Was It All Bad? Engineering Student Perceptions of COVID-19's Impact on Their Career Development

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Ten
  In Roundtable Session: Problematizing the Pandemic: The Impact of COVID on Student Experiences (Table 9)

Abstract

In this study, we aim to gain insight into the effect the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on the persistence of undergraduate engineering students who attended a large public R1 university in the United States. Using Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) as the theoretical framework, we assess the pandemic’s impact on student self-efficacy, engineering outcome expectations, and career goals. The results indicate student perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on their educational experiences negatively impacted their engineering self-efficacy. No effects were observed of the impact of COVID-19 on their ability to build a professional network on any construct in the SCCT framework. The results of this study may inform higher-education policy decisions that could improve the persistence of engineering students.

Authors

• Allison Margaret Esparza, Texas A&M University
  Presenting Author

• Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez, Texas A&M University
  Presenting Author

• Bimal P Nepal, Texas A&M University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Camille S Burnett, Prairie View A&M University
  Non-Presenting Author