Success Factors that Shape Black Male Transfer and Academic Experiences in Engineering

(Un)equal demands and opportunities: Conceptualizing student navigation in undergraduate engineering programs

“…Lee and Hall developed initial propositions by clustering insights from the literature using sensitizing concepts and then crafting statements to summarize the resulting clusters. For example, insights related to the role of office hours (Briody et al, 2019), co‐curricular support (W. C. Lee & Matusovich, 2016), counterspaces (Ong et al, 2020), family (e.g., Arellano & Padilla, 1996; Carrigan et al, 2019), fictive kin (e.g., Carrigan et al, 2019; Simmons & Martin, 2014), peers (e.g., J. P. Martin et al, 2013; Ong et al, 2020), faculty (e.g., C. Newman, 2011), and other university personnel (e.g., J. P. Martin et al, 2013; Qaqish et al, 2020) are all related to the sensitizing concepts “Supplies” and “Characteristics of Delivery System.” After discussing this comparison, we drafted a proposition that focused on the breadth of support sources a student may turn to in a time of need, including people both within and beyond the university.…”

“…In addition, peer networks or friends also aid students during their educational journey (Subethra & Nirmala, 2018). From peer‐led study groups (Qaqish et al, 2020) to the development of fictive kin (Carrigan et al, 2019; Simmons & Martin, 2014), students build relationships and source additional forms of support that can aid their navigation through the learning environment.…”

“…Students' decisions about participation in in‐class, co‐curricular, and extra‐curricular activities have a direct influence on their experiences in an undergraduate engineering program. This decision includes coordinating multiple behaviors and actions such as study habits (Qaqish et al, 2020; Treisman, 1992) and organizational skills (McLoughlin, 2009). For example, the process of a student deciding how to complete simple academic tasks may be more complicated than it appears on the surface.…”

“…A final aspect of navigating one's learning environment as a student is making decisions about which of the available resources to rely on (Skinner et al, 2003). These potential resources include relationships with faculty (C. Newman, 2011), office hours (Briody et al, 2019), interactions with school personnel (J. P. Martin et al, 2013; Qaqish et al, 2020), and university services (Parasuraman et al, 1985). Students also have the option to utilize the programming available on campus as a source of support to navigate their learning environment.…”

GPA Patterns of Black Mechanical Engineering Students (Work in Progress)

“…Studies have also suggested that Black engineering students may be at a higher risk of dropping out of their major than students of other races [2]. However, Black students have continued to persist owing to their belief in their abilities, a strong sense of community within STEM, and strong relationships with individual faculty members that develop mentor-mentee relationships [7].…”