PathTech LIFE (DUE #1501999)

Constructing a National Survey of Engineering Technology Students through Regional and Statewide Testing

PathTech LIFE is an ongoing national study of learning, interests, family, and employment (LIFE) experiences impacting advanced technology student decisions to enroll, return for further coursework, and/or pursue a certificate or AS/AAS degree at two-year colleges.  The PathTech LIFE survey was developed with the help of an expert panel of ATE Center PIs and staff in 2015-16 and administered from 2017-18.  This project produced a national database of 3,216 students with unprecedented information about students’ academic backgrounds, college experiences, employment background, employment status, motivation for enrollment, program evaluation, academic goals, career goals, and demographic backgrounds.  

The study seeks to address the following research questions:

  1. Who are engineering technology students with respect to their demographic backgrounds (gender, race, socioeconomic status, age)?
  2. What courses are engineering students taking?  What specific benefits do students report they have earned or will earn from taking these courses with respect to educational attainment and employment outcomes?  
  3. How do ET students navigate community college and cycle between their classes, work, family, personal and social experiences, and possibly other schooling? Are there differences between subgroups such as women, underrepresented minorities, veterans, incumbent workers, and the long-term unemployed?