2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Student-led program to improve equity in Ph.D. oral qualifying exams

Presented at Graduate Studies Division (GSD) Technical Session 1: Recruitment and Support in Engineering Graduate Programs

In this paper, we present a student-developed and led program implemented in a graduate department to help students begin preparation for oral examinations on more equal footing. Despite the common use of oral qualifying (preliminary) examinations to assess students' ability to succeed and continue in an Engineering Ph.D. program, the communication skills needed to be successful in such a setting are not always explicitly taught in courses students take to prepare. We give a brief overview of historical and current qualifying exam practices, discuss the benefits and potential inequities of oral qualifying exams specifically, and finally, present one resource educators may use to address the gap in students' preparedness for this particular exam format.

During this department’s oral qualifying exams, students entering their second year solve technical problems on the blackboard while professors engage and evaluate not only their final answer but also their approach and problem-solving process. While in theory evaluating a student’s process rather than only the final answer can be more equitable, the oral exam format itself may actually amplify inequality via implied expectations that go beyond demonstrating mastery of technical concepts (the nominal goal). To succeed in an oral examination, students must also exhibit confident communication and skill working at the board, which serve as the main method of preparation for the exams, but these skills are not currently taught, practiced, or assessed during first-year courses.

We created a qualifying exam preparatory program to bridge the gap between the technical knowledge developed during the first year and the critical communication skills required to effectively demonstrate knowledge in an oral exam format. Our program, led by graduate student facilitators, consisted of voluntary hour-long weekly sessions with components targeting board work preparation, mental well-being, and study skills. We present details on our pedagogical framework, practical implementation, and lessons learned that highlight the program’s main benefits and areas for improvement. This case study is designed to offer one possible method to improve student success, well-being, and overall equity throughout the qualifying exam preparation process.

*Jacqueline Tawney and Meredith Hooper contributed equally to this work.

Authors

Meredith Leigh Hooper California Institute of Technology [biography]

This author was an equal first author contributor to this work. Meredith Hooper is an Aeronautics PhD student studying under Professor Mory Gharib in the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT). Meredith is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, leader within the GALCIT Graduate Student Council, and Co-Director of the Caltech Project for Effective Teaching (CPET). Her PhD research uses a combination of machine learning and experimental techniques to investigate optimal modes of propulsion, spanning interests in both bioinspired propulsion and classical aviation. In her role as Co-Director of CPET, Meredith works at the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach to coordinate and lead a variety of workshops, speakers, discussion groups, and more. These events support a community of graduate students and postdocs passionate about becoming effective educators through an improved understanding of research-based pedagogy.
Jacqueline Rose Tawney California Institute of Technology [biography]

This author was an equal first author contributor to this work. Jacqueline Tawney is a Ph.D. candidate in GALCIT (Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology). Jacque is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, a leader within the GALCIT Graduate Student Council, and the founder of Women in GALCIT. In the Kornfield group within Caltech's Chemical Engineering department, Jacque researches associative polymers, their rheological properties, and their potential for agricultural and industrial applications. She is passionate about creating positive change within her communities and being a compassionate scientist and leader.
Dr. Emily Hope Palmer California Institute of Technology [biography]

Emily H. Palmer earned her Ph.D. at the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT) in 2023. Her current research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying steady state flight control in Drosophila melanogaster. She has been involved in numerous educational outreach programs throughout her undergraduate and graduate career, and held a leadership position in the GALCIT graduate student council. She earned her M.S. from Caltech in Aeronautics in 2019, and her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2018.
James Ragan California Institute of Technology [biography]

James Ragan is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Autonomous Robotics and Controls Lab working with Professor Soon-Jo Chung. His research activities include developing algorithms that enable spacecraft to perform autonomous fault detection, including in multi-agent or safety critical settings, using tools such as Monte Carlo Tree Search.
Dr. Morgan Louise Hooper California Institute of Technology [biography]

After completing her PhD at the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT), Morgan Hooper is now an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) at the University of Toronto. There, her teaching focuses on building community within hands-on Engineering Design courses and beyond. She encourages students to engage with multi-faceted, trans-disciplinary engineering projects to learn the complex ways in which engineering, design, and community interact.
Yazmin Gonzalez California Institute of Technology [biography]

Yazmin Gonzalez brings over a decade of experience spearheading targeted equity pipeline and mentorship programs for minoritized groups. She began her journey in higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There she worked on strategic recruitment and retention initiatives focused on marginalized constituencies including: first-generation, undocumented, nontraditional, foster youth, transfer students of color, among others. She currently serves as the Associate Director at the Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity (CCID), where she spearheads programs to increase the retention and inclusion of identities, histories, experiences and perspectives historically underrepresented in STEM fields.

As an equity-minded strategist, Yazmin is passionate about developing evidence-based programming that delivers authentic and sustainable change. Her approach focuses on coalition-building and mentorship. Trained as a mixed methods researcher, she holds a M.A. and B.A. in Latin American Studies from UCLA.

Download paper (1.42 MB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session

For those interested in:

Graduate
Advocacy and Policy
engineering