1. Claire Duggan
  2. https://web.northeastern.edu/spower/
  3. Director, The Center for STEM Education
  4. Student Pathways Opening World Energy Resources (S-POWER)
  5. https://web.northeastern.edu/spower/
  6. Northeastern University
  1. Richard Harris
  2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-harris-094246115/
  3. Associate Dean
  4. Student Pathways Opening World Energy Resources (S-POWER)
  5. https://web.northeastern.edu/spower/
  6. Northeastern University
  1. Bradley Lehman
  2. https://coe.northeastern.edu/people/lehman-bradley/
  3. Professor
  4. Student Pathways Opening World Energy Resources (S-POWER)
  5. https://web.northeastern.edu/spower/
  6. Northeastern University
  1. Rachelle Reisberg
  2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelle-reisberg-2627077/
  3. Assistant Dean, Engineering Enrollment and Retention
  4. Student Pathways Opening World Energy Resources (S-POWER)
  5. https://web.northeastern.edu/spower/
  6. Northeastern University
Facilitators’
Choice
Public Discussion

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  • Icon for: Claire Duggan

    Claire Duggan

    Lead Presenter
    Director, The Center for STEM Education
    May 10, 2022 | 06:57 a.m.

    Today we celebrate the graduation of sixteen S-POWER Scholars from Northeastern University's College of Engineering.  Each and every student is moving on to employment and/or graduate studies. Their efforts have paved the way for those that will follow, transferring from partner Community Colleges and HBCU's.  

  • Icon for: Gerhard Salinger

    Gerhard Salinger

    Facilitator
    Former Program Officer
    May 10, 2022 | 02:57 p.m.

    You have successfully addressed many of the issues that help transfer students successfully complete their programs of study.  Have you evaluated which parts of the program can be sustainably continued?  How has what you learned in this program been applied to the education of all students?    

     

  • Icon for: Claire Duggan

    Claire Duggan

    Lead Presenter
    Director, The Center for STEM Education
    May 11, 2022 | 08:01 a.m.

    Gerhard,

    We had outlined several key elements in our S-STEM grant/S-POWER including but not limited to.

     • Pre-enrollment: pre-transfer identification, two-way institutional visits, cross-institutional peer-to-peer student interactions, experiential learning opportunities such as REUs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates), student application, and financial aid support.

    • Transition: participation in a Summer Bridge program (during the summer prior to the first-semester matriculation and designed specifically around identified needs of transfer students).

    • During: course selection advising/support, academic advising, persistence advising, expanded mentoring (by faculty/senior administrator), peer-to-peer networking/support, supplemental instruction, providing research opportunities, workforce development, and preparation (including co-op opportunities).

    These efforts have been institutionalized. 

    *  We have also secured an institutional commitment of 20 transfer engineering scholarships each year, guided by the criteria used in the grant, and work directly with our Admissions office on this effort.

    *  We have expanded REU opportunities for Community College students, securing a new NSF REU site, REU PATHWAYS.

    *  Our Summer Bridge program was expanded university-wide through institutional support and is returning to a full on-campus experience this summer.  

    * Elements of our Summer Bridge program are being replicated at the Community College level (Guaranteed 4.0) and through pending proposal efforts, expansion of cross-institutional peer mentoring is planned.

    S-POWER has informed support by college leadership for key strategies outlined in addition to leading to expanded and more intentional collaboration between undergraduate leadership associated with this grant and our academic advising and required first-year/transfer teaching faculty.  Each of the key elements referenced, support all of our students, not just S-POWER scholars.  The need to remind students of resources available (formally and through PEER mentors) and to expand opportunities for both social and academic interactions informs our programming in the College of Engineering in addition to informing our partner community colleges now expanding efforts such as Summer Bridge.

  • Brad (S-POWER)

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 11, 2022 | 11:46 a.m.

    See also the response to the next question, below.  We believe that the program is scalable at any university, but there are cost barriers for some of the mentoring programs.  At Northeastern University, the program is being expanded and institutionalized to broader students than the clean energy power students. 

