African American Engineering Students' Opportunities for Developmental Experiences Through Noncurricular Activities

• In Event: Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: Postsecondary Experiences to Promote Social Agency

Abstract

Our research examines how African American engineering students acquire skills essential to their professional success via certain non-curricular organizations. Using parallel approaches that are inductive (constructivist grounded theory) and deductive (comparison to extant frameworks), we explore the rich experiences of participants involved in minority in engineering programs, the National Society of Black Engineers, Black Greek-lettered organizations at predominantly White institutions. We describe how participants construct meaning from these activities and relate membership in them to the their overall educational experience. In particular, we ask participants to identify how specific aspects of their membership in one or more of these three non-curricular activities contribute the development of the Engineer of 2020 traits identified by the National Academy of Engineering.

Authors

• Stacey D Garrett, Clemson University

• Julie P. Martin, Clemson University

• Shannon Stefl, Clemson University

• Stephanie G Adams, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Lamonda Pete, Clemson University