Engineering Students Define Diversity: An Uncommon Thread

Abstract

Dr. Fleming serves as the Co-PI of a National Science Foundation HBCU Undergraduate Program grant designed to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who pursue degrees in engineering, mathematics, and science. Additionally, she is a Co-PI for the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education. She serves as the Principal Investigator of an NSF grant designed to study the post baccalaureate decisions of high achieving Black STEM students. She is also a 2005 Scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Most recently, Dr. Fleming is the recipient of the 2008 National Society of Black Engineers Educator of the Year Award. Sislena Ledbetter, Howard UniversitySISLENA GROCER LEDBETTER is a social psychologist and owner of Ledbetter Coaching. Her research focuses on women's well being. Dr. Ledbetter is a research associate working at Howard University in the Center for the Advancement for Engineering Education. Dr. Ledbetter previously worked for the American Psychological Association, where she served as a liaison between the Association and psychology students. She also served on a committee to increase minority student recruitment and retention in Psychology. As a Senior

Student Conceptualizations about Diversity: "How Would You Describe the Diversity in Engineering at Your Institution?"

“…T hough research is limited, other studies have explored the various ways people talk about and define diversity. For example, Fleming, Ledbetter, Williams, and McCain (2008) analyzed the results of a longitudinal study of sophomore engineering students from four schools. A major finding of their study was that students primarily used themes of gender, race, culture, and ideology when defining diversity; while diversity of major, geography, socioeconomic status, and political affiliation were among the less familiar themes.…”

Identifying Significant Features that Impact URM Student Academic Success and Retention Upmost Using Qualitative Methodologies: Focus Groups

“…More specifically, Tinto 5 reported that freshmen year has the highest dropout rate especially in the first six weeks of the first semester. Statistics show that students of color have higher attrition rates compared with other groups, although this trend has been decreasing over the past twenty years [6][7][8] . These groups tend to enroll in STEM majors in small numbers and leave in higher numbers 9,10 .…”