2011 - Trajectories of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering Students by Race and Gender

Attribution: Lord, Susan M., Layton, Richard A., & Ohland, Matthew W.
Researchers: Matthew W. OhlandRichard A. LaytonSusan M. Lord
University Affiliation: University of San Diego
Email: slord@sandiego.edu
Research Question:
This paper describes the outcomes for students matriculating in and migrating into electrical engineering (EE) and computer engineering (CpE).
Published: Yes
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: IEEE Transactions on Education
Journal Entry: Vol. 54, No. 4, Pp. 610-619
Year: 2011
Findings:
  1. EE is the most popular choice for Asian and Black students (males and females) at matriculation, but while Asians graduate at high rates, Blacks (particularly males) are not retained.
  2. Retention is higher in EE than in CpE despite the similarity of the curricula.
  3. Graduation rates are lower than expected for women of all races in CpE and for Hispanic women in EE.
  4. By the third semester, some students of all races and genders have left their matriculation major, but others have migrated in from other majors, compensating for some of this loss.
  5. CpE students are more likely than EE students to switch to another major. Trajectories of EE and CpE students are racialized and distinct. CpE loses more students and attracts fewer students than EE.
  6. White matriculants leave earlier than Black matriculants; the persistence at Semester 3 is higher for Black matriculants(79% for men and women) than White matriculants (67% for women and 71% for men). Large losses, represented by steep slopes in the curves, are seen between Semesters 3 and 8 for all groups. However, the huge loss continues between Semesters 8 and 12 for Black and Hispanic students.
  7. EE is relatively successful at attracting students including women and minorities, especially Blacks.
  8. Asian students are attracted to EE and CpE at rates exceeded only by Black students. Asian students have the highest graduation rates in both EE and CpE, with Asian women having the highest for EE, and Asian men for CpE.
  9. For all students combined, 35.5% of EE matriculants and 37.1% of CpE matriculants fail to graduate in any major in six years.
  10. The most likely destination for EE matriculants who are Black men (48%) is to fail to graduate in six years. The situation in CpE is even worse: 55% of Black male CpE matriculants do not graduate from college in six years.
Keywords: Academic AchievementEngineeringGenderGraduation RatesRaceRetentionRegions: SEMethodologies: QuantitativeResearch Designs: Secondary Survey DataAnalysis Methods: Time Series Models Sampling Frame:Engineering Students
Sampling Types: Non-Random - PurposiveAnalysis Units: StudentData Types: Quantitative-Longitudinal
Data Description:
  • The Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD), a dataset with more than 79,000 students matriculating in engineering at nine South-eastern institutions that awarded 1/12 of all U.S. engineering Bachelor’s degrees from 1987 to 2004. The MIDFIELD database includes six of the 50 largest U.S. engineering institutions by engineering enrollment and four of the top five producers of Black engineering graduates.
  • Students self-reported gender and race.
  • The population at matriculation (Semester 1) is a useful referent and is needed for defining the persistence of the matriculating cohort. The enrollment at Semester 3 is included as a milestone after the typically large amount of attrition that occurs after the first year and also provides a milestone just as students typically launch into the heart of the disciplinary curriculum. Semester 3 also marks the largest influx from other majors, including students who matriculate as Engineering undesignated. The population at Semester 8 marks the point at which 90% of all students graduate. Finally, graduation, as defined previously, is labeled Semester 12. Transfer students are excluded, so results here do not represent a complete picture of all students in the classroom.
  • In this paper, all students considered matriculated from 1988-1998. Graduation is defined as having graduated by the sixth year from matriculation.
Theoretical Framework:
Relevance:Persistence in STEM.
Archives: K-16 STEM Abstracts