project to assess climate in engineering (pace): pace findings pace meeting at aaas march 17 &...
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Project to Assess Climate in Engineering (PACE):
PACE Findings
PACE Meeting at AAASMarch 17 & 18, 2010
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Common Goals More Students
Recruited and Retained in Engineering
More Diverse Populations Underrepresented
Minorities Women
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
2008 Bachelor’s Degrees (ASEE)
Africa
n Am
erica
n
Asian
Amer
ican
Hispan
ic
Native
Am
erica
n
Cauca
sian
Forei
gnOth
er
Femal
e0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
ASEEPACE
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Thinking Strategically Each school has unique
circumstances All schools have some
commonalities How do we learn from
each other to put all the pieces together and improve student retention?
PACE Goals Overall goal is to improve retention among all engineering
undergraduates Action steps to achieve this goal:
Data: Provide data that will help identify areas that require attention in order to improve academic climate
Benchmarking: Provide aggregated and institution-specific data organized by sex and racial/ethnic categories for purposes of benchmarking with peer institutions
Follow-ups: Conduct follow-ups with schools after receipt of the PACE Final report to track actions taken to improve the climate
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
PACE Schools
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
PACE Characteristics
(n = 22)
EWC Characteristics
(n = 350)Public University 77% 62%
Minority-Serving Institution 18% 9%Land Grant University 41% 19%
2000 CC Doctoral/Research Universities – Extensive
73% 37%
2005 Basic CC RU/VH: Research Universities (Very high research activity)
55% 25%
2005 Basic CC RU/H: Research Universities (High research activity)
32% 23%
PACE Schools
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
PACE Characteristics
(n = 22)
EWC Characteristics
(n = 350)Minimum Enrollment, All levels 1,904 76
Maximum Enrollment 50,995 50,995
Mean Enrollment 26,224 14,296
PACE Mixed-Mode Method Online survey
Sample: Current engineering students
Oversampled under-represented groups
38,376 students invited 10,554 completions Median response rate:
28% Final sample size of
10,366
On-site Interviews Sample: Current and
former engineering students
Oversampled under-represented groups
179 interviews completed at 16 schools, 124 current students and 55 former students
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Survey Respondent Demographics
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Male Female TOTAL
African American 209 164 373
Native American 86 53 139
Hispanic American 851 389 1,240
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 17 18 35
White 3,321 2,994 6,315
Asian American 429 409 838
International 636 434 1,070
Unknown 88 62 150
Other 5 2 7
TOTAL 5,642 4,525 10,167
Respondent Representativeness
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Male Female TOTAL
African American -0.80% +0.59% -0.21%
Native American +0.42% +0.40% +0.81%
Hispanic American +0.91% +1.89% +2.80%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander +0.16% +0.17% +0.33%
White -22.21% +18.27% -4.38%
Asian American -2.85% +2.16% -0.68%
International +1.72% +3.30% +5.02%
Unknown -2.12% -0.04% -2.17%
Other -1.30% -0.24% -1.53%
TOTAL -26.51% +26.51%
Positive percentages indicate group is overrepresented among respondents while negative percentages indicate group is underrepresented among respondents.
Interviewee Demographics
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Male Female TOTAL
Leavers Climate Leavers Climate
African American 3 7 1 5 16
Native American 0 2 0 2 4
Hispanic American 1 13 1 8 23
White 25 29 16 36 106
Asian American 3 5 2 9 19
Asian Indian 2 2 0 4 8
Other 0 0 1 2 3
SUB-TOTAL 34 58 21 66179
TOTAL 92 87
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Sneak Peek at New PACE Findings Intersection of Gender, Race/Ethnicity and
Student Experience Four main areas:
Professor-Student Interaction Student-Student Interaction Confidence Risk of Attrition
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
School Representation No one school accounts for more than 13
percent of the African American survey respondents and every school contributes to the number.
Hispanic American Survey Respondents: One school contributes 22 percent, two schools combined contribute 28 percent, and all other schools contribute to the Hispanic American survey respondent number.
Analysis Methods 2 x 2 Contingency Tables
5 point scales reduced to binary variables Chi-Square: Are two variables associated? Adjusted Residuals: Where is the association?
Values > |2| Odds Ratios: How strong is the association?
