engineering and engineering technology degrees, however, as state law capped the hours required for an undergraduate degree. Instead, the researchers customized an introduction to the university freshman seminar course for engineering and engineering technology majors. This course design adapted elements from successful first-year introductory classes in Engineering and Engineering Technology at other universities. Besides fostering a learning community between Engineering and Engineering Technology students, the objectives of the new course include: (1) introduction of design and problem solving through project-based learning and (2) familiarization with the careers paths and practices of Engineering and Engineering Technology through tours and talks by industry representatives and faculty and (3) providing a common experience that introduces university resources to support the development of the students and prepares them for academic success. The pilot section of Introduction to Engineering in University Seminar was offered in Fall 2015. As these seminar courses are offered in the fall semesters, the researchers will be able to analyze changes in engineering design self-efficacy over the semester and conduct focus groups with students to refine the course content prior to an expanded second round of experimental sections that will be put in place for Fall 2016. This paper presents this work in progress, including preliminary results and lessons learned from this integration of Introduction to Engineering with University Seminar.Item Measuring the Impact of Unique Entry-Level Instructional Course Modules Designed to Inspire Computer Science Interest(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06-26) Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Guirguis, MinaRecent research regarding university student perceptions of “Computer Science” as a field of study and their motivation to pursue such studies as a career opportunity reveal student misconceptions and lack of motivation. Many students report that they regard the study of computer science as narrowly equivalent to “programming”. Moreover, many are not consistently provided the opportunity to realize the true impact of the field within their entry-level courses since these early courses tend to focus on programming and syntax skill development. It is not until they are in their upper-level courses that they gain a broader understanding and by then, many of them have already left the field. It is hypothesized that this lack of clarity of the field at an early point in students’ academic career, coupled with the perception that the curriculum is largely irrelevant to their lives, has impacted the retention rates of computer science majors in the first two years of their academic study programs. This paper will report on a preliminary stage of a comprehensive project effort that aims to improve retention rates for computer science students in their entry-level courses through the development of course modules intended for inclusion in their entry-level curriculum. The theoretical basis for these modules will be reviewed and the design framework for the development of these models is discussed. The aim of these models is to highlight the difference between Computer Science and Programming, to show the relevance of Computer Science in recent advances in various fields, and to inspire students to appreciate Computer Science and the role of algorithms in our daily lives. The modules will cover various topics about the role of CS in cyber warfare, understanding biology, electronic voting, etc. In subsequent work, these modules will be launched as part of a mixed methods study to determine their effectiveness as compared to a control group not learning through these models and the impact of those modules on the retention rates of Computer Science majors.Item Multi-Disciplinary Summer Orientation Sessions for First-Year Students in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Physics, and Computer Science(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06-26) Novoa, Clara; Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Talley, Kimberly GrauThis work in progress is motivated by a self-study conducted at Texas State University. The study revealed that the average second year science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) student retention rate is 56% vs. 67% for all majors, and that 16% of STEM majors are female while 57% of all undergraduate students are female. Using these statistics, the authors identified the need to offer motivating experiences to freshman in STEM while creating a sense of community among other STEM students. This paper reports on the impact of two interventions designed by the authors and aligned with this need. The interventions are: (1) a one-day multi-disciplinary summer orientation (summer15) to give participants the opportunity to undertake projects that demonstrate the relevance of spatial and computational thinking skills and (2) a subsequent six-week spatial visualization skills training (fall 2015) for students in need to refine these skills. The interventions have spatial skills as a common topic and introduce participants to career applications through laboratory tours and talks. Swail et al.1 mentions that the three elements to address in order to best support students’ persistence and achievement are cognitive, social, and institutional factors. The interventions address all elements to some extent and are part of an NSF IUSE grant (2015-2018) to improve STEM retention. The summer 2015 orientation was attended by 17 freshmen level students in Physics, Engineering, Engineering Technology, and Computer Science. The orientation was in addition to “Bobcat Preview”, a separate mandatory one-week length freshman orientation that includes academic advising and educational and spirit sessions to acclimate students to the campus. The effectiveness of the orientation was assessed through exit surveys administered to participants. Current results are encouraging; 100% of the participants answered that the orientation created a space to learn about science and engineering, facilitated them to make friends and encouraged peer interaction. Eighty percent indicated that the orientation helped them to build confidence in their majors. Exit survey findings were positively linked to a former exit survey from an orientation given to a group of 18 talented and low-income students in 2013. The training on refining spatial visualization skills connects to the summer orientation by its goals. It offers freshman students in need to refine spatial skills a further way to increase motivation to STEM and create community among other students. It is also an effective approach to support students’ persistence and achievement. Bairaktarova et al.2 mention that spatial skills ability is gradually becoming a standard assessment of an individual’s likelihood to succeed as an engineer. Metz et al.3 report that well-developed spatial skills have been shown to lead to success in Engineering and Technology, Computer Science, Chemistry, Computer Aided Design and Mathematics. The effectiveness of the fall 2015 training was assessed through comparison between pre and post tests results and exit surveys administered to participants. All participants improved their pre-training scores and average improvement in students’ scores was 18.334%.Item A Pilot Study Measuring Student Attitude Changes Resulting From Participating in Workforce Development Training Program in Green and Technology Practices(American Society for Engineering Education, 2017-06-24) Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Mata, Eusebio; Asiabanpour, BahramMany agree that one of the main challenges to increasing the number of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career seeking individuals and increasing the retention of students preparing for this fields, is the lack of information and therefore low student motivation toward these careers. Students may also hold misconceptions regarding the nature of technological careers and this may also dissuade them from participating. Exposing students to green energy and