Files
Abstract
Despite the long life of the Florida International University Engineering Center, there lacks serious research into the efficacy of its community space in facilitating student community. Student community forms the backbone of student engagement with the educational institution, and is instrumental in student success and retention, and the Engineering Center’s isolated position relative to the main Modesto Maidique Campus brings greater reason to measure the efficacy of its spaces for producing these results. Our project seeks to provide a basis for this measurement and gauge student needs and desires relative to community space as well as their current perspectives on the existing space they inhabit in the Engineering Center.
To collect the relevant data, this project used two data collection methods. The primary one was art events held in the EC prompting students to produce creative works portraying their perspectives, with the resultant art being analyzed for thematic connections and motifs. The secondary one was interviews with key stakeholders which sought to provide a faculty perspective by which to contrast student perspective as well as community space efficacy.
Our findings showed a large atmosphere of student dissatisfaction with the existing community space in achieving any of their desires goals, which centered around ideas of community based on mutual support, inclusion, and achievement. Furthermore, we found there was a disconnect between faculty decision-making and student desire, which makes action towards reconciling these perspectives extremely difficult. By sharing these findings and offering actionable recommendations, this paper hopes to provide a launching-pad for future research and future action to improve EC community space for the betterment of student community.