The ECSEL project, Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineers as Leaders, was a multi-institution, collaborative project among Iowa State University (ISU), Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), and Kirkwood Community College (KCC) to advance the goals of the National Science Foundation Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) program.

Through the ECSEL project, scholarships were awarded to 110 undergraduate students at ISU majoring in electrical, computer, cybersecurity, and software engineering (ECSE), 135 students at DMACC, and 70 students at KCC, resulting in over 300 students being awarded scholarships. 27% of ECSEL scholars transferred to ISU from a community college. 12% were nontraditional students. Twenty-one of the 30 community college transfer students were from partners DMACC and KCC. The number of women students enrolled in ECSE majors at ISU doubled during the project. The numbers and percentages of women and persons from ethnic/racial groups enrolled in ECSE majors were at their highest at the end of the project. At ISU, there was 89% retention of ECSEL scholars in ECSE programs, and 85% of scholars who entered the program before fall 2022 had graduated. Over 20 scholars, almost 20%, had entered graduate programs after graduation. This is double the typical rate for entering graduate school by ISU ECSE and engineering graduates (six-month career outcomes).

The project emphasized student development, including mentoring. In a survey administered by the evaluator with all partner institutions, ECSEL scholars were asked questions related to their experiences as an ECSEL scholar (e.g., student satisfaction, motivation, commitment, development of leadership skills).  In another survey, ECSEL team members were asked about their perceptions of progress made, strengths, and challenges related to implementation and sustainability of the project. The evaluator reported that ECSEL team members identified various activities that they perceived as successful aspects of the program.  Activities included: (1) recruitment of scholars, (2) creation of a strong community of scholars allowing students to network and make connections with each other in and out of class, (3) financial support allowing students to focus on learning, (4) mentoring and support of students, (5) access to resources and support beyond the classroom, (6) helping scholars develop their leadership skills, (7) opportunities for scholars to attend conferences, reinforcing sense of community, and (8) providing professional development opportunities. These activities identified as successful aspects by ECSEL team members were very similar to activities identified by ECSEL scholars. Attending conferences was a high-impact activity for scholars.

Two sets of complementary research studies investigated how students in ECSE develop and sustain their engineering identities, and how the learning environment supports students to persist in completing ECSE degrees. These studies informed and improved project activities, as well as departmental and wider efforts in support of students in ECSE. Findings from research studies highlighted specific issues and opportunities. Key findings from one of the research studies concluded: (1) regardless of socioeconomic status, the S-STEM scholarship allowed students to focus on developing and maintaining an engineering identity, (2) financial security and engineering identity development share a meaningful relationship for low-income and first-generation students, and (3) the community college experience for engineering students may be marked by transfer identity complications and disruptions in engineering identity. A practice brief documented the importance of developing STEM identity in community college and university settings, and addressed how community college leaders and practitioners can support STEM identity development policies both at community colleges and across the transfer process. Research study findings have helped faculty understand how ECSE and community college students develop their engineering identities, overcome barriers, make choices, and persist along their educational and career paths.

As a broader impact, the ECSEL project led to many news articles written by the College of Engineering featuring stories about scholars. Capacity-building in cybersecurity was another broader impact of the project. During the project, the new bachelors degree program in cybersecurity engineering was started, providing new academic opportunities for students at ISU and pathways for community college students. ISU and DMACC have partnered on several cybersecurity initiatives, including the Iowa Cyber Security Hub, a state-wide initiative for increasing cyber security professionals to meet the future workforce needs in Iowa. In addition, the ECSEL project contributed to advancing engineering education research as a strategic research area and future graduate program at Iowa State University.

Last Modified: 04/22/2024
Modified by: Diane T Rover