VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Watford, Bevlee A."

Browsing by Author "Watford, Bevlee A."

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Agency to Change: A Narrative Inquiry of White Men Faculty in Engineering Engaged in Broadening Participation Work
Hampton, Cynthia (Virginia Tech, 2021-01-29)
Transformational change for Broadening Participation in Engineering (BPE) of racial, ethnic, and gender groups has not occurred, despite continuing efforts for over four decades. BPE can be represented through particular activities to increase underrepresented students' participation at the undergraduate and graduate levels (herein referred to as BPE Work). One approach to investigating the complexity of change through BPE is through the analysis of a sub-group of faculty who engage in BPE Work within the system of engineering education. In the case of BPE, investigation of faculty engagement is limited. Further, limited exploration of the majority group's experiences (i.e., white men) exists concerning their agency and this type of work. This study investigates the experiences of engineering faculty who identify as white men and have been engaged in BPE Work using faculty agency and narrative. These narratives reveal insights into the current system that may drive, sustain, or prohibit BPE change. Using the narrative experiences of eight engineering faculty involved in BPE Work who identify as white men, this research explores the following questions: (1) What activities do white men faculty describe in their personal narratives of engaging in BPE Work; (2) How do white men faculty describe their trajectory into and through engaging in BPE Work; (3) What factors influence the actions and perspectives of white men faculty engaged in BPE Work; and (4) How do white men faculty describe the outcomes to their professional and personal lives when using their agency for BPE Work? Application of data analysis to research questions to elicit findings found in chapter 4 consisted of an accountability cycle, BPE Work activities, factors that impact (constraining or enabling) BPE Work, and outcomes to the participants' lives from engagement in BPE Work. The participants of this study shared experiences in which they expressed perspectives on BPE, reflecting on their backgrounds. Archer (2003) describes the ability to take a stance regarding society as invoking an "active agent," but that this stance is not a one-and-done situation (p. 343). This study resulted in findings for Deans and Provosts on the vital need for a normalized climate for BPE Work, the hidden essential functions of Engineering Student Support Centers, value-focused needs for tenure/promotion/merit processes for BPE Work, the trajectory of faculty development in BPE Work, the experiences that permeate into faculty life in undergraduate student development, and the need for future work in interrogating power dynamics in engineering education The need for all faculty to be involved in change alludes to a necessary understanding. The number of faculty of color and women faculty is not robust enough or supported to carry the system's burden. A need is present to take a realistic look at how white men experience BPE Work. This look is vital for policy and the identification of system constraints that need to be evaluated and used to drive BPE forward.
The assessment cycle: Insights from a systematic literature review on broadening participation in engineering and computer science
Holloman, Teirra K.; Lee, Walter C.; London, Jeremi S.; Hawkins Ash, Chanee D.; Watford, Bevlee A. (American Society for Engineering Education, 2021-09-14)
Background: In the field of engineering education, assessment and evaluation have been given insufficient attention as they relate to broadening participation. We posit that this lack of attention negatively impacts our ability to develop and implement sustainable solutions at scale. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore the presence of an assessment cycle in the literature related to broadening participation in engineering. The assessment cycle refers to the process by which assessment/evaluation is planned, enacted, and used to improve educational processes. Scope/Method: The scope of this study was influenced by it being situated in a larger study focused on broadening participation of Black Americans in engineering and computer science. We completed a literature map that illuminated a subset of literature broadly related to assessment/evaluation, and subsequently conducted a systematic literature review of 33 publications reporting on assessment/evaluation efforts. Our analysis of these efforts was grounded in a six-stage assessment cycle. Results: The results of this study highlight common publishing practices related to the assessment cycle in the context of broadening participation. We find that assessment/evaluation is generally published at the program level, focused on student development or academic success as a proxy for program effectiveness, and concentrated on positive claims. Conclusion: There is room to significantly improve how assessment/evaluation information is published. By highlighting productive and unproductive publishing practices related to assessment/evaluation, this research has important implications for the use and publishing of assessment/evaluation, particularly as it relates to broadening participation in engineering.
