Understanding Career Identity Development and Preparedness of Freshmen Students to Leverage Convergence in Engineering Education

This Work in Progress paper reports on the intervention strategies formulated to leverage the career identity development and academic preparedness of freshmen students enrolled in introductory engineering classes at a Hispanic Serving Institution. The interventions were implemented by a newly initiated university program called ‘Yes SHE Can,’ which aims to develop new engagement techniques, mentoring approaches, professional development opportunities, and career pathways for underrepresented minority student groups in STEM academic programs, especially Hispanic female students. The main intervention activity consisted of incorporating the Mentorship Community of the Yes SHE Can program into an online education platform called “EduGuide.” Thirty-two trained mentors coached 53 freshmen students enrolled in two introductory engineering classes during the fall of 2020. Surveys and questionnaires were distributed to the freshmen students to collect information. The strategies implemented to influence career identity development and academic preparedness of freshmen students are elaborated and preliminary insights from the information collected through online surveys and observations are shared.