CAREER: Understanding and Transforming Engineering Education at Broad-Access Institutions

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $650,000 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Over half of all American college students are low-income or come from families where neither parent has a bachelor's degrees (also known as 'first-generation students'). These low-income and first-generation students disproportionately enroll in broad-access institutions— colleges and universities that accept almost anyone who applies. These students graduate at rates that are half that of students who are not low-income or first-generation. They also end up with larger debt burdens and lower GPAs. Even though such students comprise the majority of American college students, engineering education researchers have paid little attention to them or the institutions where they enroll. This project aims to address that oversight by identifying ways that engineering faculty and staff can better support low-income and first-generation engineering students in broad-access institutions. This project will improve engineering education in broad-access institutions by studying how low-income and first-generation engineering students leverage their unique assets and achieve success in an educational system that has been slow to change to meet their needs. This project will directly impact the educational practices of engineering faculty and staff at broad-access institutions through participation in a community of practice, during which members will work to improve broad-access engineering programs around the United States. Findings from this project will help educators understand h

Key facts

NSF award ID
2440529
Awardee
San Francisco State University (CA)
SAM.gov UEI
F4SLJ5WF59F6
PI
Stephanie A Claussen
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev, ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Estimated total
$650,000
Funds obligated
$650,000
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
08/15/2025 → 07/31/2030