OR=1=no effect, OR>1=increase in odds, OR<1=decrease in odds
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
VariablesProfessor-Student Interaction Do your professors inspire you to study engineering? Are you comfortable asking questions in class? Do your professors care whether or not you learn the course
material?Student-Student Interaction Do you feel like you are part of an engineering community? Do other students take your comments/suggestions in class
seriously? Do students compete with each other in your classes? Do engineering students help each other succeed in class?
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
VariablesConfidence (Strongly Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Neutral,
Somewhat Agree, Strongly Agree) I am confident in my ability to succeed in my college
engineering courses Risk of Attrition (Strongly Disagree, Somewhat Disagree,
Neutral, Somewhat Agree, Strongly Agree) I have no desire to declare a non-engineering major (e.g.
biology, theater, English, philosophy) I can think of other majors that I would like better than
engineering
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Odds Ratios for Comparisons of Race Within Gender Category
Males Females
African American
Hispanic American
African American
Hispanic American
Inspire 0.62* 1.25* 0.55* 1.48* Comfortable 0.81 0.77* 0.93 0.74* Care Learning 0.81 0.94 0.60* 0.69* Community 0.81 1.06 0.63* 0.76* Take Seriously 0.64* 0.78* 0.53* 0.63* Compete 1.18 1.18 1.21 1.44* Help succeed 0.78 1.06 0.44* 0.85 Confidence in Engr 0.41* 0.78 0.80 1.06 No Desire Non-Engr 0.89 0.87 0.88 1.01 Like Other Majors Better 1.97* 0.94 1.34 0.97
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Odds Ratios for Gender Comparisons within Race
African American
Hispanic American
White American
Inspire 0.86 1.12 0.97 Comfortable 0.74 0.63* 0.65* Care Learning 0.86 0.84 1.16* Community 1.27 1.13 1.60* Take Seriously 0.95 0.91 1.13* Compete 0.96 1.18 0.96 Help succeed 0.70 0.99 1.25* Confidence in Engr 0.84 0.58* 0.43* No Desire Non-Engr 0.67 0.79 0.68* Like Other Majors Better 0.92 1.39* 1.35*
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Risk of Attrition Can think of other majors I
would like better Total
Disagree Agree No desire to declare another major
Disagree 802 (11%) 1196 (17%) 1998 Agree 3988 (56%) 1184 (16%) 5172 Total 4790 2380 7170
Conclusion, Race Differences Inspiration by professors operates differently for
Hispanics than for African Americans, compared to Whites
Minorities not taken seriously by peers, compared to Whites (true for men and women)
Greater disparities between females of different races than males of different races All related to professor-student and student-
student interaction
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Conclusion, Gender Differences None among African Americans Among Hispanics, gender affects professor interaction,
confidence and risk of attrition Females less comfortable asking questions, less confident,
more likely to like other majors better. Among Whites, gender affects professor, student
interactions, confidence and risk of attrition Females more positive about student-student interaction,
believe professors care if they learn, like other majors better Females less comfortable asking questions, less confident,
less likely to say “no desire to declare non-engr major.
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Take Away One “size” approach does NOT fit all. Risk of Attrition highest for: African American
Males, White women and Hispanic women. About 28 percent of students have some
desire to declare a non-engineering major
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Plans for the Future What kinds of policies/programs will address
the findings discussed today? Multivariate analyses!! What does the rich pool of information from
the interviews tell us about these questions?
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Thank you! For the time, energy and resources you have
committed to the PACE study. For your commitment to improving student
experiences and thus retention For your attendance at this important meeting
Retention ResultsI intend to complete my engineering degree
Strongly Disagree
Somewhat Disagree
Neutral Somewhat Agree
Strongly Agree
Male 1.6% .5% 2.3% 9.0% 86.5%
Female .9% .4% 2.3% 8.7% 87.6%
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Retention Results
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Long-term educational plans in engineering
Bachelor’s Degree
Master’s Degree PhD
Male 43.8% 44.7% 11.65%Female 46.6% 42.9% 10.5%
African American 40.6% 47.3% 12.0%Asian American 44.2% 42.5% 13.3%Hispanic 37.8% 47.0% 15.1%Native American 44.2% 42.1% 13.7%White 49.1% 42.3% 8.6%
Retention ResultsHow long do you see yourself working as an engineer?
