Observations of the Application and Success of Leadership Development Tools with Undergraduate Engineering Education

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Paura

This paper documents the purposeful design and outcomes of leadership development tools applied to a cohort-based undergraduate upper-division engineering program. The program targets transfer students rather than high-GPA honors tracks, aiming to build graduates who rapidly adapt to high-performing professional environments. Design is informed by industry/community needs and ABET standards, addressing leadership, professionalism, communication, and engineering skills with tools including personality assessment, a strength finder, active learning, learning communities, and structured cohort workshops. Findings include strong self-efficacy, high partner satisfaction, near-100% employment, and 97%+ retention.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Program Background and Motivation

Paper ID \#18372 Observations of the Application and Success of Leadership Development Tools with Undergraduate Engineering Education Dr. J. S.. Shelley, California State University, Long Beach J. S. Shelley, Ph.D., P.E. Detailed from the Air Force Research Laboratory on an Intergovernmental Personnel Agreement, Dr Shelley is the Faculty Lead in Mechanical Engineering for CSU Long Beach's Antelope Valley Engineering Programs, ABET assessment coordinator and Student Success Champion. She has been teaching for CSULB since Fall 2011 . Dr. Kenneth Wayne Santarelli P.E., California State University, Long Beach Dr. Santarelli received an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. He received a B.S. in Engineering (Ocean Engineering) from California State University and is a licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer. He is currently employed by California State University, Fresno as the Director of the Antelope Valley Engineering Program located in Lancaster California. Dr. Santarelli retired from Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in 2007 after 27 years working on a variety of Propulsion and Power Programs including the Stage IV of the Peacekeeper, several ”Star Wars” programs, Atlas, Delta, Space Shuttle Main Engines, and the International Space Station, the last 20 years being in management and leadership roles. He has also served as a commissioned ofﬁcer in the NOAA Ofﬁcer Corps and worked for ITT General Controls in the power, process, and pipeline industries. He is also a U.S. Air Force veteran having served in the Viet Nam conﬂict. Dr. Santarelli has received numerous awards including the Boeing Leadership Excellence Award, NASA Space Flight Awareness Team and Appreciation Awards as well as Rocketdyne Outstanding Achievement Awards for various program activities. He is currently serving as a Director on the Antelope Valley Board of Trade and was the Honorary Commander of the 412th Electronic Warfare Group at Edwards AFB. Most recently, Dr. Santarelli was honored as the 2016 CSULB College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus. He is also a member of several professional societies and has authored and co-authored several papers pertaining to the Antelope Valley Engineering Program. Dr. Christopher R. Warren, California State University, Long Beach Mrs. Amelia Bahrami, California State University, Long Beach 􀀍c American Society for Engineering Education, 2017 Observations of the Application and Success of Leadership Development Tools with Undergraduate Engineering Education Abstract This paper documents the purposeful design and results of the application of sets of leadership development tools to a unique cohort-based undergraduate upper division program. The program is not targeting high-GPA, honors track, or other special categories. It has been designed with the goal of transforming typical engineering transfer students into graduates capable of rapidly assimilating into high performing professional environments. The program design was informed by an industry/community needs assessment as well as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) standards. Program design addresses leadership, professionalism, and communication skill with equal importance to the engineering skills. The sets of tools applied include leadership development tools such a personality assessment, a proprietary strength finder tool, and curriculum tools such as active learning strategies, learning communities and technical presentation experiences. Expectations for professionalism and leadership are set at an academic orientation, while personal professional development and group dynamics are introduced during a cohort workshop. Personality and StrengthsFinder™ results exist for approximately130 incoming juniors in both mechanical and electrical engineering. Only the mechanical engineering students have been observed through senior design class and graduation. Assigning senior des

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the paper?

To document the design and baseline leadership characteristics developed through leadership development tools in cohort-based undergraduate engineering programs.

Who is the program designed for?

It is designed for cohort-based undergraduate upper-division engineering transfer students, not for high-GPA honors track or other special categories.

What leadership development tools are applied in the program?

The paper describes tools such as personality assessments, a proprietary StrengthsFinder tool, active learning strategies, learning communities, technical presentation experiences, and structured cohort workshop activities.

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Paura