Overview

In partnership with the University of California San Diego and the Georgia Institute of Technology, the purpose of this study is to increase the equitable attainment of engineering degrees and improve four-year graduation rates in five engineering disciplines; a challenge that is increasingly difficult at four-year institutions. Using Kotter’s Change Model to guide this study, we (1) evaluate how various engineering disciplines differ regarding the curriculum and instruction they tend to offer, (2) measure how the differences in curriculum and instruction between disciplines impact time-to-degree and student success across student demographic groups, and (3) evaluate the systemic inequities built into the respective engineering disciplines due to curricular structure and/or instructional design. Next this project utilizes learning communities to empower faculty to create impactful change in curricular structure and design to improve four-year graduation in engineering disciplines.

Impact

In a world where bachelor's degrees are increasingly critical to career advancement, there are also disparities in degree completion across race, social economic status, and first-generation status. Engineering programs in particular have some of the most complex curricula in higher education, which leads to students taking longer to complete their degree and paying more for their degree. This project aims to gain a better understanding of the factors that lead to inequitable attainment of degree completion. By understanding these factors, we will be able to identify areas to improve curricular structure and design resulting in increased access and graduation in engineering disciplines. 

Strategic Alignment

Pillar 1 - Wildcat Journey

By understanding the factors impacting the time it takes students to complete an engineering degree, we will be able to make impactful change in curricular structure and design that increases access to engineering programs and improves the time it takes to complete an engineering degree. This will ultimately lead to increased student success in a rapidly changing world. 

Pillar 5 - Institutional Excellence

Using innovative faculty led learning communities, this project empowers engineering faculty to collaboratively identify areas and mechanisms to improve equitable attainment of engineering degrees. This project will make UArizona a leader in student access to engineering degrees and ultimately a leader in four-year graduation rates across engineering disciplines.