Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) operate and are centered within the nexus of concerted nationwide efforts to advance the participation and success of Black students within the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines (STEM). Through an institution-levelasset-based approach, this study aimed to further elucidate how undergraduate STEM preparation and success at HBCUs is linked to the transition into (and experiences within) graduate education. One hundred and fifty-one HBCU alumni from 37 unique HBCUs completed our HBCU Alumni Success survey. Factor analysis revealed 13 emerging components along three main touchpoints along alumni's graduate pathway: their HBCU undergraduate experiences, graduate application, and decision-making, as well as graduate school experiences. Cluster analysis further identified five unique clusters of alumni, revealing variation regarding the individual, institutional, and cultural factors that contributed to HBCU alumni's experiences within their graduate pathway. Specific attributes that characterized each unique cluster included (Cluster 1) experiencing challenges throughout theirgraduate pathway, (Cluster 2) variation in the sources of motivation that influenced graduate school choice, (Cluster 3) deliberation around attending graduate school, (Cluster 4) high commitment, success, and support in pursuit of a graduate degree, and (Cluster 5) high personal agency as well as faculty and research support within engineering. Implications for practice include capitalizing on the areas of success such as the impact of faculty mentorship and research opportunities.
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Designing the Engineers Without Borders USA Professional Preparation Study Surveys
This Work-In-Progress paper discusses the design of two surveys as part of a study to investigate the impact of Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) undergraduate experiences on professional preparation. The overall investigation will use a sequential mixed-methods approach consisting of surveys followed by interviews for each of two populations: alumni of EWB-USA undergraduate experiences and individuals who have interacted professionally with EWB-USA alumni. The surveys are of a retrospective design, based on a number of frameworks from ABET, ASCE, and the community-engagement literature. These non-psychometric instruments were iteratively developed in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders and tested to support their validity. Anticipated results include descriptive statistics, informational graphics, and group comparisons. This paper aims to create awareness of the overall study and provide a platform to share information related to the surveys in a timely manner.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2121450
- PAR ID:
- 10357333
- Editor(s):
- ASEE
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ASEE Annual Conference proceedings
- Issue:
- 2022
- ISSN:
- 1524-4644
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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