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1. Exploring the Career Thinking of Native American Engineering Students_ASEE Presentation

   Colston, Nicole M.; Jacobs, Sue C.; Johnson, Sarah; Turner, Sherri L.; Mason-Chagil, Gale (October 2018, American Society for Engineering Education 126th Annual Conference and Exposition)

   Recent reports indicate that there are less than 1900 (0.6%) Native American undergraduate and graduate engineering students nationwide (Yoder, 2016). Although Native Americans are underrepresented in the field of engineering, there is very little research that explores contributing factors. The purpose of our exploratory research is to identify those barriers, supports, and personal strengths that Native American engineering students identify as being influential in developing their career interests and aspirations in engineering. Informed by research in Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), we developed an on-line survey to assess the motivational variables that guide the career thinking and advancement of students preparing to enter the field of engineering. Instrumentation included Mapping Vocational Challenges (Lapan & Turner, 2000, 2009, 2014), Perceptions of Barriers (McWhirter, 1997), the Structured Career Development Inventory (Lapan & Turner, 2006), and the Career-Related Parent Support Scale (Turner et al., 2003), which were used to measure interests, goals, personal strengths and external supports. Participants (N=23) consisted of graduate (≈25%) and undergraduate (≈75%) Native American engineering students. Their responses indicated that their most challenging barriers were financial (e.g., having expenses that are greater than income, and having to work while going to school just to make ends meet), and academic barriers (e.g., not sufficiently prepared academically to study engineering). A lack of career information, and perceptions of not fitting in were also identified as moderately challenging barriers. Students endorsed a number of personal strengths, with the strongest being confidence in their own communication and collaboration skills, and commitment to their academic and career preparation. The most notable external support to their engineering career development was their parents’ encouragement to make good grades and to go to a school where they could prepare for a STEM career. Study results will be interpreted in light of theory, and recommendations for future research and practice will be provided. 

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2. The Rising Doctoral Institute: Preparing Minority Students for the Transition into the Engineering Ph. D.

   Artiles, M. S.; Cruz, J. M.; Blackowski, S. A.; Matusovich, H. M.; Adams, S. G.; Lee-Thomas, G (January 2021, 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access)

   Studies on graduate education have shown that underrepresented minorities finish PhDs in engineering at lesser rates and longer timeframes than their majority counterparts. While multiple interventions have been designed for students considering their decision to apply for graduate school or students completing their doctoral journey, few focus on the transition into those doctoral programs. To prepare minoritized doctoral students for this transition to the Ph. D., we developed and researched the Rising Doctoral Institute (RDI). The RDI is a four-day summer workshop for incoming doctoral students who identify as underrepresented in engineering and intend to begin graduate school in the Fall semester. This paper aims to discuss the process through which we developed the RDI and our initial research findings. We conclude with our plan to disseminate these workshops across multiple US institutions using a change-theory informed dissemination model. 

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3. The Rising Doctoral Institute: Preparing Minority Students for the Transitioninto the Engineering Ph.D. Proceedings

   Artiles, M.S.; Cruz-Bohorquez, J.; Matusovich, H.M.; Adams, S.G.; & Lee-Thomas, G. (January 2021, ASEE Annual Conferences and Exposition)

   Studies on graduate education have shown that underrepresented minorities finish PhDs in engineering at lesser rates and longer timeframes than their majority counterparts. While multiple interventions have been designed for students considering their decision to apply for graduate school or students completing their doctoral journey, few focus on the transition into those doctoral programs. To prepare minoritized doctoral students for this transition to the Ph.D., we developed and researched the Rising Doctoral Institute (RDI). The RDI is a four-day summer workshop for incoming doctoral students who identify as underrepresented in engineering and intend to begin graduate school in the Fall semester. This paper aims to discuss the process through which we developed the RDI and our initial research findings. We conclude with our plan to disseminate these workshops across multiple US institutions using a change-theory informed dissemination model. 

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4. The Rising Doctoral Institute: Preparing Minority Students for the Transition into the Engineering Ph.D.

   Artiles, M.S; Cruz-Bohorquez, J; Matusovich, H.M; Adams, S.G; Lee-Thomas, G. (January 2021, ASEE Annual Conference proceedings)

   Studies on graduate education have shown that underrepresented minorities finish PhDs in engineering at lesser rates and longer timeframes than their majority counterparts. While multiple interventions have been designed for students considering their decision to apply for graduate school or students completing their doctoral journey, few focus on the transition into those doctoral programs. To prepare minoritized doctoral students for this transition to the Ph.D., we developed and researched the Rising Doctoral Institute (RDI). The RDI is a four-day summer workshop for incoming doctoral students who identify as underrepresented in engineering and intend to begin graduate school in the Fall semester. This paper aims to discuss the process through which we developed the RDI and our initial research findings. We conclude with our plan to disseminate these workshops across multiple US institutions using a change-theory informed dissemination model 

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5. Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange

   Bond-Trittipo, B.; Kumar, N.; Secules, S.; Solis, T (July 2022, The 2022 Annual Conference and Exposition)

   Prior scholarship on broadening participation in undergraduate computing education has made important contributions to supporting underrepresented students’ identity development and persistence. However, the specific experiences of low-income students are underexplored, and the critical juncture between undergraduate education and career or graduate school pathways are as well. For scholarship support programs to make a further impact on broadening participation in computing, it is critical to know low-income students’ viewpoints on the barriers, risks, and opportunities associated with different career pathways that influence their post-graduation plans. Our research seeks to better understand the future career pathway perceptions of low-income undergraduate computing students. We explore students’ perceptions of three specific pathways: pursuing a graduate degree, working for a large company, and becoming an entrepreneur. This study utilizes Bourdieu’s conception of economic capital, cultural capital, and social capital to understand low-income students’ perceptions of their future career pathways. This study is a part of a National Science Foundation-funded program that provides need-based scholarships, internship connections, research opportunities, and entrepreneurial education to low-income students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity, or computer engineering. The program includes three large, public universities in the Southeast United States and was launched in September 2021. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 participants from one of the participating universities to gather information about their perceptions of professional, graduate school, and entrepreneurial career pathways. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic coding. We found that the majority of our low-income participants plan to work for a large technology-focused company immediately after graduation. However, some participants indicated that the program’s scholarship, which covers up to two years of graduate education in a computing field, gives them the ability to consider pursuing a master’s degree between completing their bachelor’s degree and entering the workforce. Additionally, though many participants expressed that the idea of becoming an entrepreneur is appealing, the financial risks associated with entrepreneurship deter them from considering this career pathway themselves. Ultimately, our findings suggest that financial stability is a crucial consideration for low-income computing students as they contemplate their future goals. The participants’ responses demonstrate the importance of need-based financial aid and internship connections for low-income computing students. Furthermore, our findings indicate that intervention programs that aim to support low-income students’ career development should be more sensitive to the unique perspectives and financial concerns of low-income students when they promote graduate school and entrepreneurial pathways. 

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