The Change: A Narrative-Informed Case Study Exploring the Tension between Structures and Agency in the Educational Trajectories of Engineering Students from Underserved Backgrounds
Taylor, Ashley R. (Virginia Tech, 2020-02-05)
In the United States context, there is a particularly prevalent dialogue about the transformative power of an engineering degree for underserved students. Long positioned as a mechanism for moving up the social ladder, engineering education is often discussed as a mechanism for upward mobility, promising underserved students the opportunity to climb. However, a critical examination of who enrolls and persists in engineering degree programs suggests not everyone can equitably leverage the transformative power of an engineering degree, with persistent inequities for underserved students. Though literature highlights systemic barriers faced by underserved engineering students, much less is known about how underserved students navigate barriers to pursue an engineering bachelor's degree. Accordingly, the purpose of my study was to explore how students from underserved backgrounds navigate their educational trajectories, focusing on the interplay between structures and agency. Using a Bourdieusian lens, my study was guided by the overarching research question: In their narratives, how do students from underserved backgrounds describe navigating their educational trajectories towards a bachelor's engineering degree? I used a single case study methodology with embedded units of analysis to explore this research question. My primary data sources included narrative interviews with 32 underserved engineering students and geospatial community-level data extrapolated from students' home zip codes. My results indicate that underserved engineering students describe a variety of strategies to enact agency by planning, optimizing, and, at times, redirecting their educational trajectories. This study also highlights the influence of family, community, economic, and political environments on the educational journeys of underserved engineering students, as students described navigating and adapting to these various social environments. Students also describe their environments as dynamic, with trajectories changing based on critical incidents such as a parent illness or loss of work. Lastly, students' narratives highlight a diverse range of reasons for pursuing engineering, which often extended beyond private goods approaches to engineering education. My results present implications for engineering education, the most notable of which is that underserved students are not a monolithic group and represent a diverse range of lived experiences. My results also highlight agency as a collective endeavor, challenging popular notions that agency is operationalized at the level of a single individual. Lastly, students' lived experiences with material hardship highlight the dynamic and multidimensional nature of economic disadvantage. Such insights compel engineering educators to reexamine how we conceptualize and measure economic disadvantage in higher education. Ultimately, this research highlights opportunities to increase access and equity in engineering education for underserved students.
Constructs for the development of a computer simulation language for bulk material transportation systems
Watford, Bevlee A. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1983)
The overall objective of this research is the development of a set of guidelines, or constructs, which will assist in the formulation of a simulation language for bulk material transportation systems. The formulation of these guidelines necessitated a thorough analysis of two particular areas; these being the simulation analysis procedure and bulk material transportation systems. For comprehension of the nature of simulation languages, Part II presents each step of the analysis procedure as examined from the language's perspective. Supporting this analysis, Part III presents a detailed review of selected simulation languages which are currently available to the systems analyst. Bulk material transportation systems are presented in Part IV. These systems are discussed in detail from the viewpoint of the mode of transportation, the transportation medium, and the type of bulk materials transported. The functional specifications, or constructs, for a bulk material transportation simulation language are presented in Part V. These specifications are categorized according to the following areas; the system being described, the language form, and computer considerations. Utilizing these constructs a simulation language may be developed for subsequent use by bulk material transportation systems analysts which shall be a more appropriate choice for simulating their systems than any language currently available to them.
Disaggregating the Monolith: A Case Study on Varied Engineering Career Orientations and Strategies of Black Women in Tech
Hall, Janice Leshay (Virginia Tech, 2021-06-08)
Diversifying the engineering workforce has been a national imperative for several decades. The increased participation of Black students in engineering is commonly identified as a crucial area for improvement. Yet, the rates of engineering degree completion are slowing for Black women in particular. In 2015, less than one percent of all U.S. engineering bachelor's degrees were awarded to Black women. To support broadening participation efforts, I use an anti-deficit approach to examine the career orientations and mobility patterns of Black women working in computing and engineering roles in the tech industry. By characterizing the different career motivations, strategies, and points of transition in the careers of a diverse sample of Black women, I sought to disaggregate the Black women's engineering and computing career experiences—particularly as it relates to how and why they move into, around and out of roles in the tech industry. Using a qualitative multi-case study, I conducted a multi-level career mobility analysis on secondary data and user-generated social media artifacts to extend theory on career orientations and talent management to help normalize "non-traditional" career trajectories. The study findings are useful to inform the next generation of Black women interested in tech on the different ways to approach and achieve subjective career success and satisfaction in engineering and computing fields. In this dissertation work, I discuss how the varied insights of Black women's career experiences in tech can be leveraged for practitioners and industry leaders to broaden the participation (e.g., to attract, retain and better support) of students and employees by identifying their career orientations and then using that to inform career preparation and development that aligns with different engineering and computing career outlooks.
