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The central objective of this interdisciplinary, inter-institutional PFE: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF) project is to conduct a comparative study of the factors affecting the success and pathways to engineering careers of African American students at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) and a Historically Black University (HBCU). The study focuses on investigating the criticality of the following three factors: 1. The attitudes and beliefs of faculty and staff toward underrepresented students and how these attitudes influence their classroom and advising interactions and expectations, and the impact this has on the students’ sense of belonging and academic success; 2. The existing institutional support mechanisms at both institutions and students’ perceptions of their efficacy and the role they perceive these mechanisms play in their academic success; and 3. The influence of student organizations- specifically underrepresented minority engineering affinity groups and the embedded networks therein on the social and academic integration of African American students at the two types of institutions.
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WIP: Approaches to pairing proactive advising and teaching students how to learn
The mission of the Inclusion Diversity Excellence Achievement (IDEA) Engineering Student Center at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering is to promote equity, community, and success for all engineering students at the University from admission through graduation. The Academic Achievement Program (AAP) originally focused on academic performance (i.e., grades) and is evolving to more fully address the myriad of factors that contribute to the overall success of undergraduate engineering students. The AAP aims to promote a culture of care for students’ personal well-being and academic success within engineering courses by providing just-in-time support and reinforcing attitudes and habits that empower students to succeed. This effort can be broken down into three goals: I) promote a multifaceted understanding of factors that influence student success, II) teach learning attitudes and behaviors for effective learning, and III) provide tools to support proactive advising at the classroom level. To reach these goals, we envision instructional teams (typically made up of faculty and teaching assistants) who have the knowledge and tools to proactively provide students with support based on deep understanding of how factors inside and outside the classroom influence learning. Such instructional teams can more effectively improve the learning experience and student outcomes like persistence. We also envision students with attitudes and habits that help them learn effectively and use supporting resources to overcome any challenges they encounter. To achieve these goals, AAP includes three components at various stages of development, implementation, and assessment: 1) the Engineer Your Success Course for undergraduates, 2) Student Support Planning Checklist and community of practice for instructional teams, and 3) content on effective learning strategies for instructional teams. This paper will present a developing conceptual framework that guides these activities, describe each component, present preliminary findings, and discuss potential next steps.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2135428
- PAR ID:
- 10470133
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Society of Engineering Education
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- https://peer.asee.org/44074
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
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- The DOI is not currently available.
