The 50K Coalition's Community College Linkages Action Network Group’s National Forum Proceedings are Now Available for Download
National Forum Held on: THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021
TIME: FROM 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM EASTERN
LOCATION: ONLINE EVENT
Dear 50K Coalition National Forum Attendees –
On behalf of the 50K Coalition Leadership Circle, we want to thank all who attended our Community College Linkages Action Network Group’s National Forum.
We trust that you found the Forum informative and worthwhile. The primary goal of this National Forum was to learn about promising practices, concepts, and tools our nation’s community colleges and four-year schools are implementing to provide black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and women engineering students pathways to a bachelor’s degree.
We invite you to download a copy of the National Forum proceedings. These proceedings provide an in-depth overview of the breakout sessions and outcomes resulting from all conversations held during the Forum. Please click on the “Please Send Me a Copy of The 50K Coalition’s National Forum Proceedings” button below.
Sincerely,
The 50K Coalition
The Promise of 50K
The Coalition collaborates to create a comprehensive plan to change the public perception of engineering and encourage a diversified field of study, including more women and members of other underrepresented groups.
National Forum Recordings
The National Forum was recorded. We invite you to click on the links below to view a video of each National Forum agenda topic.
Playlist
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Welcome, introductory remarks by the 50K Leadership Circle, including a brief history of the 50K Coalition.
Purpose of the National Forum and Call to Action
Darryll J. Pines, Ph.D., President, University of Maryland, sets the context for the National Forum by sharing the purpose of the National Forum and challenges National Forum participants and the 50K Coalition to action by reminding us of our collective impact approach to problem-solving.
Overview of the Agenda, Intended Outcomes
Building upon Dr. Pine’s call to action, CLL ANG co-chairs Roberta Rincon, Ph.D., Senior Manager, Research, SWE; and Juan Salgado, Chancellor, City Colleges of Chicago, provide a high-level overview of each National Forum agenda topic and the forum’s intended action outcomes.
Keynote Address: “More Bridges to Engineering Degrees – Thinking Broadly”
John L. Anderson, President, National Academy of Engineering shares his perspective on the significant role of Community Colleges in increasing the number of BIPOC and women engineering graduates.
DEI in Engineering Then and Now
Percy Pierre, Ph.D., Glenn L. Martin Adjunct Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Maryland shares his experiences and speaks on how history has shaped the context for the current state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering education.
50K promo video
Learn more about the 50K!
National Forum Concurrent Breakout Sessions
During the latter portion of our National Forum, we convened five concurrent breakout sessions. These sessions allowed attendees to discuss challenges, opportunities, and promising practices for BIPOC and women engineering students in the following areas:
- Moving Students from Developmental Math to Calculus in Community Colleges
- Outreach, Recruitment, and Scholarships from Four-Year Engineering Schools to Community Colleges
- Articulation and Curriculum Consistency between Community Colleges to Four-Year Engineering Schools
- Transfer Pathways and Processes: Navigating the Process “On My Own”
- Transfer Student Adjustment in Four-Year Colleges
Descriptions of the breakout session
Four-year colleges and universities generally expect first-year students to enter engineering programs prepared to enroll in Calculus 1, at a minimum. However, many undergraduates in community colleges begin at the Intermediate Algebra or College Algebra level. This population of students is often a population that four-year engineering programs never engage, frequently because so few of them persist to Calculus 1 and never make it “on the radar” of engineering departments. Yet, this population is extremely diverse and can offer an array of perspectives not always represented in four-year institutions… However, if the math deters these collegians, they can be turned away from engineering.
In this breakout, session attendees discussed and shared promising practices to bring those diverse populations from developmental math up to calculus readiness.
NOTE:
To participate in this breakout session, attendees were asked to view a 13-minute presentation STEM Core: Establishing Pathways for Developmental Students to STEM Degrees and Careers by David Gruber, Director, Growth Sectors.
Four-year universities do a great deal in cultivating the interest of students that they care highly about recruiting. We see this in elite Division I programs that are recruiting highly competitive high school athletes. We also see this in four-year academic programs that seek students with SAT scores that are upwards of 1500. However, higher education generally does not see the same type of outreach and recruitment to community college students. Similarly, the types of attractive scholarships directed toward these competitive high school students are not always available for potential transfer students, which is particularly concerning given the higher levels of financial need that these undergraduates often have. What should outreach, recruitment, and scholarships look like from the standpoint of four-year engineering programs to community colleges?
This breakout session discussed promising student outreach and recruiting practices that four-year engineering programs have implemented or may employ to encourage more community college students to transfer to their institutions.
NOTE:
To participate in this breakout session, attendees were asked to view a 12-minute presentation, Outreach, Recruitment, and Scholarships from Four-Year Engineering Schools to Community Colleges, by David Knight, Associate Professor, Virginia Tech.
Undergraduates may pay for community college courses that do not always transfer to four-year institutions. Even when they are transferable and adequately articulated, those articulation agreements between the community college and four-year institution can expire at some point. This situation may result in undergraduates having to retake courses that can set them back as much as a year.
How can community colleges and four-year engineering programs work more collaboratively to create better articulation agreements, stronger communication around curriculum, and potentially shorter time to degrees for students who plan to transfer?
This breakout session discussed promising practices that community colleges and four-year institutions have created or can implement in the future to support better cross-curricular efforts.
NOTE:
To participate in this breakout session, attendees were asked to view a brief video presentation by Teri Reed, Ph.D., M.B.A. Assistant Vice President for Research Development University of Cincinnati, and David De Sousa, Ph.D. Associate Director of the Texas A&M Engineering Academies, College of Engineering
The transfer process is undeniably critical to move students from community colleges to four-year institutions. However, the transfer can seem very nebulous and confusing, almost like a black hole that leaves students to figure things out “on their own.” What is the responsibility of higher education institutions to create more transparent processes and be more proactive in offering support to undergraduates?
In this breakout session, attendees discussed how to make the transfer process more transparent and less confusing for students.
NOTE:
To participate in this breakout session, attendees were asked to view a 13-minute presentation, Transfer Pathways, and Processes: Navigating the Process “On My Own” by Dr. Xueli Wang, Barbara, and Glenn Thompson Professor in Educational Leadership, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
When students transition from a community college to a four-year institution, they enter completely new higher education environments. These include new and often larger campuses, different professors with teaching styles that they are frequently unprepared for, and student communities that have already been formed. In a discipline like engineering, which is already very difficult to manage, this different environment can create completely new stressors.
Moreover, given that many community college students are balancing financial and family requirements that require them to live and work off-campus, they are challenged to navigate a new environment that has been designed for traditional students who live on or near campus. How can four-year engineering programs become more receptive to transfer students and value their lived experiences rather than making them feel “othered” or isolated?
This breakout session discussed promising practices that four-year engineering programs can implement or are already implementing to create a culture and climate to promote greater receptivity for transfer students and minimize the challenges of student adjustment.
NOTE:
To participate in this breakout session, attendees were asked to view a 14-minute presentation on Transfer Student Adjustment in Four-Year Colleges by Dr. Andrea M. Ogilvie, Assistant Dean for Student Success & Assistant Professor of Instruction at Texas A&M University.