T-CUP: Two + Three Community College to University Programs Project: An Innovative Pilot Model for Broadened Pathways into Technical Careers

• Published in: Association for Engineering Education - Engineering Library Division Papers p. 22.1367.1
• Main Authors: Mead, Patricia F, Lee-Thomas, Gwen, Eftekhari, Abe, Ji Hyon Mun
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Atlanta American Society for Engineering Education-ASEE 26.06.2011
• Subjects: Colleges & universities; Community colleges; Computer networks; Curricula; Engineering; Gateways; Students

T-CUP: Two + Three Community College to University Programs: An Innovative Pilot Model for Broadened Pathways into Technical CareersEngineering and computer science continue to be gateway technical professions leading toeconomic and occupational stability. Given the increasingly technological context of manyglobal challenges, a diverse technical workforce is critically important for the national securityand competitiveness of any nation, and particularly for the U.S. Norfolk State University, aHistorically Black University (HBCU), established its Department of Engineering in fall 2003.The department administers Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Electronics and OpticalEngineering. The Engineering Department recently launched an innovative partnership with fivecommunity and two-year college programs to strengthen the community college pathway intoengineering careers. Central Virginia Community College, College of Southern Maryland,Northern Virginia Community College, Thomas Nelson Community College, and TidewaterCommunity College are the inaugural partners of the two plus three community college touniversity programs project (TT-CCUPP or T-CUP). T-CUP participants matriculate at acommunity or two-year college working toward the Associate of Science in Engineering degree,then enter a three year program at NSU. Upon completion of the full five-year curriculum,participants will have earned three post-secondary degrees: the associate, bachelor, and master ofscience degrees in engineering.The project team will report on its inaugural year activities and findings, including results offocused assessment activities to understand critical factors in recruitment, detailed analysis oftargeted program components in academic enrichment, mechanisms for community building andnetworking across the six T-CUP partner campuses, and key challenges experienced inimplementing the program design. Finally, statistics such as program enrollment and studentacademic success will be reported.Analogous to three plus two undergraduate programs that have for several decades been used tobridge physics, math, and science students attending liberal arts universities into an engineeringdiscipline, our program is expected to be a model for attracting a larger pool of students into theengineering profession.