BOOSTing preparedness through engineering project-based service learning

Abstract (I intend to follow up with a full paper.) Our College of xxxxxxx at xxxxxxx is proud to serve a student body rich in first-generation college students and underrepresented Latino (74%). However, the 6-year graduation rate, while on the rise, is still at 38%. There is currently a 33% equity gap in 6-year graduation rate between URM and non-URM students. An engineering design service learning based summer bridge was developed, with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), for rising sophomore engineering majors. The goal of Bridge Opportunities Offered for the Sophomore Transition, better known as BOOST, was to help the engineering students at xxxxxx capitalize on their potential for engineering innovation, social capital, and resistant capital (as per Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth Model). A combination of experiencing the engineering design process from concept through to delivery, working in teams with peers, a peer mentor, and a faculty mentor, and serving their local community contributed to helping BOOST students identify more with engineers who care about their community, and think critically and persevere to deliver engineering projects which serve their community. During BOOST, teams of rising sophomores, with mentorship from faculty and near-peers, spend six weeks of their summer innovating and working collaboratively on Engineering projects which serve one of four highly impactful local community organizations. Despite a majority of BOOST students being first-generation college students, and almost no BOOST student having had any previous engineering design experience prior to participation in the program, the first two cohorts of BOOST students completed seven substantial design projects which were all very well received by the community partners, and have already shown academic gains compared to a matched control group. Results from 2 cohorts (in 2016 and 2017) based on grades, a questionnaire measuring engineering innovation and social capital on a validated scale, and focus group interviews indicate that BOOST can help us work toward closing the achievement gap. Comparisons of BOOST participants with matched controls indicate BOOST students had higher pre-post changes in STEM GPA (-0.35 vs -0.69 for Cohort 1, and -0.40 vs. -0.96 for Cohort 2), and that BOOST encouraged students to persist through the challenge and rigor of the Engineering program.