The Engineering Identity Development of Department of the Air Force Women of Color Developmental Engineers
Jackson, Janelle Torree Harden (Virginia Tech, 2024-05-14)
The National Research Council (2010) reports that minorities and women are consistently overlooked as a critical source of STEM talent and expertise, and are a segment of the population that must be sought after if the U.S. is to meet the educational, industry and military demands of tomorrow. These three entities (education, industry and military) are key stakeholders in the preparation of a strong STEM workforce, and each is heavily vested in the recruitment of the most talented individuals. Despite the military's ongoing efforts, specifically those of the Department of the Air Force (DAF), the armed forces continue to fall short in recruiting and retaining women and minorities in engineering (National Research Council, 2010). This qualitative, phenomenological study is informed by Gee's (2000) theory of four interconnected perspectives of identity, Erickson's (1962) Psychosocial Theory of Development, Godwin's (2016) engineering identity development, Kummel's (2018) military identity, and Lent et al.'s (1994) social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and sought to answer the following research question: How do Department of the Air Force (DAF) Women Of Color (WOC) Developmental Engineers (DE) describe the lived experiences that have affected and shaped their engineering identity development and enabled them to become DAF WOC DEs? The current state of knowledge about and understanding of the many ways in which WOC become DE in the DAF and develop their engineering identity are complex but amenable to further review and intervention solutions. Many of the issues addressed in the literature review remain unaddressed or insufficiently addressed: the need for self-belief, competent and compassionate educators, science learning experiences with engineers, role models, STEM motivation and identity, shared military meaning for engineers, affiliations with minority engineering programs, and a range of support including family, financial, emotional and educational. Purposeful sampling was used to intentionally find the people who have experienced the phenomenon of being a WOC Developmental Engineer (DE) in the DAF to best articulate their lived experiences and inform the research study (Creswell and Poth, 2018). Criteria for participation included identifying as a woman or female, being a member of the DAF (USAF or USSF), carrying the 62E Developmental Engineering Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC), and belonging to one of the following ethnic or minority groups: American Indian/Native Alaskan, Asian, Black or African American, identified as more than one race, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Island, Hispanic or Latino. Six women responded to the solicitation and were interviewed. The research participants for this study are adult female members of the DAF, active duty or retired. DAF comprises both the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Space Force (USSF). The key points from the findings suggest four major themes, closely aligned with the work of Gee (2000), in understanding the dynamic nature of identity as an important analytic tool for how people perform or see themselves in society, in school, in learning, and in life. The four major perspectives/themes are nature identity e.g., female; institutional identity e.g. DAF; discursive/discourse identity e.g. recognition; and affinity identity e.g. developmental engineering. Based on the experiences of these women, developing an interest in STEM or engineering along with setting a goal early in life is key to becoming an engineer. Additionally, various learning experiences supported by a strong math foundation played a role in developing an interest in engineering, especially hands-on experiences. Having a strong math foundation was important to developing engineering identity. Math helps students think abstractly, develop critical thinking skills, and enables them to deal with hard, ill-defined problems. Math is also an area where students need encouragement and are likely to struggle and need help. Connecting math to real world situations and applications helps with interest and as Alma puts it, math can "activate the curiosity of the mind". Critical choices were made to get scholarships and to join ROTC enabling them to earn an engineering degree and providing a pathway to the DAF. Essentially, learning experiences including having a strong math foundation, interests/goals, support/self-belief, and critical choices supported these women in developing their engineering identity. Having the support of family and teachers and encouragement are also keys to self-belief and perseverance. Within this, conscientiousness is also seen because the women set a challenging goal and then took the necessary steps to achieve that goal. They were diligent in their learning experiences and very achievement oriented. The women valued having a cohort for encouragement and support. Recognizing that both the military and engineering will enable a career and not just a job seemed critical to these women. There was a need to be financially independent so engineering and the military provided this. Whether it was deciding to be an engineer or deciding to be an engineer in the DAF, seeing minority women in leadership roles was critical for pivotal decisions. Seeing women of color in the military in leadership roles served as a source of inspiration for some of the participants and fostered certain decisions. Once into their career, the desire to stay technical served as a recognition of who they are as engineers and led to new goals and decisions. The participants did not allow the military to strip them of their identity but they fought to have impressive careers. Several implications and recommendations are presented for how to get more Women of Color into the engineering career field and into the DAF. Recommendations were distilled to recruiting, encouragement and mentoring, exposure, utilizing various platforms to showcase representation, developing partnerships with ROTC and local schools, and ensuring visuals on television and in movies.
