A four-year study meant to analyze the effects of a modified introductory engineering course on two-year retention of women and minorities was conducted at Texas State University. Introduction to Engineering modules were integrated into a general freshman university seminar course. Two experimental tactics were followed. One section type, Early Career Intervention (ECI), focused on giving students resources and contacts such as faculty, student leaders, and industry professional contacts that they could utilize to succeed in their degree plan and later on, their career. The other experimental section type, Design Intervention, included a small design project and introduction to design theory, as well as Early Career Intervention. This work-in-progress sought to discover early data trends that indicate success of the modified introductory class. Early data suggests that Engineering Technology (ET) students may prefer Design Intervention, and Engineering (ENGR) students may prefer ECI. Furthermore, under-represented minorities (URMs) in ENGR majors may prefer Design Intervention, women in ET majors seem to succeed after Design Intervention, and women in ENGR are retained by ECI. Further investigation of these trends is scheduled upon completion of data acquisition.
http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-3165-9230
Arizona State University
[biography]
Madeleine Jennings is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at Arizona State University - Polytechnic Campus, pursuing a PhD in Engineering Education Systems and Design and a MS in Human Systems Engineering. They received a BS in Manufacturing Engineering from Texas State University - San Marcos. Madeleine's research interests include investigating and improving the experiences of marginalized and invisible identities in engineering, such as queer engineering and ex-engineering students. They are also interested in examining and critiquing the engineering and engineering education institution to determine how its current structure marginalizes certain communities.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6235-0706
Texas State University
[biography]
Dr. Kimberly G. Talley is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Technology, Bobcat Made Makerspace Director at Texas State University, and a licensed Professional Engineer. She received her Ph.D. and M.S.E. from the University of Texas at Austin in Structural Engineering. Her undergraduate degrees in History and in Construction Engineering and Management are from North Carolina State University. Dr. Talley teaches courses in the Construction Science and Management and Civil Engineering Technology Programs, and her research focus is in student engagement and retention in engineering and engineering technology education. Contact: talley@txstate.edu
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