1-5 Years
6-10 Years
11-15 Years
16-20 Years
20+ Years
Male 10.5% 9.5% 7.7% 11.0% 61.2%
Female 10.6% 13.1% 10.5% 14.7% 51.1%
African American 12.5% 15.4% 12.1% 15.8% 44.3%
Asian American 20.6% 13.8% 9.6% 10.7% 45.3%
Hispanic 8.3% 7.5% 7.5% 14.1% 62.6%
Native American 9.6% 11.7% 9.6% 16.0% 53.2%
White 8.6% 10.6% 8.7% 12.7% 59.5%
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Quality of Teaching
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
Quality of teaching in engineering courses
AA(-.20)
Quality of teaching in math courses
H(.11)
NA(.17)
Quality of teaching in humanities/social science courses
F(.08)
AA(.17)
NA(.32)
dCohen in parentheses
Professors
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
Able to understand course material
F(-.13)
AA(-.38)
H(-.13)
Comfortable asking questions in class
F(-.24)
H(-.12)
Think you have a lower ability than you do
F(-.05)
Understand what professors expect of you
F(.09)
AA(-.14)
Inspire you to study engineering
AA(-.28)
H(.15)
Professors
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
Keep the office hours they set
F(-.05)
AA(-.13)
H(-.07)
NA(-.18)
Meet with your professors for extra help
F(.15)
AA(.31)
H(.18)
Move through the course material too quickly
AA(.33)
H(.20)
Feel overwhelmed by the amount of homework
F(.16)
AA(.13)
Accents make it difficult to understand
F(.05)
AA(-.16)
Teaching Assistants
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
Cultural differences made you less likely to meet with TAs
AA(-.23)
H(-.20)
Comfortable meeting with TAs for help
F(.04)
AA(.15)
Accents make it difficult to understand
AA(-.30)
H(-.20)
Student Interaction
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
Group projects valuable H(.09)
Feel like part of an engineering community
F(.23)
AA(-.13)
Like studying with other students in a group
F(.09)
H(.15)
Involved with student study groups
F(.19)
H(.11)
Engineering students help each other succeed
F(.11)
AA(-.23)
NA(-.25)
Student Interaction
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
Other students take your comments seriously
F(.05)
AA(-.25)
H(-.13)
Students compete with each other in class
H(.12)
Compared to other students, my engineering abilities are…
F(-.27)
AA(-.46)
H(-.15)
NA(-.23)
Perceptions of Engineering Careers
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
Engineers are well-paid F(.23)
H(-.15)
Engineers can leave and come back more easily than in other professions
AA(.14)
H(.10)
Engineering supports people who want to have children and work
F(-.32)
AA(-.11)
NA(-.19)
Society values the work engineers do
F(.13)
H(-.09)
Perceptions of Engineering Careers
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
Engineers help make the world a better place
H(.10)
Expect that engineering will be a rewarding career
H(.20)
Will have no problem finding a job with an engineering degree
H(-.14)
NA(-.22)
Confidence in Ability to Succeed
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
In engineering courses F(-.24)
AA(-.11)
In science courses F(-.17)
NA(-.18)
In math courses F(-.05)
H(.07)
In humanities/social science courses
F(.08)
In overall academic ability F(-.14)
AA(-.12)
Engineering Major
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Females vs.
Males
African Americans
vs. Whites
Hispanics vs. Whites
Native Americans
vs. Whites
No desire to declare a non-engineering major
F(-.15)
NA(-.20)
Can think of other majors I would like better than engineering
F(.12)
AA(.19)
It is my choice to study engineering
F(-.09)
Intend to complete my degree
F(-.06)
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Personal Experience: Race African American respondents were more than 30
times more likely than Whites to say they had been singled out because of race.
Hispanic respondents were nearly five times more likely than Whites to say they had been singled out because of race.
Native American respondents were nearly seven times more likely than Whites to say they had been singled out because of race.
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Personal Experience: Sex Females were nearly 20 times more likely than males
to report they had been singled out because of gender.
Females were more than three times more likely than males to report they had heard faculty express gendered stereotypes.
Females were more than five times more likely than males to report they had been sexually harassed by an engineering student.
Take-Away One “size” does NOT fit all
Women: Confidence, ability comparison, family friendly perceptions, engr. community
African Americans: classroom issues, ability comparison, help others succeed,
Hispanic/Latino: no medium to strong effects Native American: help others succeed, ability
comparison, job prospects
Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation