2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Faculty-Student Interactions as Experienced by Black Engineering and Computer Science Students

Presented at Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 13

Previous literature indicates that Black engineering and computer science students face unique challenges. However, we know little about the active and inactive ways that Black students engage in their interactions with faculty members. We present an interpretative phenological analysis (IPA) of five interviews of Black engineering and computer science students to answer the question: How do Black students experience faculty-student interactions in computer science and engineering education? Through our analysis, we present four themes that characterize the experiences of our study participants: (1) Experiencing painful isolation from faculty and peers, (2) Facing increased pressure to succeed, (3) Seeking and finding connection with faculty and peers when faced with isolation, (4) Understanding themselves inside their respective programs. By comprehending the pervasive and hidden storylines influencing the interactions between faculty and Black students in computer science and engineering, faculty members can gain insights into how their actions can contribute to the success of these students.

Authors

Kyle Shanachilubwa Harding University
Dr. James L. Huff http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6693-5808 Harding University [biography]

Dr. James Huff is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education and Honors College Faculty Fellow at Harding University. He conducts transdisciplinary research on identity that lies at the nexus of applied psychology and engineering education. A recipient of the NSF CAREER grant (No. 2045392) and the director of the Beyond Professional Identity (BPI) lab, Dr. Huff has mentored numerous undergraduate students, doctoral students, and academic professionals from more than 10 academic disciplines in using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a qualitative research method to examine identity and shame in a variety of contexts. Dr. Huff serves as Associate Editor for Studies in Engineering Education, Journal of Engineering Education, and is on the Editorial Board of Personality and Social Psychology Review. He has a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Harding University, an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University.
Dr. Amy L. Brooks http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-9949-579X University of Pittsburgh [biography]

Dr. Amy Brooks is a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. Her dissertation research broadly focused on global issues related to sustainable waste management and plastic pollution. After earning her PhD 2021 from the University of Georgia, Amy developed skills in qualitative research methods in engineering education at Oregon State University. As part of this training, she used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to examine engineering faculty well-being and collaborated on the development of a reflective tool for researchers to build skills in semi- and unstructured interviewing. Building on her postdoctoral training, Amy aims to merge her methodological interests to pursue research questions in the nexus of engineering education, sustainable development, and resilient communities.

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