Undergraduate engineering track for design-oriented occupation readiness with regional industry partners

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville $400,000 on October 15, 2026, under the STEM Education program to develop and implement a three-year undergraduate engineering pathway integrating hands-on design and manufacturing experiences with regional industry partnerships beginning in students' second year of study.

The project creates a certificate-based sequence of manufacturing-informed design learning experiences and investigates how sustained participation in authentic engineering activities influences student engagement, self-efficacy, retention, and workforce preparedness. The recipient will establish a scalable model for participation by regional industry partners, including small companies that face barriers to university collaboration. The program aims to strengthen engineering workforce preparation while generating a replicable approach other institutions can adopt to expand experiential learning opportunities.

Performance occurs in Fayetteville, Arkansas through September 30, 2029. The assistance type is a Project Grant.

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate engineering education through earlier and more industry-relevant hands-on learning experiences connected to regional industries. Engineers play a vital role in developing products, technologies, and manufacturing systems that support economic growth and quality of life. To prepare students for these careers, this level 1 engaged student learning project plans to create opportunities for undergraduate engineering students to engage in authentic design and manufacturing experiences beginning in their second year of study. This project intends to increase student engagement, confidence, and readiness for engineering careers through a three-year pathway of industry-informed learning experiences. The project also plans to develop an accessible model for collaboration with regional industry partners, including small companies that often face barriers to participating in university partnerships. The significance of this work lies in its potential to strengthen the engineering workforce while providing flexible approaches that can be adopted by other institutions seeking to expand experiential learning opportunities for students. This project aims to develop and study an experiential learning pathway that increases engaged student learning and strengthens preparation for engineering design careers. The goals of the project are to: (1) develop and implement a certificate-based sequence of hands-on, manufacturing-informed design learning experiences; (2) investigate how sustained participation in authentic engineering activities influences student engagement, self-efficacy, retention, and workforce preparedness; and (3) establish a scalable model for participation by regional industry partners. The scope of this project includes the design, implementation, assessment, and refinement of learning modules spanning multiple years of undergraduate engineering study. The project plans to use longitudinal quantitative and qualitative methods, including student surveys, analysis of student work and design artifacts, instructor observations, and feedback from industry partners. The project?s intellectual merit lies in advancing understanding of how early, sustained participation in authentic, industry-informed design experiences influences student engagement, self-efficacy, and readiness for professional practice. The project has three primary expected outcomes. The first is a set of adaptable, hands-on learning modules and materials that integrate engineering design, manufacturing processes, and industry-informed case studies. The second is empirical evidence regarding the effects of experiential learning on student engagement, design and fabrication self-efficacy, and workforce preparedness. The third is a scalable framework for engaging small and regional industry partners in undergraduate engineering education. This framework is intended to lower barriers to participation for companies that may not have the resources for extensive university partnerships while still providing meaningful connections between students and professional engineering practice. To support adoption and further study, project findings, educational materials, and partnership-development resources will be disseminated through workshops, engineering education communities of practice, conferences presentations, publications, and an open-source online repository. Together, these outcomes plan to provide both practical resources and new knowledge that can help engineering programs expand industry-informed experiential design learning while strengthening student engagement and workforce readiness. The NSF iuse: EDU program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of stem education for all students. Through the engaged student learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.