2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Many students from structurally disadvantaged groups who are interested in a career in engineering choose an engineering technology (ET) college major over one in engineering. The need to identify the reasons for the over-representation of African American (AA) students in particular in ET, and to better understand the extent to which the apparent popularity of ET results from systemic racism and restricted access to engineering frame this project. The central goal of this project is to gain insight into the racial equity implications of the ET pathway- informed by the voices and experiences of African American ET students, technologists, and engineers.
According to data from the ASEE [1], the enrollment in both bachelor’s and master’s programs in ET has been increasing over the past ten years. Despite this, many in academia, K-12 education, and industry are not familiar with ET and the differences and similarities between technologists (graduates of 4-year bachelors programs in ET), engineers, and technicians. The 2016 report “Engineering Technology Education in the United States” published by the National Academies Press examined many aspects of the status, role, and needs of ET education [2]. The percentage of students earning 4-year ET degrees who are AA is almost three times that of students earning 4-year degrees in engineering who are AA [2]. ASEE annual data shows that there is a significantly higher percentage of AA students enrolled in four-year ET programs than in engineering programs at many of the institutions that offer ABET accredited programs in both engineering and ET [1]. The NAE report recommended that agencies consider funding research ‘to better understand the reasons for the preference for ET over engineering of African American students’. Indeed, issues associated with African American students’ career pathways within STEM and the choice of ET versus engineering remain largely underexplored in the literature. We conjecture that the factors influencing the choice of ET over engineering for many of these students include systemic issues related to the quality of pre-college mathematics and science preparation, career counseling received (or not received) in high school and college, a preference for a more ’hands-on’ curriculum, as well as socioeconomic, institutional, and psychological factors. In addition, hidden stereotypes in the branding and marketing of engineering and ET, and implicit bias in advising may contribute to students’ perception that their cultural perspectives are more aligned with ET than with engineering.
Here we present preliminary results based on focus group interviews of African American ET students at a predominantly White institution (PWI) where engineering technology is housed within the college of engineering. We also discuss the planned next phases of the research that include focus groups at a large PWI where ET is in its own college which is separate from the college of engineering, as well as a survey which will be informed by the focus group data. This survey will be disseminated to ET students at the two institutions in the study as well as other universities with ABET accredited ET programs.
Through this research, we have to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence the decisions of AA students to pursue degrees in ET over engineering and how these relate to systemic racism will contribute to the existing knowledge of how the pipeline to engineering careers and the professoriate might be strengthened. It will help inform strategies and new approaches toward full participation of engineering technologists in engineering. Potential strategies might include the facilitation of pathways from a bachelor’s degree in ET to advanced engineering degrees, the engineering professorate, and professional engineering registration,

[1] ASEE Editorial Board, "Profiles of engineering and engineering technology colleges," 2018: American Society for Engineering Education, 2018.
[2] G. Pearson, R. M. Latanision, and K. G. Frase, Engineering Technology Education in the United States. National Academies Press, 2017.