Equity-Focused, Evidence-Based Proactive Advising in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving student persistence and commitment to the profession of engineering by implementing a person-centered, data-informed approach to proactive advising. The proactive advising curriculum will help students take advantage of, internalize, and optimize the ever-increasing array of resources, co-curricular activities, and support services that are available. The approach is individualized using data analytics to match formal and informal learning opportunities to the unique strengths, needs, and goals of each student. In addition to addressing the immediate challenge of persistence, the approach offers a rare and potentially revolutionary opportunity for harnessing the potential of big data for understanding, documenting, and informing personalized learning for all students, including students from groups underrepresented engineering, which is recognized as one of the grand challenges of engineering. This project will develop a proactive advising approach grounded in an evidence-based conceptual framework and explicit equity focus. The proactive advising curriculum builds on evidence-based personas and individually optimized programmatic supports. The personas will result from a first-of-its-kind multidimensional data integration model. Specially trained peer and professional advisors will use the evidence-based personas, constructed by integrating new forms of person-centered motivational data, as part of the collaborative decision-making process to optimize resources and support in a manner consistent with the student’s strengths and for building efficacy and agency. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.