This engineering education research project seeks to answer the question of why some groups are chronically under-represented in engineering degree programs. To address this issue the PI will use narratives to understand how under-represented engineering students describe interactions with their educational institutions and what institutional factors affect persistence and success. The project will develop and then disseminate tools based on "personas" and "informance" to help policy makers learn how institutions can evolve to better address and support the experiences of under-represented groups.
The broader significance and importance of this project will be to provide new insights into the perplexing and persistent program of low representation of some groups in engineering degree programs. The PI plans to focus on both primarily white institutions and also minority serving institutions to address questions on structural differences using a narrative approach. Should the project be successful, it will inform policy decisions within engineering schools and potentially at other higher education administrative level as well. The project thus has potential broad impact both on the knowledge base used to make decisions and practice.