sustainability topics as a STEM context may be a motivating approach and when coupled with clarifying career information, it may sharpen much of the generally ambiguous knowledge on these topics. The understanding students gain might then change their attitudes regarding STEM careers and lead to pursuit of academic studies leading to these careers. The Re-Energize program is a multi-university intervention program aimed at increasing and retaining the number of historically underserved and underrepresented minority students seeking STEM degrees at four community colleges. Re-Energize offers cutting-edge workforce development training programs in green technology and practices (GTP). The GTP training programs are introduced into existing college science and engineering courses as a means to broaden the scope of students’ exposure to these topics. The impact on students’ attitudes towards topics in sustainability, green energy, career interests and their desire to pursue a higher education is analyzed using pre and post survey data. This is a preliminary phase of the project, however, findings indicate that students’ attitude and concerns are influenced positively and follow-up data collection will confirm what academic and career choices these students make.Item Preserving World Cultural Heritage: Social Justice and Sustainability Competencies via Socially-Oriented Interdisciplinary Education(Sciendo, 2022-07-08) Vázquez-Villegas, Patricia; Ruiz-Cantisani, María Ileana; Caratozzolo, Patricia; Lara-Prieto, Vianney; Ponce-López, Roberto; Martínez-Acosta, Mariajulia; Torres, Anthony; Sriraman, Vedaraman; Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Membrillo-Hernández, JorgeThe world's cultural heritage (customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions, and values that signify a legacy of the history of humanity) provides identity to communities. In Mexico, the case of the World Heritage City of Xochimilco involves a sustainable agroecological system designed by its ancient inhabitants more than 500 years ago. Currently, the biodiversity and the chinampas (floating agricultural gardens) are at risk due to inconsistent government oversight and the lack of incentives for communities to carry on with the culture of agricultural production on Lake Xochimilco. Through a Challenge-Based Learning, a culturally relevant academic experience for university students was designed to involve them in preserving biodiversity while developing research and problem-solving skills. Satisfaction surveys and course evaluations indicated that this didactic methodology encouraged students to consider their connection to social justice issues and prompted them to expand their knowledge in their different disciplines. Socially-oriented experiential learning is an effective pedagogy that fosters a sense of social responsibility in students.Item A Review of Promising Practices in STEM Bridge Programs Serving High School and College Native American Indigenous Communities(American Society for Engineering Education, 2023-06-25) Martinez Ortiz, AraceliThis paper presents a two-part literature review study conducted to uncover research-based major themes of importance according to indigenous education experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The second part of the study reviews select case studies that highlight a set of exemplary promising practices effective in designing and implementing STEM bridge programs that serve middle, high school and college indigenous students. A historical review of NASA partnership efforts with Tribal Colleges and Universities is presented to highlight past approaches and to support presented recommendations. Background: This research paper prepared for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), reviews research-based promising themes and operational approaches of effective Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) bridge programs that serve Native American students. In this study, Native American is defined to include American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian populations. A bridge program is defined as any organized enrichment effort that supports groups of students to succeed during key academic transition periods such as from middle grades to high school or high school to college/university. A special focus on American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian students and on efforts carried out by tribal colleges and universities is important given the continuing underrepresentation of American Indian and Alaskan Natives in the STEM careers and NASA’s commitment to broaden student participation in STEM programs and careers. Research Questions: Two overriding research questions guiding this review are as follows: 1) What major philosophical premises regarding science education and indigenous ways of knowing science emerge as influential for improved and focused STEM intervention design for American Indians/ Alaska Natives? 2). What major themes or practices are highlighted in select cases studies as integral to the design and implementation of successful bridge programs to best serve indigenous students in the United States? Methodology: A semi-systematic, integrative review approach was used to identify major themes and promising practices in more than 50 primary research and practitioner published articles and reports to support the investigation of the stated research questions. In this case, the intent of the review was not to cover all articles published on the topic but rather to combine perspectives to create guiding principles for new theoretical models and implementation recommendations. The search key phrases were: “STEM bridge programs for indigenous students” and “indigenous or native or aboriginal or Indians or first nations”. Through this method, themes were identified, analyzed, and are reported here. In addition, seven specific programs were selected as case studies that demonstrate some of these themes and practices into successful operationalized program models.Item Review of Teaching Strategies Towards Development of a Framework for Online Teamwork(American Society for Engineering Education, 2021-07-26) Thite, Swapneel; Ravishankar, Jayashri; Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Ambikairajah, EliathambyTeamwork and leaderships skills are highly valued skills in industries all over the world. These graduate attributes significantly influence student employability and improve chances of early career growth. COVID 19 pandemic has pushed the higher education sector to move course deliveries from face to face(f2f) to online abruptly. Teamwork activities are traditionally associated with face to face (f2f) engagement between students, peers, and faculty members. Hence, cultivating teamwork and leadership skills in an online environment, where poor engagement and isolation are common problems, need diligence in course design to resolve. The research question is twofold (i) what are the characteristics of a successful online course? (ii) how to design an online course that leads to an improvement in teamwork and leadership skills of the students? This review paper lays the groundwork for creating a framework that assists in design of a course with online teamwork component to improve teamwork and leadership skills in students. The proposed version of framework is grounded in systematic literature review and critical analysis of the existing teamwork teaching methods and models, online teamwork challenges, and online learning theories like constructivism and cognitivism. The initial phase of this framework focuses on general requirements for online course design. It is built upon three major pillars: Community of Inquiry Framework, Tuckman’s Model of Teamwork, and authentic assessment methodologies. A pilot implementation of this framework was trailed in an electrical engineering course. Performance, feedback, and analysis of these results are discussed to check the validity of the framework. The outcome of the implementation can be used by the wider academic community as a guide for designing online courses comprising of teamwork and leadership skills as learning outcomes.