Research on Innovation and Creativity in Higher education in Engineering and Science (RICHES) for Community Colleges
Research on Innovation and Creativity in Higher education in Engineering and Science (RICHES) for Community Colleges is an engineering education research project that seeks to examine a sample of non-traditional college students enrolled in science and engineering programs in four urban community colleges to determine (a) the types and frequency of support practices they utilize, (b) how such practices influence their achievement, persistence and transfer status to four year colleges and universities, and (c) how in turn their propensity for innovation and creative problem solving affects such choices and persistence. The value of the study’s findings depends largely on an exploratory research design, which analyzes the pedagogical practices—practices designed to foster successful transfer from community college to four-year colleges and universities and how students’ innovative capability influences such transfer capacity. The goals of this research are:
to explore the pedagogical practices used to support non-traditional students in community colleges to persist in engineering and science majors,
to understand whether such practices are effective in offering non-traditional students a program that enables them to stay in engineering and science majors and to transfer to a four year college or university, and (3) to determine if students’ propensity for innovation and creative problem solving influences a particular use of pedagogical practices and ultimately, transfer persistence.
The research targets five research questions:
What are the patterns of pedagogical practices that community colleges employ to enhance students’ transfer success in engineering and science?
Are there discernable profiles of non-traditional students enrolling in engineering and science majors in community colleges that utilize these pedagogical practices?
How do students’ creative and innovative problem solving approaches influence the choices that they make in using pedagogical support practices?
What are the impacts of pedagogical practices and differences among pedagogical practices, on persistence toward students’ transfer to colleges and universities?
How do students’ creative and innovative problem solving approaches influence their persistence toward transfer to engineering and science programs at 4-year universities?
This research project is intended to study an area and group of students that have been historically understudied, community college students in engineering and science. Further, it builds upon the researchers’ current research in STEM pathways and engineering students’ propensity for innovation, both of which are research areas recognized by the National Academies as areas that engineering education must cultivate in students. The RICHES for Community Colleges project provides rigorous empirical research on students who have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education research, thereby advancing the knowledge to higher education research communities.RICHES for Community Colleges has great potential to transform pedagogical support practice for non-traditional students and those who are typically underrepresented in engineering and science. Published results from this research will inform STEM education audiences worldwide. It contributes to the development and improvement of educational opportunities for a underrepresented population of students in engineering and science, thus contributing to preparation of a new generation of scientists and engineers who will play a critical role in maintaining U.S. leadership. The research intends to uncover evidence-based student support practices that can be replicated and will be applicable across STEM fields. The models of support practices are fully exportable to other colleges and universities nationally. The taxonomy created in stage one of the research will have broad applicability for colleges and universities world-wide.
Affiliation: Gisele Ragusa, Ph.D. Professor, Engineering Education
