Shanachilubwa, K., & Ellery, M., & Sallai, G. M., & Berdanier, C. G. (2021, July), “I Wish I Would Have Known…”: Characterizing Engineering Students' Reflections on Their Graduate Experiences  Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--36533

\bibitem{asee_peer_36533}
  Shanachilubwa, K., \& Ellery, M., \& Sallai, G. M., \& Berdanier, C. G. (2021, July), \emph{“I Wish I Would Have Known…”: Characterizing Engineering Students' Reflections on Their Graduate Experiences}
  Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference.
  10.18260/1-2--36533

Kanembe Shanachilubwa, Megan Ellery, Gabriella M. Sallai, and Catherine G.P. Berdanier.  "“I Wish I Would Have Known…”: Characterizing Engineering Students' Reflections on Their Graduate Experiences".  2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference, 2021, July.  ASEE Conferences, 2021.  https://peer.asee.org/36533 Internet.  29 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_36533}
  Kanembe Shanachilubwa, Megan Ellery, Gabriella M. Sallai, and Catherine G.P. Berdanier.
  "“I Wish I Would Have Known…”: Characterizing Engineering Students' Reflections on Their Graduate Experiences".
  \emph{2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference, 2021, July}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2021.
  https://peer.asee.org/36533 Internet.  29 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_36533
author = "Kanembe Shanachilubwa, Megan Ellery, Gabriella M. Sallai, and Catherine G.P. Berdanier"
title = "“I Wish I Would Have Known…”: Characterizing Engineering Students' Reflections on Their Graduate Experiences"
booktitle = "2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access"
year = "2021"
month = "July"
address = "Virtual Conference"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/36533}
number = {10.18260/1-2--36533}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - “I Wish I Would Have Known…”: Characterizing Engineering Student’s Reflections on their Graduate Experiences 

The purpose of this research paper is to characterize the experiences of engineering doctoral students as they reflect upon what they wish they had known prior to beginning their program. Recent engineering graduate enrollment rates have been declining while issues relating to student well-being are on the rise. This work is part of an overarching investigation examining the phenomenon of engineering graduate attrition. To better understand this phenomenon, we conducted N=41 hour-long semi-structured interviews with participants recruited via email survey from the top 50 engineering PhD granting universities in the U.S. Using emergent coding, we analyzed the narratives and themes given by students who are questioning whether to remain in their PhD program and those who made the decision to depart. Students discussed their conception of graduate school before they began and what experiences they anticipated. Participants were asked to reflect on their thoughts surrounding graduate school prior to arrival, how well those thoughts corresponded with their lived experiences, and what information would have been beneficial for them to know earlier on. Findings reveal that participants desire increased guidance on how their graduate programs were structured and a greater understanding of how to develop and maintain functional communication with their advisor. Using these findings, engineering education research and practice communities are better equipped to understand how students conceptualize graduate school and where they are failing to receive guidance and support. This study will contribute to the small body of literature concerning graduate engineering attrition and holds implications for the future of engineering graduate programs and departments in their ongoing efforts to promote the well-being of their students amid the growing crisis relating to student well-being and mental health. 
AU  - Kanembe Shanachilubwa
AU  - Megan Ellery
AU  - Gabriella M. Sallai
AU  - Catherine G.P. Berdanier
CY  - Virtual Conference
DA  - 2021/07/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - “I Wish I Would Have Known…”: Characterizing Engineering Students' Reflections on Their Graduate Experiences
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/36533
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--36533
ER  -