Institute for Social Science Research

The Learning in Advance (LIA) project is funded through the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S-STEM) program. This 5-year project offers, in three engineering departments, a one-credit hour preparatory course that introduces students to fundamental concepts before they encounter these concepts in a gateway course for their major. In addition, students who are deemed eligible based on FAFSA and are U.S. citizens are considered for an S-STEM scholarship after successful completion of the LIA prep course. Eligible students receive scholarship funds for four semesters, if they maintain a 3.0 GPA. These LIA Scholars are also assigned a faculty mentor, and they are encouraged to explore experiential learning opportunities. ISSR’s formative and summative evaluation focuses on student evaluations of the preparatory courses, success in the following gateway course, persistence in their engineering major, graduation outcomes, and commitment to a career in engineering. The project also has an accompanying research study.

Freeborn, T., Burkett, S., McCallum, D., Steele, E.,  Dunlap, S., Hubner, P., Musaev, A., & Sobecky, P. Preliminary feedback on Learning in Advance courses to prepare engineering students for gateway courses. Paper presented at ASEE-SE 2020 conference, Auburn, AL, March 2020.