Experiencing Success: Nontraditional Undergraduates in a Distance-Delivered, Engineering Transfer Program

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: Division J Poster Session: College Student Success

Abstract

Nontraditional undergraduates, including those who delay college entry, attend college part-time, work full-time, or financially support themselves and/or dependents, remain underrepresented in engineering degree programs. To develop robust pathways inclusive of 2- and 4- year institutions, this study employed narrative qualitative research to examine the experiences of 14 nontraditional students. Participants were enrolled in a 2-year, distance-delivered engineering transfer program at a rural regional campus of a western, public U.S. university. Analysis of narrative interview data revealed that participants’ views of their educational success departed from common measures of academic success, and that the transfer program promoted nontraditional student success by: a) supporting long-term career goals, b) enabling academic bootstrapping, and c) maintaining connections to local communities of support.

Author

• Angela Minichiello, Utah State University