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Flit-GAP (Florida IT Graduation Attainment Pathways)

Role: Co-Principal Investigator (FIU) Overview: Flit-GAP is a collaborative S-STEM (Scholars in STEM) project across FIU, UCF, and USF aimed at recruiting, retaining, and supporting academically talented but financially challenged students in computing disciplines. Key Components & Strategies:
  • Holistic Student Support — Tutoring for foundational courses, specialized advising, and mentoring by faculty, peers, and industry professionals
  • Professional Pathway Experiences — Research opportunities, internships, and entrepreneurial training for scholars
  • Hybrid Learning Community — Blending physical and virtual modes to connect students across institutions
Impact & Findings: Early program results point to increased participation of underrepresented students in computing and improved retention outcomes.

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Audio for Inclusion: Uncovering Marginalized Student Narratives

Award: NSF Award #2114241 (2021–2024) Overview: This project uses audio narratives of students’ lived experiences to provide engineering faculty with deeper insight into nonobvious and marginalized aspects of identity and belonging. Goals & Approach:
  • Record and synthesize interviews into narrative scripts maintained in both audio and text forms
  • Disseminate these narratives in a faculty-accessible format while preserving student anonymity to catalyze reflective practice and inclusive teaching
  • Run faculty focus groups and workshops to evaluate how the narratives influence awareness and pedagogical choices
Significance: By translating qualitative student stories into shareable audio form, the project bridges the gap between research knowledge and actionable change in classrooms.

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JEDI Ambassador Program (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion)

Focus: The JEDI Ambassador program at FIU is an initiative promoting student-led institutional change in engineering programs. Highlights & Outputs:
  • Published research: “Student-Led Institutional Change for Diversity and Inclusion: Insights From the JEDI Ambassador Program”
  • The program is recognized as a key initiative in diversifying engineering culture and practices
  • Empowers students as agents of reform in engineering education
Contribution: Dr. Secules leads efforts to support undergraduates in driving meaningful institutional transformation toward equity and inclusion.

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Post-traditional Student Research

Theme: Exploration of undergraduate engineering students whose pathways deviate from the “traditional” trajectory, including adult learners, transfer students, and students with external responsibilities. Notable Work & Contributions:
  • Conference paper: “A Narrative Exploration of Two Post-Traditional Students in Undergraduate Engineering Education” (with Kali & Van Dyke)
  • Work in progress: “Understanding Non-Traditional Students in Engineering and Computing” — examines institutional support structures and persistence factors for nontraditional populations
Significance: This research highlights the diverse experiences and needs of students who don’t fit conventional enrollment patterns, informing more inclusive support systems.

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Potential Project Areas

Dr. Secules’s broader research interests point to several emergent directions:

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Faculty Learning About Racial Equity

How instructional communities engage with inclusive teaching practices and transformation of departmental norms.

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Student-Led Institutional Change

Supporting undergraduates as agents of reform in engineering programs, building on the JEDI Ambassador model.

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Identity, Persistence, & Intersectionality

Deeper study into how intersecting identities (race, first-generation status, transfer students, adult learners) shape trajectories in STEM fields.

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Methodological Innovation in Qualitative Equity Research

Refining ways to disseminate and enact research findings more impactfully, such as through audio narratives and other accessible formats.
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