Understanding the Academic Journey of an International West African Engineering Graduate Student in the United States

Daniel Ifeoluwa Adeniranye; Bruk T. Berhane

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: International Division (INTL) Technical Session #3: Student Perspectives
Tagged Division: International Division (INTL)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44545
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44545
Download Count: 369

Paper Authors

biography

Daniel Ifeoluwa Adeniranye Florida International University orcid.org/0000-0002-1907-9463

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‘Daniel Adeniranye’ holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, a joint and dual master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering and Project Development from IFP School, France and the University of Port Harcourt, and a Project Management degree from the University of Southampton, United Kingdom. He is currently a Graduate Assistant at the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education, where he seeks to establish remarkable footprints and make an impact that matters. Simultaneously, Daniel is the CEO of an EdTech start-up.
Prior to joining FIU, Daniel had worked in Dubai for the ministry of Education as a STEM Educator and Lead Instructor. Previous work experience was in the United Kingdom (as an assistant Lead manager) and Nigeria. To date, he has co-authored 2 journal articles, authored 2 Physics textbooks, held many leadership roles and won several awards (one notable one is a World Bank award).

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Bruk T. Berhane Florida International University

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Dr. Bruk T. Berhane received his bachelorâ€™s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 2003. He then completed a masterâ€™s degree in engineering management at George Washington University in 2007. In 2016, he earned a Ph

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Abstract

International graduate students contribute significantly to the United States (U.S.) engineering academic and professional workforce. These students bring to the U.S. extensive knowledge from their home countries, strengthen diversity, classroom internationalization, and multicultural education (among the student body, faculty members, and staff in the U.S. universities), acquire world-class knowledge, and benefit the global economy by way of engineering contributions. However, graduate students from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are generally understudied within the broader population of international engineering students. This is noteworthy because individuals from SSA have among the highest rates of degree attainment, specifically in engineering and other STEM fields. Students from some West African countries like Nigeria have among the highest levels of educational training of SSA students and Black populations more broadly. Expanding research on Black students from West Africa (WAFR) (a region within SSA) is particularly important since not all Black students are the same. This work responds to a growing call for more intra-study research within diverse groups that have historically been treated as homogeneous. As such, this study intends to illuminate their educational experiences before and after transitioning to the U.S. in engineering disciplines using a narrative inquiry approach. This work-in-progress begins this larger study by focusing on one student’s (“Apex,” pseudonym) experiences in two contexts: (Nigeria, his country of origin and undergraduate study, and the U.S., where he transitioned for his Doctor of Philosophy [PhD]). Apex’s educational experiences in engineering and the strategies he employed to navigate his transitioning will be documented through his narrative. Data will be derived from Apex’s life and educational experiences in engineering before, during, and after he transitions to the U.S. from Nigeria. Results from this study will advance the literature by providing education researchers and practitioners with a novel and innovative understanding of Nigerian engineering students’ (NES) experiences. It will advance knowledge of Nigerian undergraduate engineering programs and their benefits to international engineering graduate students. Ultimately, the findings will help inform practices within engineering programs to better support potential graduate students in making similar transitions and broaden the participation of African diasporic engineering students in the U.S. Keywords: Black students, foreign-born, graduate students, international students, West African, engineering, academic experiences.

Citation
Format

Adeniranye, D. I., & Berhane, B. T. (2023, June), Understanding the Academic Journey of an International West African Engineering Graduate Student in the United States Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44545

TY - CPAPER
AB - International graduate students contribute significantly to the United States (U.S.) engineering academic and professional workforce. These students bring to the U.S. extensive knowledge from their home countries, strengthen diversity, classroom internationalization, and multicultural education (among the student body, faculty members, and staff in the U.S. universities), acquire world-class knowledge, and benefit the global economy by way of engineering contributions. However, graduate students from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are generally understudied within the broader population of international engineering students. This is noteworthy because individuals from SSA have among the highest rates of degree attainment, specifically in engineering and other STEM fields. Students from some West African countries like Nigeria have among the highest levels of educational training of SSA students and Black populations more broadly.
Expanding research on Black students from West Africa (WAFR) (a region within SSA) is particularly important since not all Black students are the same. This work responds to a growing call for more intra-study research within diverse groups that have historically been treated as homogeneous. As such, this study intends to illuminate their educational experiences before and after transitioning to the U.S. in engineering disciplines using a narrative inquiry approach. This work-in-progress begins this larger study by focusing on one student’s (“Apex,” pseudonym) experiences in two contexts: (Nigeria, his country of origin and undergraduate study, and the U.S., where he transitioned for his Doctor of Philosophy [PhD]). Apex’s educational experiences in engineering and the strategies he employed to navigate his transitioning will be documented through his narrative. Data will be derived from Apex’s life and educational experiences in engineering before, during, and after he transitions to the U.S. from Nigeria.
Results from this study will advance the literature by providing education researchers and practitioners with a novel and innovative understanding of Nigerian engineering students’ (NES) experiences. It will advance knowledge of Nigerian undergraduate engineering programs and their benefits to international engineering graduate students. Ultimately, the findings will help inform practices within engineering programs to better support potential graduate students in making similar transitions and broaden the participation of African diasporic engineering students in the U.S.
Keywords: Black students, foreign-born, graduate students, international students, West African, engineering, academic experiences.

AU - Daniel Ifeoluwa Adeniranye
AU - Bruk T. Berhane
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Understanding the Academic Journey of an International West African Engineering Graduate Student in the United States
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44545
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44545
ER -