Engineering Retention: Improving Inclusion and Diversity in Engineering

The researcher sought further understanding for strategies and pedagogies employed to serve the diverse learning and engagement needs of underrepresented minorities (URMs) enrolled in academic engineering programs. The researcher defined for this study underrepresented minorities as women, Hispanic Americans, and African Americans. There is a need for increased representation of URMs in both postsecondary education and the engineering profession. Underrepresented minorities are needed in the engineering profession to contribute to the complete solution and to provide improved ideas for consideration during the design process. The researcher discovered six factors utilized by engineering faculty and academic affairs in postsecondary education to aid underrepresented engineering students in their retention in higher education. The focus areas to improve retention are: community, mentoring, role models, active learning, empathy, and academic habits. The retention of URM engineering students by developing a sense of community is key to URM students’ success according to study participants. These six factors can be implemented with the goal of encouraging all engineering students at a university. Recommendations for faculty and academic affairs personnel are provided. Topics for further study are given for consideration.