Exploring the Success of HBCUs Development of Blacks Earning Engineering and Computing Graduate Degrees

历史上，黑人学院和大学(HBCU)在培养科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)方面的非裔美国人和黑人学生方面发挥了关键作用。在研究生学位方面，国家科学基金会发现，在2002至2011年间，HBCU包括了所有十所排名前十的黑人学士学位来源机构，这些机构后来获得了科学和工程博士学位。HBCU在为黑人学生准备研究生课程方面的优势表明，有必要更好地了解这一未被探索的成功案例，特别是这些机构在支持未来的黑人学生探索和申请研究生院时的做法。确定和传播这些成功案例将鼓励HBCU和非HBCU领导人增加资源，以招收更多STEM本科生，包括增加继续攻读工程和计算机硕士和博士学位的人数。此外，这项研究将为非HBCU组织提供一个机会，让他们更好地了解HBCU、他们的文化，以及他们如何在与他们合作以及招聘和留住HBCU研究生阶段的工程和计算专业学生时更具战略性。通过基于证据的见解和建议，这个项目将有助于国家科学院概述的目标：(1)提高少数族裔学生对STEM研究生学位的兴趣，(2)留住那些项目中的黑人学生并让他们毕业，(3)记录供其他人使用的最佳实践。研究团队将使用三个阶段的研究，(1)检查HBCU工程和计算本科生对研究生院感兴趣的途径和经历，(2)隔离个人、制度和文化因素，这些因素对他们的整体本科经历做出贡献，并导致成功完成工程和计算机研究生项目。第一阶段将通过收集与HBCU工程和计算机项目相关的在校学生和最近毕业的校友的调查数据来寻求广度。第二阶段将通过深入的、以访谈为基础的案例研究，从三个具体的HBCU中发展出丰富的见解。这三个机构将通过使用第一阶段结果的最大方差技术进行有目的的抽样来选择。第三阶段将在2021年全国黑人工程师学会全国大会和2021年美国工程教育学会年会的两个验证研讨会上与HBCU的学生和利益攸关方分享第一阶段和第二阶段的综合成果。这三个阶段的综合结果将增加研究界对HBCU黑人学生经历的了解，包括行政人员、教职员工对学生兴趣的贡献，最终追求和完成工程和计算机研究生学位。此外，来自HBCU和其他机构的经验性传播研讨会将吸引和装备来自HBCU和其他机构的利益相关者检查他们自己的做法，并采用能够提高未被充分代表的少数族裔学生对研究生课程的兴趣和准备的方法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played a critical role in the production of African American and Black students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). For graduate degrees, between 2002 and 2011, the National Science Foundation found that HBCUs comprised all ten of the top baccalaureate-origin institutions for Blacks who went on to obtain a doctorate degree in science and engineering. The predominance of HBCUs in the preparation of Black students for graduate programs suggests a need to better understand this under-explored success case and, in particular, the practices of these institutions that support prospective Black students as they explore and apply to graduate school. Identifying and disseminating these success cases will encourage HBCU and non-HBCU leaders to add resources towards matriculating more undergraduate students in STEM including increasing the number that go on to pursue masters and PhDs in engineering and computing. In addition, this study will provide an opportunity for non-HBCU organizations to better understand HBCUs, their culture and how they can be more strategic in partnering with them as well as recruiting and retaining engineering and computing HBCU students at the graduate level. Through the resulting evidence-based insights and recommendations, this project will contribute to the goals outlined by the National Academies: (1) increasing underrepresented minority students' interest in graduate STEM degrees, (2) retaining and graduating Black students in those programs, and (3) documenting best practices for others to use.Using a three-phased study, the research team will (1) examine the pathways and experiences of HBCU engineering and computing undergraduates who are interested in graduate school and (2) isolate the individual, institutional and cultural factors that contribute to their overall undergraduate experiences and lead to successful completion of engineering and computing graduate programs. Phase I will seek breadth by collecting survey data from current students and recent alumni associated with engineering and computing programs at HBCUs. Phase II will serve to develop rich insights from three particular HBCUs through in-depth, interview-based case studies. The three institutions will be selected through purposive sampling using maximum variation techniques of the Phase I results. Phase III will involve sharing the integrated results from Phases I and II with HBCU students and stakeholders during two validation workshops at the 2021 National Society of Black Engineers National Convention and at the 2021 Annual American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. The integrated results of these three phases will add to the research community's understanding of the experiences of Black students at HBCUs including the contribution of administrators, faculty and staff towards their students' interest, eventual pursuit and completion of engineering and computing graduate degrees. In addition, empirically-informed dissemination workshops will engage and equip stakeholders from HBCUs and other institutions to examine their own practices and adopt approaches that can increase underrepresented minority students' interest and preparedness for graduate programs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.