The purpose of this assessment is twofold. First, it seeks to determine whether initiatives such as FOI Fests, interactive events where faculty showcase their work, share expertise, and collaborate across disciplines, can increase faculty awareness, involvement, and engagement with the ACE and Hoop of Learning programs. These events were designed to provide faculty with meaningful opportunities to connect with students, engage with colleagues across disciplines, and strengthen relationships between academic departments, student affairs, and other college programs. Additionally, the assessment aimed to identify how faculty would like to be involved in future programming and determine preferences for fall and spring participation opportunities.
Second, this assessment seeks to evaluate whether FOI Fests support career exploration for students by providing opportunities to engage directly with faculty and explore a variety of academic disciplines and career pathways. Through participation in FOI Fest events, students were introduced to EMCC faculty, programs, and educational opportunities while participating in hands-on and interactive experiences. This dual focus was intended to strengthen faculty engagement, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, increase student awareness of educational and career pathways, and cultivate a stronger sense of connection within the EMCC community.
The necessity for this assessment emerged from two key observations. First, faculty engagement with the ACE and Hoop of Learning programs was lower than desired. Informal observations and conversations revealed that some faculty members were either unaware of these programs or uncertain about how to become involved. As a result, opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and meaningful faculty participation in student-centered programming were limited. This gap highlighted the need for intentional engagement opportunities that could increase faculty awareness of these programs while also encouraging active participation and collaboration across campus.
Second, ACE students, who are primarily high school juniors and seniors, expressed a strong need for career exploration opportunities and exposure to a variety of majors, career fields, and educational pathways before making decisions regarding their future goals. Student feedback indicated that they desired more interactive opportunities to engage with faculty members, ask questions about careers and degree pathways, and participate in hands-on learning experiences. However, these opportunities were not consistently available.
These gaps in both faculty engagement and student access demonstrated the need for an intentional and assessable intervention. FOI Fest events were developed to address these needs by creating structured, interactive opportunities that connected faculty, programs, and students in meaningful ways. By implementing and assessing these events, the project aimed to strengthen faculty involvement, expand career exploration opportunities for students, and foster a more collaborative and connected EMCC community.
The first iteration of FOI Fest was implemented during Spring 2025. During the planning phase, faculty and program leaders collaborated to identify event goals, develop presentation topics, and design interactive experiences aligned with the project objectives. Particular emphasis was placed on increasing faculty engagement, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, supporting career exploration, and increasing awareness of the ACE and Hoop of Learning programs.
This planning process resulted in six distinct faculty-led presentations hosted across multiple locations on the EMCC campus. Faculty members facilitated interactive workshops, hands-on demonstrations, and discussions that allowed students to actively engage with content while learning more about academic disciplines, career pathways, and college opportunities. Faculty also shared personal experiences, educational journeys, and professional insights to help students better understand potential future pathways. The multi-location, faculty-led structure encouraged collaboration across departments while also creating opportunities for faculty and students to build meaningful connections.
The second iteration of FOI Fest took place during Fall 2025 and followed a similar collaborative planning model. Based on observations and feedback collected during the Spring 2025 implementation, several improvements were incorporated into the event structure. These changes included refined scheduling, enhanced event promotion, and additional strategies to improve accessibility and participation for both students and faculty. The Fall 2025 event maintained the same emphasis on hands-on engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and faculty participation while expanding opportunities for interaction and involvement.
Across both iterations, FOI Fest events served as a structured strategy to address the identified gaps in faculty engagement and student career exploration opportunities. Observations, participation trends, and survey feedback suggest that providing intentional opportunities for faculty to share their expertise and connect with students can strengthen faculty involvement, increase awareness of support programs, and create meaningful learning experiences for students. The events also contributed to stronger collaboration between academic departments, student affairs, and support programs while helping students view EMCC as a place to continue their educational journey.
Student Survey Results
Student survey results demonstrated that FOI Fest events positively supported career exploration and student engagement. The first student survey included responses from 104 students participating in the ACE and Hoop of Learning programs. Of those students, 70 reported that the FOI Fest workshops were helpful to their career exploration experience.
Student feedback highlighted the importance of direct interaction with faculty members and emphasized the value of learning from faculty experiences and expertise.
- One student shared, “It’s pretty important because faculty members can give advice based on experience and knowledge that I might not have on my own. They can help me understand different career paths, what skills I need, and what steps to take after high school.”
- Another student stated, “...because not only will you know what your end goal is, so will the faculty which they can then use to help you achieve or get closer to that goal, even giving you a little push to ensure you keep going.”
Survey responses indicated that students valued opportunities to engage in hands-on activities, explore academic disciplines, and connect classroom learning to future careers. Findings also revealed emerging trends in student interests and workforce needs. A significant number of students expressed interest in careers within medical and healthcare fields and indicated that they would like to see additional workshops and presentations related to these pathways.
Overall, the student survey findings suggest that FOI Fest events successfully expanded opportunities for career exploration, increased student engagement with faculty, and strengthened student awareness of educational and career opportunities available through EMCC.
Faculty Survey Results
Participating faculty were anonymously surveyed following FOI Fest events to determine whether involvement increased awareness of the ACE and Hoop of Learning programs, encouraged future engagement opportunities, identified additional ways faculty would like to participate, and explored preferences for fall or spring involvement.
Survey results showed that more than half of participating faculty reported increased awareness and understanding of the ACE and Hoop of Learning programs after participating in FOI Fest events. Faculty feedback also demonstrated that interacting directly with students helped strengthen their understanding of the purpose and impact of these programs.
- One faculty member shared, “I had only heard about the program briefly, but this helped me get a better sense by meeting students who were participating.”
- Another participant stated, “I was aware of the programs previously but my involvement helped me see what an impact these have on students.”
In addition to increased awareness, faculty responses demonstrated strong enthusiasm for continued involvement and engagement opportunities.
- One Faculty shared, “I had so much fun connecting with potential students!”
- Another Faculty noted, “I actually signed on to teach an ACE boot camp this semester because of these FOI workshops.”
These findings suggest that FOI Fest events not only increased faculty awareness of the programs, but also encouraged sustained involvement, collaboration, and investment in student success.
Together, the student and faculty survey findings indicate that FOI Fest events successfully addressed the primary objectives of the initiative by increasing faculty engagement and awareness while also expanding meaningful career exploration opportunities for students. Results from both groups demonstrate that structured, interactive experiences can strengthen relationships between faculty, programs, and students while fostering a more collaborative and connected campus environment.
FOI Fest is an interactive faculty engagement initiative designed to strengthen collaboration between faculty, student support programs, and students while promoting career exploration. This assessment evaluated whether participation in FOI Fest increased faculty awareness and involvement with the ACE and Hoop of Learning programs and supported student career exploration through hands-on, faculty-led experiences. Survey results indicated that students valued opportunities to engage directly with faculty, explore academic disciplines, and connect educational pathways to future careers. Faculty participants reported increased awareness of the programs, greater interest in continued involvement, and stronger connections with prospective students. Findings suggest that structured, interdisciplinary engagement events can enhance faculty participation, foster meaningful faculty-student relationships, and expand career exploration opportunities for high school students transitioning to college. Future FOI Fest events will continue to refine programming based on participant feedback and emerging student interests to strengthen collaboration and student success.