PhD Student · Engineering & Computing Education · FIU
I study technician-to-engineer pathways and Credit for Prior Learning in engineering education, with an emphasis on equity, institutional policy, and workforce-aligned curriculum design. I bring a machinist's training, a mining engineer's degree, and six years of TVET teaching and program leadership in Liberia to that work.
Graduate Research Assistant, Florida International University, Miami
I am a doctoral researcher in Engineering and Computing Education, Systems, and Management at Florida International University, where I work as a Graduate Research Assistant on engineering education research and grant development. My current work compares Credit for Prior Learning policies across ABET-accredited engineering programs to understand how institutions recognize what working technicians already know.
Before FIU, I spent six years teaching and leading programs in Liberia. I taught physics, algebra, geometry, and STEM foundations to technical and vocational learners, delivered competency-based machining instruction, coordinated a donor-funded EpiC/PEPFAR program, and led monitoring and evaluation for education and workforce initiatives.
That experience shapes the questions I ask: who gets counted as an engineer, which skills earn academic credit, and how policy can widen the door for women, technicians, and other nontraditional learners.
Latest
Florida International University
Guiding first-year student teams through problem scoping, stakeholder analysis, design requirements, criteria and constraints, and team roles, with formative feedback and rubric-based assessment.
Presented at the 2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
First-author paper comparing Credit for Prior Learning policies across ABET-accredited engineering programs and what they mean for technicians moving into engineering degrees.
In Handbook on the History of Vocational Education and Training for Women: Multinational Commentaries. Springer.
Florida International University
Contributed literature syntheses, background sections, and research design support to three National Science Foundation proposals focused on technicians and other nontraditional learners.
American Society for Engineering Education
Manuscript submitted to UNESCO
Nothing posted in this category yet.
My own pathway
Comparative policy analysis, mixed methods, and qualitative document analysis.
How technicians and TVET graduates move into engineering degrees, and where those pathways break down.
CPL and Prior Learning Assessment policy across ABET-accredited engineering programs.
Policy and participation in engineering education for women and underserved groups.
Workforce development and TVET systems, from Liberia to the United States.
I have contributed to three National Science Foundation proposals on engineering pathways for technicians and other nontraditional learners, including NSF ATE work, writing literature syntheses and background sections and supporting research design.
CPL/PLA policy analysis · Qualitative coding · Cross-case synthesis · Mixed-methods design · Survey design · Research synthesis · SPSS · Microsoft Excel · MS Project · Asana
Keah, A., Berhane, B., & Adeniranye, D. I. (2026). Credit for Prior Learning in Engineering for Non-Degree Technicians: A Comparative Policy Analysis of Technician-to-Engineering Pathways. Presented at the 2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Keah, A. (Forthcoming). Historical Foundations of Women's Unequal Access to Education and Training in Liberia. In Handbook on the History of Vocational Education and Training for Women: Multinational Commentaries. Springer.
Keah, A., & Vaye, C. (2024). Sustaining TVET Initiatives in Africa. Manuscript submitted to UNESCO
Project-based learning, project management, and STEM foundations for technical learners.
Florida International University · Miami, FL
I guide first-year student teams through problem scoping, stakeholder analysis, design requirements, criteria and constraints, and team roles. I give formative feedback, assess work against course rubrics, and support rubric development for consistent grading.
Monrovia College of Industrial & Vocational Institute · Liberia
Taught Physics, Algebra, Geometry, and STEM foundations to technical and vocational learners, improving learner outcomes through structured, practice-oriented instruction.
Monrovia Vocational Training Center · Liberia
Delivered competency-based machining and STEM instruction in applied technical learning environments.
Project Management Institute
Professional project management training, backed by graduate Teaching and Learning coursework completed at FIU.
Florida International University
Comparative CPL policy analysis across ABET-accredited programs; coding frameworks, cross-case matrices, and research syntheses; NSF proposal development and research briefs with faculty and research partners.
Lutheran Church in Liberia · EpiC/PEPFAR
Coordinated program implementation, reporting, and stakeholder engagement, and led proposal development for donor-funded initiatives.
Rural Integrated Center for Community Empowerment · Liberia
Led monitoring and evaluation for education and workforce programs; built data-collection tools and produced analytical reports for stakeholders.