Project Grant 2605649

The National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education and Centers awarded $131,812 to the University of Houston System (operating as University of Houston-Clear Lake) on July 15, 2026, under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to redesign an early engineering class using community cultural wealth and collaborative project-based learning.

The project addresses early retention and success in engineering education by strengthening how early engineering students at primarily undergraduate institutions perceive themselves as future engineers. The class redesign will use an asset-based framework recognizing the strengths students bring from their families, communities, languages, aspirations, social networks, and lived experiences. Through hands-on, project-based learning, students will participate in authentic engineering design activities while developing communication, teamwork, peer recognition, and problem-solving skills. The project will investigate how community cultural wealth-informed collaborative project-based learning influences teamwork, engineering identity, and retention among early engineering students, examining how this framework can inform team formation and teamwork training.

The work is performed in Houston, Texas, with a period of performance from the award date through June 30, 2028. This project aligns with the NSF Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF) program, supporting the principal investigator's growth as an engineering education researcher while generating practical knowledge about how early engineering classes can improve student engagement, belonging, identity, and persistence.