The Experiences of African-American Males on Multiracial Student Teams in Engineering
Cross, Kelly J. (Virginia Tech, 2015-06-15)
Team projects in engineering are critical sites for professional and personal development as students interact with peers and faculty on projects designed to simulate engineering work. These projects allow students to try on professional roles and establish a sense of identity within their field, which in turn influences their retention through college and into engineering careers. However, team projects can present challenges specific to students from underrepresented populations. While research on women's team experiences is strong, few researchers have studied African-Americans. To fill this gap, the current study explores the experiences of African-American males on multiracial student teams and the impact of those teams on these students' identities. This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach, using a three-interview sequence with eight African-American male engineering students as they worked on team projects at a predominantly white institution (PWI). The interviews gathered background information about each participant, explored the team functionality during the project, and enabled participants to reflect on the team experience. Two theoretical frameworks were considered during the study design: 1) intergroup contact theory provided a lens to explore interracial interactions, and 2) multiple identities provided a lens to analyze the impact of team dynamics on students' intersecting identities. The findings provide a rich understanding of the team experiences of African-American male students that can enhance project-based teaching within engineering to more explicitly attend to team dynamics, including interracial interactions for students of color. Both positive and negative impacts on African-American males in engineering emerged from the intergroup contact within the team environment. Specifically, the results indicate that these participants enjoyed their multiracial student teaming experiences, supported by informal social interactions among team members and generally positive professional interactions. However, the study participants also entered their team experiences fully aware of the negative stereotypes about African-Americans in engineering and proactively worked to dispel those stereotypes.
Exploring the Interpersonal Relationships of Black Men in Undergraduate Engineering Programs
Boyd-Sinkler, Karis Elisabeth (Virginia Tech, 2021-06-08)
The dilemma of making education an equitable system, especially for minoritized groups, has persisted for centuries. While there have been efforts aimed at decreasing disparities, there is still more work that needs to be done. An often-overlooked population in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is Black men—a group at the nexus of being a gender majority and racial minority. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory research study is to understand how Black men experience interpersonal relationships in undergraduate engineering programs. The overarching research question that guides this study is: What are the qualitatively different aspects of interpersonal relationships experienced by Black men in undergraduate engineering programs? Using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory as a lens and a quasi-phenomenography methodology to understand the variance of the students' relationships, I conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with students who identified as a Black man and were a second-year or higher in their undergraduate engineering program. By examining interpersonal relationships, I clarify the meaningfulness of relationships at one historically Black college and university (N=1) and two historically white institutions (N=13). A total of seven relationship types and ten different ways students described their relationships were identified in the data. Each of the ways students described their relationship was organized on the emergent domains of academic, emotional/mental, financial, professional, social, and spiritual. Students also mentioned five environmental influences that impacted their experiences in engineering. My results indicate that students find value in relationships with people who were relatable, people who could provide insight or knowledge, and people who showed a sense of care or concern for the student. Students also mentioned how environmental influences bear significance on their over experience in engineering. The present study lays the groundwork for holistically examining the interpersonal relationships of Black men in undergraduate engineering programs.
