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Title: Effect of Organizational Change on Student Retention and Engagement
Engineering and computer science disciplines remain substantially under-represented in Hispanic, African American and women students. Relative to the population demographics reflecting approximately 50% women, 60% white non Hispanic/Latinx, 13% African American, 19% Hispanic and 1.3% Native American, engineering demographics reflect underrepresentation. While recent trends reflect significant gains, women remain under-represented in engineering. Based on the ASEE EDMS system, in 2022, women earned 25% of engineering degrees and under-represented students (URM=African American, Hispanic, native American and Pacific islanders) earned 21% of degrees. From a first time in college enrollment in a university perspective, URM freshmen accounted for 27% of all freshmen enrollment. Within that the African American student population was at 6% and Hispanic at 13%. The gap between freshmen enrollment at the Universities and higher percentages at graduation reflects the trend that URM students are entering the University experience beyond the freshmen level making the transfer student engagement and retention a key need. In this paper we explore systematic organizational change in communicating the degree pathways to a graduation in engineering and engaging students sequentially from enrollment through graduation. We explore these in the prepandemic, post-pandemic, new HSI designation macro changes in the University. The results indicate that students are benefitted from having administrators, faculty and full-time staff work synergistically to communicate information that can be accessed by students without needing an appointment/commute and to grow a students pathway to lifelong learning through research is best enabled through student-student direct engagement.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2122917
PAR ID:
10546496
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
ASEE Conferences
Date Published:
Format(s):
Medium: X
Location:
Portland, Oregon
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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