Joi Mondisa receives NSF ATE grant to research educational experiences in the welding industry
U-M IOE Assistant Professor Joi Mondisa will lead a collaborative team to investigate the educational experiences, outcomes, and career pathways of welding technology students.
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.”
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.
“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.