Human-Centered Communication Technologies to Enhance Tutoring
Smith, Paige E. (Virginia Tech, 1998-02-17)
The goal of this research was to investigate communication media and feedback learning cues for tutoring. A macroergonomic perspective was used to identify three sociotechnical variables associated with tutoring assistance: problem analyzability, communication media, and learning feedback cues. A four-phase problem solving approach was used in all trials. The communication media consisted of collocated communication, email, a chatroom, and video teleconferencing. The learning feedback cue was a non-verbal mechanism for subjects to provide the tutor with immediate information about their understanding throughout the problem. Subjects participated in a total of eight trials over a four-week time period. The analysis accuracy, process time, and user satisfaction indicated that the four-phase problem solving approach was not important in the interpretation of the results. In each problem-solving phase and for the overall tutoring process, technical performance (e.g., accuracy and speed of problem solving) and user satisfaction were measured to determine the most effective communication technology (or technologies) for tutoring students. The results of this study indicated that the accuracy was similar for all experimental conditions. However, the speed of problem solving was generally faster for audio-visual communication than text-based communication. In all phases, subjects were significantly more satisfied in conditions without feedback cues. And in general, satisfaction was higher in collocated communication and the chatroom compared to email; satisfaction was generally higher in collocated communication compared to video teleconferencing. There was no evidence that computer-mediated communication improved the tutoring process. However, important design implications existed for tutoring systems with limited resources. Through computer-mediated communication, a single tutor could assist many students at one time. The chatroom appeared to be a condition that would be an effective communication medium for spatially dispersed tutoring. Although the tutoring process required significantly more time to complete using the chatroom compared to collocated communication, accuracy and satisfaction measures were similar between collocated communication and the chatroom.
Managing race/ethnicity and gender diversity in the context of total quality management
Grace, Ganelle (Virginia Tech, 1993-11-05)
This document serves as a means of enlightening organizations that are not practicing TQM/continuous improvement or managing race/ethnicity and gender diversity or that are practicing both but want to benchmark their practices against other organizations used in this study or against the program the researcher designed to assist organizations in the management or race/ethnicity and gender diversity about managing race/ethnicity and gender diversity in the context of large-scale organizational change efforts. Both TQM and race/ethnicity and gender diversity are defined in this document. Also discussed are the reasons why organizations should manage race/ethnicity and gender diversity as a means of improving overall organizational performance. This document also contains an extensive body of knowledge review that discusses both phenomena extensively. Also outlined in this document is the research methodology used by this researcher to collect the necessary data for carrying out this research. Discussed in the research methodology section are the handling of the logistics~ practicalities, ethical issues and confidentiality related to entry into the organizations used in this research and data collection while in the organizations. This research methodology chapter also contains the data analysis techniques the research used to analyze the data. In the results chapter of this document, the research presents a detailed case description about the data found in each organization pertaining to the research. The detailed case description contains: a brief overview of the organization, its TQM efforts, the endeavors that the organization uses to manage race/ethnicity and gender diversity, the means the organization uses to achieve the elements (working together; empowerment, participation, and involvement; and communication) that relate to both TQM and diversity management; and a summary. Also in this chapter is a comparison of each organization's endeavors and means to the other organizations used in the study. Chapter 5 contains the conclusions and interpretations of the general findings pertaining to the information rendered from this research pertaining to how the organizations used manage race/ethnicity and gender diversity in a TQM environment. Chapter 6 also contains the program this researcher developed to assist organizations in managing race/ethnicity and gender diversity in the context of large-scale organizational change efforts aimed at improving organizational performance. The information the researcher used to compile this chapter is based on the data, facts, information, knowledge, past and present experiences acquired while doing the research endeavor, and while a graduate student at Virginia Tech.
