Attracting Black Students to Undergraduate Engineering Programs: A Rapid Review for Broadening Participation

Micaha Dean Hughes; John Roberts

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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: Student Division (STDT) Technical Session 4: Minoritized Student Experiences
Tagged Division: Student Division (STDT)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 18
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42342
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/42342
Download Count: 130

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Paper Authors

biography

Micaha Dean Hughes North Carolina State University, Raleigh

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Micaha Dean Hughes is a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology program in the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences department at North Carolina State University. Her research interests include community-engaged approaches to educational equity and access in STEM education, college recruitment and K-12 outreach practices for minoritized groups in STEM, mathematical identity development for rural adolescents and young adults, and culturally sustaining STEM outreach assessment and evaluation.

Micaha received her Master of Science in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education degree from the University of Kentucky College of Education, and her Bachelor of Science in Integrated Strategic Communication (Public Relations) from the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information Studies.

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John Roberts UK College of Engineering

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John is pursuing a Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Policy and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky. One of his main research interests are college choice and student enrollment in higher education.
Over in the past ten years, he has been fortunate to progress in the field of admissions and enrollment by working for two large public universities and one small private college. In these roles, he managed territories within Kentucky and in various states across the country. Moreover, he has had his hand in marketing and content creation as it relates to admissions and enrollment. Lastly, and most importantly, he has been able to work with amazing students across the country from all walks of life to help them enroll in an institution of higher education and pursue their dreams.

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Abstract

The fact that racially minoritized students are historically and systemically excluded in engineering education, and subsequently, the engineering field, is well-documented in the literature [1], [2]. In response, many Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) have implemented an array of targeted pre-college programs and initiatives to increase interest of racially minoritized students for enrollment in undergraduate engineering programs [3], [4]. Despite these efforts, a 2021 report from the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) shows that the number of engineering bachelor’s degrees earned by Black students has been stagnant since at least 2010 [5]. In 2010, the number of U.S. engineering bachelor’s degrees that were earned by Black students made up just 4.5% of all engineering bachelor’s degrees conferred that year, and in the years following, the numbers decreased – dipping to as low as just 3.5% of all engineering bachelor’s degrees going to Black students in 2014 – before rising slowly in 2015 and leveling off again at 4.7% in 2020. And so, we ask: why is the needle not moving? Currently, research on broadening participation in engineering is abundant, yet comprehensive literature on effective practices for attracting Black students who are nearing or actively in the college admissions process is scant.

To explore this problem, we conducted a rapid literature review exploring the ways existing research describes past and current programs and initiatives for attracting Black students to undergraduate engineering programs. Articles were narrowly selected through various education and science databases, and our search consisted of the following: peer-reviewed articles published with study populations focusing on minoritized students, within the constraint of higher education recruitment in the U.S. We sought to categorize, summarize, and synthesize research to uncover emerging themes, illuminating pathways to propel forward the urgent discussion of effectively attracting Black students into college engineering programs.

The aim of this paper is to serve as a critical reflection on current equity-focused initiatives for college recruitment and outreach as it pertains to Black and other minoritized students in the engineering field. This literature review is the first phase in a series of mixed methods studies to better understand and address strategies used to attract minoritized students into undergraduate engineering programs.

Citation
Format

Dean Hughes, M., & Roberts, J. (2023, June), Attracting Black Students to Undergraduate Engineering Programs: A Rapid Review for Broadening Participation Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42342

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The fact that racially minoritized students are historically and systemically excluded in engineering education, and subsequently, the engineering field, is well-documented in the literature [1], [2]. In response, many Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) have implemented an array of targeted pre-college programs and initiatives to increase interest of racially minoritized students for enrollment in undergraduate engineering programs [3], [4]. Despite these efforts, a 2021 report from the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) shows that the number of engineering bachelor’s degrees earned by Black students has been stagnant since at least 2010 [5]. In 2010, the number of U.S. engineering bachelor’s degrees that were earned by Black students made up just 4.5% of all engineering bachelor’s degrees conferred that year, and in the years following, the numbers decreased – dipping to as low as just 3.5% of all engineering bachelor’s degrees going to Black students in 2014 – before rising slowly in 2015 and leveling off again at 4.7% in 2020. And so, we ask: why is the needle not moving? Currently, research on broadening participation in engineering is abundant, yet comprehensive literature on effective practices for attracting Black students who are nearing or actively in the college admissions process is scant.

To explore this problem, we conducted a rapid literature review exploring the ways existing research describes past and current programs and initiatives for attracting Black students to undergraduate engineering programs. Articles were narrowly selected through various education and science databases, and our search consisted of the following: peer-reviewed articles published with study populations focusing on minoritized students, within the constraint of higher education recruitment in the U.S. We sought to categorize, summarize, and synthesize research to uncover emerging themes, illuminating pathways to propel forward the urgent discussion of effectively attracting Black students into college engineering programs.

The aim of this paper is to serve as a critical reflection on current equity-focused initiatives for college recruitment and outreach as it pertains to Black and other minoritized students in the engineering field. This literature review is the first phase in a series of mixed methods studies to better understand and address strategies used to attract minoritized students into undergraduate engineering programs.

AU  - Micaha Dean Hughes
AU  - John Roberts
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Attracting Black Students to Undergraduate Engineering Programs: A Rapid Review for Broadening Participation
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/42342
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--42342
ER  -