> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://stephensecules.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Projects

> Research projects led by Dr. Stephen Secules

## Flit-GAP (Florida IT Graduation Attainment Pathways)

**Status:** Current Project

**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.

***

## Audio for Inclusion: Uncovering Marginalized Student Narratives

**Status:** Former Project

**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.

***

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

**Status:** Former Project

**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.

***

## Post-traditional Student Research

**Status:** Former Project

**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.

***

## Potential Project Areas

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

### Faculty Learning About Students, Pedagogy, and Educational Equity

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

### Student-Led Institutional Change

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

### Identity, Persistence, & Intersectionality

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

### 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.

***