Organization Information
Funding Information
Total Funding Received
$297,000
Type of Funding Received
Accelerator Funds
Student Information
Who are the intended beneficiaries?
Students of Color, low-income learners, first-generation learners, rural learners, adult learners, and comebackers
Program Information
How is this project reaching high-priority or underserved student populations?
This initiative is intentionally designed to broaden participation in engineering and technical fields by serving community college students, many of whom are first-generation, low-income, or underrepresented in STEM. The pathway will create a structured on-ramp to a bachelor’s degree for students who might otherwise stop at an associate level due to financial, academic, or geographic barriers.
What have been some successes?
Although students have not yet begun coursework, the project has already catalyzed new collaboration between engineering and technical education faculty across both institutions. Designing shared curriculum and identifying equipment needs together has helped align expectations and ensure lab resources meet both lower- and upper-division learning outcomes.
We are building a foundation that supports stackable credentials and interdisciplinary project-based learning — a structure expected to accelerate student progression into engineering and automation careers. We remain on track with equipment acquisition, curriculum development, and inter-institutional coordination.
The first interdisciplinary pilot courses — ME 165 (Introduction to Robotics) and ME 196 (Forensic Mapping) — are being prepared for Spring 2026 delivery at Sierra College in partnership with Sac State.
Did you run into any unexpected challenges and what were they?
One challenge has been navigating equipment procurement timelines and inter-departmental coordination between college and university systems, which differ in process and approval speed. We also discovered the need to align course numbering, credit transfer, and lab safety protocols earlier in the design phase.
Our key takeaway: start equipment and curriculum planning concurrently with transfer articulation discussions. This ensures both sides are building toward shared outcomes and helps avoid costly duplication or mismatched course objectives.
Looking Ahead
Several new needs and priorities have emerged as the project has progressed. Chief among them are sustained funding for lab technician support, ongoing faculty professional development in emerging technologies (AI, robotics, and digital twins), and outreach to regional high schools to build awareness of the new pathway.
We’ve also identified the need to develop curricular development that can follow a self-support model, to help ensure the program’s success during lean budget years.