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Survey Analysis of Student Experiences for Underrepresented Populations in Engineering and Computer Science

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Conference

2019 CoNECD - The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity

Location

Crystal City, Virginia

Publication Date

April 14, 2019

Start Date

April 14, 2019

End Date

April 22, 2019

Conference Session

Track: Special Topic - Identity Technical Session 13

Tagged Topics

Diversity and Special Topic: Identity

Page Count

18

DOI

10.18260/1-2--31794

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/31794

Download Count

478

Paper Authors

biography

J. McLean Sloughter Seattle University

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J. McLean Sloughter is an associate professor of mathematics at Seattle University. He completed his PhD in Statistics from the University of Washington. His research interests include statistical forecasting and modeling, energy poverty, mathematical pedagogy, and diversity in STEM.

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biography

Agnieszka Miguel Seattle University

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Agnieszka Miguel received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2001 from the University of Washington, and MSEE and BSEE from Florida Atlantic University in 1996 and 1994. Dr. Miguel's professional interests involve image processing, machine learning, and engineering education especially active learning, diversity, retention, and recruitment. Her teaching interests include MATLAB, circuits, linear systems, and digital image processing. She is a member of the IEEE, ASEE, SWE, and Tau Beta Pi.
Currently, Dr. Miguel is the Chair of the ASEE Professional Interest Council I (PIC I), and a Vice President of PICs which gives her a seat on the ASEE Board of Directors. Dr. Miguel has held several other officer positions across the ASEE including: Division Chair and Program Chair of the ECE and New Engineering Educators Divisions, and ASEE Campus Representative. Dr. Miguel is also a member-at-large of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association (ECEDHA) Board of Directors. She has been a member of the ECEDHA Annual Conference Program Committee since 2013.

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Mara Rempe Seattle University

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Dr. Mara Rempe has been at Seattle University since 1997 In her role as Associate Dean she works closely with engineering departments in recruiting and admitting transfer students. In addition she oversees advising for the College of Science and Engineering. She has strong interests in retention, particularly for women and URM students in STEM fields.

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Katie Kuder P.E. Seattle University

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Professor and Chair in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Seattle University, specializing in mechanics, structural engineering and cement-based materials.

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Abstract

This study examines the experiences of students in engineering and computer science at Seattle University, and how those experiences differ for students from underrepresented or marginalized groups. Seattle University’s mission and values statement includes a commitment to the importance of diversity in educational excellence. In the fall of 2018, 1,094 undergraduates were enrolled in Seattle University’s College of Science and Engineering (CSE), including 480 female-identifying students and 222 underrepresented minority (URM) students. The CSE is comprised primarily of undergraduate programs, which are the focus of this study. This study follows previous work examining barriers to successful completion of undergraduate engineering degrees amongst female-identifying and URM students. While the goal of the original study was to extract characteristics that differentiate students who do or do not successfully complete degrees within engineering, this new study examines survey data to better understand the experiences of students from underrepresented or marginalized groups. We examine survey data for undergraduate students who were enrolled in the CSE’s engineering majors (comprised of Pre-Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science) during the spring of 2018. Results are compared for female-identifying students, URM students, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities across factors including students’ feelings of preparedness, sense of community, satisfaction with their academic performance, and experiences of bias from both peers and faculty/staff. These findings will be used to inform the development of new policies and programs within the CSE to better support students from underrepresented or marginalized groups. This study is part of a broader initiative at our college to examine accessibility of engineering degrees and how our engineering programs can better support students from underrepresented populations.

Sloughter, J. M., & Miguel, A., & Rempe, M., & Kuder, K. (2019, April), Survey Analysis of Student Experiences for Underrepresented Populations in Engineering and Computer Science Paper presented at 2019 CoNECD - The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity , Crystal City, Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--31794

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2019 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015