2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work in Progress: Towards a Participatory Action Research Approach to Improve Representation of Black Ph.D.s in Engineering

Presented at Towards a Participatory Action, Retention of Black Students, and Exploring Black Engineering Student Success

This work-in-progress introduces a participatory action research design approach to improve representation and support for Black Ph.D.s in engineering. In 2019, only 3.9% of doctoral engineering degrees were awarded to Black students (ASEE, 2020), thereby affecting who goes on to become future faculty members, leaders, and role models (Burt et al., 2019). Most research on broadening participation in engineering has focused on undergraduate education with relatively limited work on graduate populations (Burt et al., 2018). A recent systematic literature review on Black students in engineering identified 132 references situated in undergraduate education and only 5 in graduate education (Holloman et al., 2020). This statistic speaks to the need to improve the support of Black graduate students in engineering. For this work, we present a use-inspired approach where the target population, Black engineering Ph.D. students and their faculty advisors, along with recent Black engineering Ph.D. alumni, become academic partners in co-creating a professional development curriculum, procedures, and policies needed to equip individuals to be agents of change while enabling institutional and programmatic spaces for this agency to thrive in. For this paper, we will discuss strategies and approaches towards participatory action that build inclusive and equitable engineering educational spaces for Black Ph.D. students in engineering, even when the environments are exclusionary and systemically inequitable in power.

Authors

Dr. Idalis Villanueva Alarcon http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-8767-2576 University of Florida [biography]

Dr. Villanueva Alarcon is an Associate Professor in the Engineering Education Department at the University of Florida. Her multiple roles as an engineer, engineering educator, engineering educational researcher, and professional development mentor for underrepresented students in engineering.
Dr. Denise Rutledge Simmons P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3401-2048 University of Florida [biography]

Denise R. Simmons, Ph.D., PE, F.ASEE, PMP, LEED-AP is a distinguished figure in civil engineering education and workforce development. With tenure at the University of Florida's Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, she blends deep academic knowledge with hands-on industry experience. With over three decades of work experience in positions across consulting, professional engineering, and academia, Dr. Simmons has served in diverse roles, from leadership positions in for-profit entities to guiding minority-serving institutions.

As the inaugural Associate Dean for Workforce Development in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, her leadership highlights her unparalleled foresight and industry relevance. She has dedicated over a decade to engineering leadership roles in industry.

Her pioneering research, backed by $9M in federal funding and resulting in over 100 refereed articles, positions her at the nexus of civil engineering education and real-world applications. In 2023, her contributions earned her the grade of Fellow Member in the American Society for Engineering Education.

A fervent advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in engineering, Dr. Simmons champions a business ethos where inclusivity aligns with profitability and societal impact. Esteemed in academia, Dr. Simmons' advisory role for numerous NSF grants underscores her reputation. Her expertise in deciphering industry challenges and tailoring solutions is unmatched, making her a sought-after consultant for academic institutions and businesses aiming to navigate the evolving engineering landscape.
Jasmine McNealy University of Florida

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