A Mixed Method Approach for Assessing the Adjustment of Incoming First-Year Engineering Students in a Summer Bridge Program
Waller, Tremayne (Virginia Tech, 2009-07-20)
For nearly half a century, institutions of higher education have implemented bridge programs in order to increase the retention and graduation rates of at-risk students (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). In fact, summer bridge programs (SBPs), which typically occur prior to a student's freshman fall term, are among the oldest strategies used to improve college retention rates (Garcia, 1991). Surprisingly, even though SBPs are widely acknowledged by both students and program administrators to be beneficial, there is very little empirical evidence assessing their effectiveness (Garcia, 1991; Kluepfel,1994; Pascarella & Terenzini; Rita and Bacote,1997; Ackerman 1990; Gandara & Maxwell-Jolly, 1999). This study, therefore, used a mixed methods approach to investigate the various adjustment issues of participants versus non-participants in a summer bridge program for engineering students at a predominantly White institution (PWI) in the mid-southeastern region of the United States. Specifically, the Academic, Social, Personal-Emotional, and Goal Commitment/Institutional Attachment subscales of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) were utilized (Baker & Siryk, 1999) for this purpose. One important finding that the SACQ revealed was that the personal-emotional scale was significant for gender since scores for men were higher than for females. The Summer Bridge Inventory (SBI) that was employed in this research also revealed that summer bridge participants and the director of support programs shared similar opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of the program and its related activities. In conclusion, college administrators and directors of summer support programs should carefully assess programmatic outcomes to ensure that their institutions' SBPs provided the needed supports that will enhance the retention and graduation rates of at-risk students in engineering.
The Pact: A framework for retaining 1st year African American Engineering Men
Waller, Tremayne; Artis, Sharnnia; Watford, Bevlee A. (American Society for Engineering Education, 2007)
In 2001, the National Science Foundation (NSF) reported that 8.1% of the total science and engineering degrees offered at the baccalaureate level were awarded to African-Americans. In 2004, Caucasian men composed of 69.3% of the science and engineering degrees whereas African-American men accounted for 5.9%.1 African-American men are still disproportionately represented in the engineering and science fields. In order to address this need, Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering has developed The VT PACT, a retention program for first-year African- American men in engineering. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: 1) to discuss how the book titled, The Pact, written by Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt was used as a framework to develop the The VT PACT and 2) to discuss the impact of The VT PACT for the 2005-2006 academic year and the 2006 fall semester.2 The researchers provide brief background on statistics for African-American men pursuing degrees in engineering, an overview of retention programs geared toward African-American men and an overview of the book, The Pact. Following the overview of The Pact, this paper explains the process used to align The Pact as a framework to set a pact among first-year African-American men in engineering. Then the paper concludes with how The VT PACT impacted the first-year African American males in engineering for the 2005-2006 academic year and the 2006 fall semester and recommendations for future VT PACT cohorts.
The Persistence of African-American Males in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech
Moore, James L. III (Virginia Tech, 2000-06-14)
This study was designed to explore, identify, and examine how African-American males were able to persist in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. The findings were used to gain insight to how some African-American males persevere in engineering disciplines and others do not. In addition, the study was designed to better understand the institutional barriers that were perceived as having to overcome in order to persist as an engineering student and to pinpoint the factors that most influenced their decision to pursue engineering. It was also intended that this study would provide the groundwork for the development of a conceptual model that would have implications for recruiting, retaining, and graduating African-American males. Such a conceptual model would complement existing literature related to academic success and achievement in higher education. The primary sources of collecting data were focus groups, individual interviews, and biographical questionnaires. These research methods allowed African-American males to share their stories and experiences in their own words. A total of 42 African-American males participated in the study. The participants were divided into five sample-groups: (1) Ultimate-Persistent Group, African-American males who were former engineering students but who had already graduated with an engineering degree from Virginia Tech; (2) Exemplary-Persistent Group, African-American male engineering students who were categorized as juniors and/or seniors with a 2.5 QCA or higher; (3) Satisfactory-Persistent Group, African-American male engineering students who were categorized as juniors and/or seniors with a 2.0 - 2.5 QCA; (4) Unsatisfactory-Persistent Group, African-American male engineering students who were categorized as juniors and/or seniors with less than a 2.0 QCA; (5) Non-Persistent Group, African-American males (former engineering students) who left engineering but were classified as juniors and/or seniors based on the number of years enrolled in the university. Data were analyzed using the grounded theory method. The findings of the study clearly indicated that a number of factors influenced these African-American males' interest and skill development in math, science, and engineering. Such salient factors were family members, teachers, role models, science and math programs, and participants' genuine interests in such subject areas. In many ways, the factors that were identified as influencing these African-American males' decision to pursue engineering were also identified as being instrumental in helping them persist in engineering. More specifically, these factors were the following: commitment to engineering, familial support, integration in the social and academic environment, connection or link with academic resources, clear goals with a realistic plan of action, regular interaction with African-American and non-African-American peers, both politically and academically sound, and a sense of racial identity. When these factors were low and/or absent, the researcher discovered that these African-American males had more difficulty persisting and were more likely to transfer out of the College of Engineering. This was especially the case for the Unsatisfactory Persistent Group and Non-Persistent Group. Similar to Delores Scott's (1995) findings, those African-American males who did persist and/or graduate stated that they were determined to succeed in engineering so they could prove to those individuals, who doubted they could be successful in the College of Engineering, that they would get their engineering degrees. This underpinning of determination served as motivation for many of the sample groups, such as the Ultimate-Persistent Group, Exemplary-Persistent Group, and Satisfactory-Persistent Group.