  • Icon for: Margie Vela

    Margie Vela

    Facilitator
    CEO & President
    May 10, 2022 | 10:52 p.m.

    Your students truly explained the importance of diversity and its effects on innovation in a compelling and powerful way. Does the program provide diversity training for the students?

    Also, many times when underrepresented students transfer from minority-serving institutions to predominantly white institutions, there is a period of transition. Your program seems to provide high impact support for this transition. What elements of support are most impactful? Do you think they are scalable for other institutions and/or industry (for transition into the workforce)?

    Congratulations on a high impact program that is doing very important work!!!

  • Brad (S-POWER)

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 11, 2022 | 07:55 a.m.

    1. There is diversity training for all S-POWER participants, including incoming students, faculty, staff.

    2.  We have discovered through our surveys and scholar interviews that a critical feature to success is that the transferring student make a deep "connection" to the university.  However, each scholar may make different types of individual connections, but they may all lead to help mitigate the transfer shock. Some students have strong mentoring relationships with research faculty, other students have strong participation with STEM staff, other students build bonds with the more senior S-POWER scholars.  A multi-faceted approach is required, and it takes commitment from the university. But the near 100% retention rate to the PWI seems to demonstrate the value.

    Other super-valuable programs include: (i) closely monitoring academic progress throughout semester by staff communication with teaching faculty and (ii) one-on-one mentoring with trained mentors and advisors bi-weekly.  The latter is the huge time commitment and could certainly be a barrier financially for institutions.

    This is a scalable solution at any university if there is sufficient investment, but it also requires university investment.

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Ann Podleski
  • Icon for: Claire Duggan

    Claire Duggan

    Lead Presenter
    Director, The Center for STEM Education
    May 11, 2022 | 08:13 a.m.

     

    Margie,

     

    We do provide DEI workshops for students, faculty, and administrators.  All students enrolled in a required engineering course for first-year and transfer students participate in a workshop delivered by S-POWER leadership.  This workshop is planned to continue.  Two members of the leadership team also lead college-wide DEI efforts to ensure the sharing and institutionalization of best practices.

    We also require all faculty and graduate student research mentors to attend DEI training.

    These efforts in engineering are over and above university-wide DEI efforts.

    Mentors have been also an essential component of our program efforts.  The College of Engineering has offered a Summer Bridge program for many years.  Alumnae of this program support not only the summer experience but continue to interact with mentees throughout the academic year.

    Engagement with student organizations such as BESS (Black Engineering Student Society) has also further supported students’ transition to our institution.

    Having a coordinated and collaborative approach to the implementation of critical elements (many outlined by ASEE Proven Policies and Practices https://diversityrecognition.asee.org/resources/  to support BIPOC and female students is essential. 

  • Icon for: Ann Podleski

    Ann Podleski

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 17, 2022 | 09:59 a.m.

    Thanks for sharing about this program. And I agree that a multi-faceted approach is required and the institutional support and investment is essential.  We have a few partnership programs and I can appreciated the thought and design that went into your program.  

  • Icon for: Jayashree Balakrishna

    Jayashree Balakrishna

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 10, 2022 | 11:43 p.m.

    This just shows the power of mentoring in allowing students to realize their potential. It is also nice that there are cohorts of students who are supported as well as support each other through this journey.

    We have a joint Math-engineering program with a nearby university. Students get a Math. degree at our HBCU and an engineering degree from the PWI.  When they transition to full time there they will often come and work on their assignments in our Student Spaces/ They feel nurtured here and are comfortable with faculty and we continue to mentor them. Even during COVID they would often come to the Student room and I would see them on zoom. We will have two students graduating this year from this program. 

    Thanks for sharing your amazing program.

  • Icon for: Claire Duggan

    Claire Duggan

    Lead Presenter
    Director, The Center for STEM Education
    May 11, 2022 | 08:16 a.m.

    Jayashree,

    It has been very powerful for students, once at Northeastern to continue to interact with students at their original institutions (HBCU's and Community Colleges).  They feel a deep commitment to those that will follow.

