U-M Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) Assistant Professor Joi Mondisa has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) collaborative grant to research experiences of welding technology students in two and four-year programs.
This multi-institution research collaboration will investigate the educational experiences, outcomes, and career pathways of welding technology students to identify obstacles and concerns that contribute to a lack of program completion or graduation.
“This research will allow the project team to increase awareness about welding technology students’ experiences and challenges and faculty and employers’ perspectives,” said Mondisa. “This information can assist in informing reform of practices at higher education institutions to support the growth of a generation of technically trained welders.”
“This research will allow the project team to increase awareness about welding technology students’ experiences and challenges and faculty and employers’ perspectives.”
Joi Mondisa
Assistant Professor, U-M Industrial & Operations Engineering
The research will include examining welding technology program features and the alignment of welding faculty’s and employers’ expectations of students and graduates. The project team will also engage a wide variety of welding industry stakeholders such as students, faculty, employers, and industry partners to help facilitate a meaningful understanding of students’ educational experiences.
The project is a collaboration between researchers and technician educators. Mondisa serves as PI for the project. The team also includes three co-PIs, Ece Yaprak from Wayne State University, Parmeshwar Coomar from Monroe County Community College, and Timothy Pawlowski from Macomb Community College.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to conduct research that supports improving welding students’ experiences and enhancing the STEM workforce,” said Mondisa.
Findings from this work can be used to inform strategic program improvement and decision-making to help faculty and administrators understand and apply practices that promote student success.
Joi Mondisa joined UM-IOE in 2016. Her research interests include examining mentoring approaches, relationships, intervention programs, and designing and assessing learning experiences and outcomes. In 2019 she received a National Science Foundation Career Award for her research in mentoring practices that help minoritized undergraduate students persist in STEM.
