Assessing the Impact of Research Experiences on the Success of Underrepresented Community College Engineering Students.

Cañada College, a Hispanic-Serving community college in California's Silicon Valley attracts a large number of students from traditionally underrepresented groups in engineering. Although many of these students enter with high levels of interest in engineering, their success and completion rates have been low due to a number of factors including low levels of preparation for college-level work, especially in math; lack of awareness of academic and career options; lack of financial, academic, social and cultural capital needed for success; and lack of self-efficacy (i.e., students do not believe that they can succeed in engineering). To address these barriers to student success, Cañada College developed and implemented a number of programs to keep students engaged and motivated towards achieving their academic goals. Among such programs is the Creating Opportunities for Minorities in Engineering, Technology, and Science (COMETS) program. Funded by a four-year grant from NASA through the Curriculum Improvements Partnership Award for the Integration of Research (CIPAIR) program, COMETS was developed through a collaboration with San Francisco State University -- a large, comprehensive, urban university. The program aims to help students develop the skills they need for academic success, as well as provide exposure to the major fields of engineering in order to help solidify their particular areas of interest. Among the strategies developed through COMETS is a summer internship program designed specifically for community college engineering students. During the ten-week internship program, 16 freshmen and sophomore community college students are divided in to four research groups based on their academic interests and academic preparations. Each group consists of four interns, one full-time intern (a student who has completed most of the courses needed for transfer) and three half-time interns, and is supervised by a university faculty adviser and a graduate student mentor. This paper presents the results of four years of implementation of the COMETS internship program, including the outcomes of the research activities of the participants and their perception of their research experiences. The paper will also discuss the impact of the program on strengthening students' identity as engineers and researchers; increasing student interest to further engage in research activities; and enhancing student self-efficacy for successfully transferring to a four-year university, completing a baccalaureate degree in engineering, and pursuing a graduate degree. It will also highlight lessons learned and future plans for the program, as well as best practices that are useful to other institutions in developing similar programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]