Preparing Future Engineers Through Project-Based Learning

A significant amount of research suggests the common reasons students leave an engineering major include lack of faculty mentoring, lack of a sense of belonging, financial hardships, and course difficulties in the prerequisite STEM courses [1].Project-based learning (PBL) potentially addresses several of these reasons and increases the chances of a student completing an engineering major.Engineering students are more likely to persist when they feel a sense of belonging and community engagement, when they have early interactions with faculty mentors, and when they experience a series of successes [2].The research question involves whether student research projects with small, faculty-mentored groups promotes student retention.Students participating in Contra Costa College's Center for Science Excellence (CSE) STEM mentoring program are encouraged to apply for external internships and internal research projects.As of