    I am glad to hear your program is going well.

    Claire

  • Icon for: Laura Ettinger

    Laura Ettinger

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 12, 2022 | 09:07 a.m.

    What an amazing program! I will share this with my colleagues in the School of Engineering at my university. 

  • Icon for: Claire Duggan

    Claire Duggan

    Lead Presenter
    Director, The Center for STEM Education
    May 12, 2022 | 04:07 p.m.

    Laura,

    Thank you.  As I mentioned, I will follow up with you directly also regarding your work.

  • Icon for: Laura Ettinger

    Laura Ettinger

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 12, 2022 | 04:09 p.m.

    Sounds great, Claire. 

  • Icon for: Brooke Coley

    Brooke Coley

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 12, 2022 | 06:05 p.m.

    great work with S-POWER. A quick question: since you have students from different races and background even though they all are marginalized students, how did you plan to meet their needs considering their diverse identities in terms of friendship, mentorship and other resources?

  • Brad (S-POWER)

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 16, 2022 | 05:52 p.m.

     

    When the S-POWER cohort meet together as a group, the interaction focuses on the shared experiences and the scholar difficulties at Northeastern.  There are so many shared barriers to the S-POWER marginalized students that we focus on these together in the group meetings.

    Each student meets bi-weekly with senior mentoring staff and works on individual mentoring one-on-one.  So every student is different and has different educational plans, mentoring, and advising.  This is not the best answer to your question, but it is how we deal with the differences in race and background (case by case) that are not common to the majority cohort group. 

    Finally, similar to answer to another question above, the success of the S-POWER scholar seems to be directly correlated to whether they make a strong "connection" to a part of the university. This could be with a faculty research mentor, the STEM staff, or  another senior S-POWER scholar, etc.  So, we put great effort assist in creating one or more of these connections.

  • Icon for: Tim Podkul

    Tim Podkul

    Facilitator
    Senior Research Advisor
    May 12, 2022 | 08:10 p.m.

    Great program! I was thrilled to hear the word "investment" used when talking about the approach to engaging with the students. A mindset of investment considers the long-term benefits against the short-term costs. The acknowledgement that there needs to be proper staff in place is also critical for those who hope to replicate or modify the program you implemented. Thank you for highlighting all of these important points! 

    I am curious to learn more about the recruitment model. Are near peer students alumni involved?

    Thanks again!

  • Brad (S-POWER)

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 16, 2022 | 11:44 p.m.

    Our recruitment effort is a bit different/unique.  The S-POWER first established grass-roots cooperation among the faculty between the different institutions.  For example, faculty from Northeastern would visit partner campuses to teach classes and host hands-on labs.  Especially unique to S-POWER was that faculty from the partner HBCUs would also come to Northeastern University and teach their classes as guest lecturers.  They would help run projects in sustainable energy class at NU.  In this way, the students at partner university knew the S-POWER Northeastern University faculty already, and the transferring became more of decision to continue their same program.  But it also has huge faculty support at the grass roots level from all the partnering institutions, which seems to help attract transfer students to NU.

    However,  after a few years of the program, we would also include senior S-POWER students at NU and the S-POWER alumni to help recruit at the partnering institutions. This has been helpful.

  • Icon for: Stacy Klein-Gardner

    Stacy Klein-Gardner

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 13, 2022 | 02:06 p.m.

    Claire this is a great video about a great program.  I love that it's being institutionalized.  One the things I've been talking about with my friends at Duke who serve on the Women's Impact Network (WIN) Engineering with me is how to cover the small things that bridge a student from college to grad school or job.  We've actually set up a small fund for students with need to get money to pay for the GRE, buy a dress for an interview, go to a professional conference.  Have y'all tackled any of those issues, too?  You've already done so much!

  • Icon for: Claire Duggan

    Claire Duggan

    Lead Presenter
    Director, The Center for STEM Education
    May 16, 2022 | 11:19 a.m.

    "We" collectively have some discretionary funding but have not set up anything formal.  I agree these smaller expenses often are a barrier to engagement and need to be addressed more intentionally.