Preparing and Progressing: A Narrative Study of Optics and Photonics Graduate Students' Identity-Trajectory
Thomas, Lauren Desiree (Virginia Tech, 2013-11-05)
Identity development, through time, of graduate students is a topic understudied in most disciplines, and completely unstudied in optics and photonics. As a physical science and engineering discipline with blossoming scientific value, optics and photonics is growing a small number of graduate programs. With this growth, a more in depth and detailed understanding of the exposure, recruitment, development and enrollment experiences of those students are needed. Identity-trajectory offers a promising theoretical framework to understand academic and professional development of professionals through time and has been shown to be reliable in many social science and humanities disciplines. The narrative methodology is emerging in use and acceptance within the engineering education research community. The provoking combination of a growing discipline, a theoretical framework with little prior application in physical science and engineering, with a creative methodology were intentionally selected for this study. A semi-structured interview protocol was developed to prompt participants through a reflective description of their academic and professional development. Twenty-five current and recent graduate students from nine degree granting optics and photonics graduate programs participated in the study. In addition to participating in the interview, averaging about forty-five minutes, participants submitted a curriculum vita in advance of the interview. Both the interview and the vita provide the primary data used in this study. Interview transcripts were coded with the theory of identity-trajectory's three strands: intellectual development, institutional influence and network. The findings are grouped into pre-graduate training and graduate development experiences. Considering pre-graduate training, research experience as an undergraduate facilitates future decisions and access to graduate education. For graduate students, the structural experience within the graduate program, specifically related to research, facilitate progress through the program and beyond. The graduate program experience generally prepares students for academic research, but not the broader career pathways that students seek and eventually follow. All of these findings center on the laboratory, as the conduit for developing undergraduates to graduate students, and graduate students to professionals; the experience within the laboratory frames identity-trajectory throughout undergraduate and graduate experiences. These findings were used to provide strategies for departments, faculty and students in these fields, but are applicable in similarly structured disciplines.
Profiles of Persistence: A qualitative Study of undergraduate Women in Engineering
Graham, Leslie Pendleton (Virginia Tech, 1997-04-01)
This study was designed to investigate a phenomenon, persistence of undergraduate women in their engineering majors, from a qualitative paradigm. Guided by the tenets of feminist and inclusive research, the assumption was made that all women, whether they persist or not in their engineering majors, have strengths and insights into their own personal experiences. The experiences of African American women, Asian women, Caucasian women, Hispanic women, women from rural geographical areas, and non-persisters were investigated. A developmental life-span and social learning perspective called for an examination of factors relevant to engineering major choice and persistence from early childhood to the present time, including family background and individual factors, environmental factors and experiences with the engineering culture, and social factors relevant to major choice and persistence. Twenty-eight (28) persisters and 8 non-persisters participated in the study which was conducted at a large land-grant university in the southeastern United States in the fall of 1996. The following questions guided the study: (1) What experiences have been influential in undergraduate women's selection of engineering as a major? (2) How does the culture and climate of engineering education influence the experiences of these undergraduate women? (3) How do individual, educational, social, and environmental characteristics and strategies contribute to undergraduate women's persistence in their engineering majors? (4) