2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The problem of attrition in engineering education is well known, with many students either changing majors out of engineering or leaving higher education altogether. Research has shown that these trends are particularly pronounced among members of groups that have historically been excluded from engineering education. While many explanations have been proposed for this problem, engineering and engineering education culture is often cited as a major factor.

The department of computer engineering at California Polytechnic State University has recently received an NSF RED grant with the aim of creating a more inclusive and welcoming culture in the department where students of all backgrounds and identities can thrive and succeed as engineers. As the first step in reaching this goal, we conducted a survey of our students to better understand students experience with the department’s culture and identify preliminary areas of improvement, as well as existing strengths that we can leverage as we begin our transformation.

The survey is a compilation of existing instruments and is designed to measure student experience in the computer engineering department across a number of dimensions. It consists of 44 Likert scale questions adapted from the Perceptions of Campus Climate Scale, Positive Relationships Scale, Science Identity Scale, and Academic Anxiety Scale. The survey was administered with IRB approval in Spring of 2024 and we received 66 responses.

The analysis indicates that respondents struggle with developing effective study skills, managing academic demands, and using time efficiently. While students generally have positive views of their interactions with professors, they showed the least agreement with statements about professors' sensitivity to individual needs, varying ability levels, and challenges outside the classroom. In terms of departmental interactions, students expressed the lowest agreement with statements about diversity being celebrated, support for the expression of diverse beliefs, and their sense of belonging within the department. Regarding individual academic anxiety, students expressed the greatest concerns about meeting expectations, procrastinating due to stress, completing assignments correctly, and uncertainty about the future.