Michelle M. Camacho

Quebrando Fronteras: Trends Among Latino and Latina Undergraduate Engineers

Engineering, a field that has shaped the world’s industrial and technological base, is ripe for an influx of Latino undergraduate students. Given U.S. Latino population increases, what is the trajectory of Latino participation in engineering education? Using an interdisciplinary lens, we critically examine Latino trends in undergraduate engineering education in the United States. We find that Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are particularly successful at graduating Latino engineers and propose explanatory analyses. Ingeniería, una disciplina que ha dado forma a la base tecnológica e industrial, está madura para la incursión de estudiantes Latinos de pregrado. Dado el incremento de la población Latina, ¿cuál es la trayectoria de la participación educativa en ingeniería de Latinos? Usando un lente inter-disciplinario, se examinaron críticamente las tendencias de la educación de ingeniería de pre-grado en los Estados Unidos. Se encontró que las Instituciones de Servicio a Hispanos (HSIs) son particularmente exitosas en la graduación de ingenieros Latinos y se proponen análisis explicativos.

Work in progress - engineering students' disciplinary choices: Do race and gender matter?

We explore which engineering disciplines are most effective at attracting undergraduates from various race and gender groups at matriculation and graduation. Women and men choose different disciplines within engineering at matriculation, Industrial Engineering is notable for attracting women and men, and the largest disciplines, Electrical and Mechanical, have the largest enrollment gender gap.

Work in progress - the effect of engineering matriculation status on major selection

This study focuses on how the approach to engineering matriculation affects choice of major. Using the eight institutions represented in the Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development, we compared the majors at matriculation and at the third semester of 1) students who are directly admitted to a discipline 2) students who enter mandatory first-year engineering programs and 3) those who enter colleges of engineering without specifying a major preference. Preliminary findings indicate that students in formal FYE programs are more likely than the direct admits to choose Mechanical, Civil, Computer, and Industrial engineering and less likely to choose Chemical, Electrical, or Materials engineering as their first major. Students who enter as engineering undesignated are more likely to choose Civil, Industrial, and Other engineering and less likely to choose Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, and Materials engineering as their first major than direct admits.

Microaggressions in engineering education: Climate for Asian, Latina and White women

How do women experience the climate of engineering undergraduate education? How is this shaped by race/ethnicity? Using a focus group methodology, we interviewed women who self-identify as Asian, Latina and White at a large public institution in the southeastern United States. Their narratives are analyzed using the interdisciplinary theoretical framework of “microaggressions” from the social sciences. Microaggressions arise from subtle and covert racist and sexist acts which occur frequently in the lives of marginalized groups. Women of all races, who remain severely underrepresented in engineering, may be considered a marginalized group. For women of color, stereotypes of the “model minority” or “affirmative action baby” also overlay their experiences. Microaggressions occur at multiple levels: at the institutional level, at the interpersonal level, and as jokes or humor that subtly deride womens place in engineering. In this paper, we provide examples of each of these types of microaggressions in the experiences of women majoring in engineering and how these are processed differently depending on race/ethnicity. Our findings provide a nuanced perspective on how these microaggressions help shape the academic and social aspects of the climate of undergraduate engineering education.

Work in progress - effect of climate and pedagogy on persistence of women in engineering programs

Our goal is to determine how climate and pedagogy affect the persistence of women in undergraduate engineering programs via a longitudinal, multi-institutional, and multivariate study. We focus on the nine institutions of the southeastern university and college coalition for engineering education from 1987 to 2004. The study uses three related data sources: the multiple-institution database for investigating engineering longitudinal development (MIDFIELD), two climate surveys, and three teaching practices surveys. We will conduct new analyses on these existing data as well as new studies focusing on research questions relating climate, pedagogy, and persistence. This triangulated and longitudinal approach provides a powerful historical context to help explain changes and successes in persistence that will reach multiple stakeholders, scaffolding earlier qualitative studies with quantitative results that can inform policymakers. Here, we introduce our study and present initial results related to our first research question.

Who enrolls in electrical engineering? A quantitative analysis of U.S.A. student trajectories

Electrical Engineering (EE) is one of the largest engineering disciplines. Analysis of the student population specifically within EE provides insights into a large segment of the undergraduate engineering population. Using a dataset from universities in the United States of America that includes over 70,000 students who majored in engineering, this work considers the subset of that population matriculating in EE. The rates of EE matriculation and six-year graduation vary by race and gender. The relevant findings are that males out number females at all levels of undergraduate EE. EE is the most popular choice for Asian and Black males at matriculation and the second choice (after ME) for Hispanic and White males. EE is much more popular for Asian and Black females than Hispanic and White females at matriculation and graduation. In fact, more Black females graduate in EE than in any other engineering discipline. The six-year graduation rate of EE matriculants is higher than that of students of other engineering disciplines. These findings suggest the importance disaggregating by engineering subdiscipline and examining how such information is useful in improving recruitment and retention overall.

Latinos and Latinas in the borderlands of education Researching minority populations in engineering

We use the “borderlands of education” as a metaphor for studying processes of educational exclusion in engineering and the social forces that create them. Latinas in engineering education occupy intersecting borderlands. On the path to higher education, they face numerous societal obstacles. As women, they are on the margins of the masculine space of engineering. Though Latinas in engineering comprise a very small group, through their voices and experiences, we illuminate broader structural problems within engineering education.

Exploring the intersection of veteran status, age, and engineering study

Student veterans have become an increasing presence in higher education. We seek to understand the role of the military as a pathway into engineering for student veteran engineers as well as investigate the character and content of their educational experiences. The results of seven focus groups with 29 student veterans indicate that the decision to major in engineering is often, but not always, related to their service. Veteran students are often open with faculty about their veteran status, however they are less likely to reveal it to other students. Veterans believe that their status as a veteran is a significant asset in engineering studies but that their age is less so.

Have you ever wondered why? Qualitative research methods to investigate engineering education

This session will engage participants in how to apply multiple qualitative research methods to examine emerging issues in engineering education. The focus will be on using qualitative methods — grounded theory, thematic analysis, and content analysis — across multiple data collection methods (individual interviews, focus groups, key informant interviews, and policy/programmatic artifacts) and across several institutions. Benefits and challenges associated with data collection, synthesis, analysis, and triangulation across multiple research sites will be discussed, as well as the important role of theoretical frameworks in designing engineering education inquiry. It is expected that participants will gain a greater appreciation of qualitative methods that can be used to answer important questions in engineering education.

Transitioning from military service to engineering education

According to the National Science Foundation, increasing the proportion of veterans pursuing engineering degrees will help meet USAs need for more engineers. The USA offers benefits to military veterans to pay for higher education and they bring valuable assets from their service experience to their engineering education. More research is needed to improve institutional efforts to help veterans integrate these assets into their engineering education. In this paper, we draw on focus group data to explore transition issues faced by student veterans as they move from the military to higher education to pursue their undergraduate engineering degrees. We consider transition from the military and transition to the university, focusing on institutional policies and practices, co-curricular supports, and the relationship between service experiences and engineering study.