Equitable Attainment of Engineering Degrees: Use of Progress Analytics to Improve Student Success Outcomes

Abstract

This thesis considers the equitable attainment of engineering degrees by students in higher education. An important component of equity, in this case refers to students from all backgrounds having similar outcomes in terms of their ability to earn an engineering degree within four years; that is, on time. This work is motivated by the need for an increasing supply of engineering graduates in order to sustain innovative industrial growth, ensure national security, and maintain global competitiveness, which are just a few of the areas of national need requiring engineering talent. Thus, this research involves an investigation of the underlying factors contributing to delays in on-time graduation from engineering programs. This investigation includes a consideration of the efficiency and complexity of a large number of engineering programs in the United States. In addition, this included analyses that accounted for how student background preparation and prior academic experiences influence success in engineering programs. More specifically, this work is aimed at determining the extent to which disparities in educational backgrounds might affect the ability to complete engineering programs of various complexities. Success in this work will lead to a better understanding of the challenges that lead to difficulties for students to graduate on time from engineering programs, as well as the concerning number of dropouts and major changes, especially within vulnerable student populations. These outcomes raise questions about potential structural inequities within higher education, necessitating a deeper examination of the system’s dynamics and its impact on student outcomes. This thesis discusses the role that engineering curriculum structures play in student success outcomes, and it involves using curricular and student data that are analyzed using a variety of statistical models. The structural properties of individual curricula and how these structures impact student progress are determined. One of the goals of this thesis is to better understand how the complexity of curricula varies according to various factors. This information is used to investigate and better understand any institutional and/or disciplinary factors that may lead to variations in the curricula offered to undergraduate students. Success in this endeavor may help engineering program administrators better understand and identify necessary and unnecessary complexity elements in their curricula as they engage in continuous program improvement efforts.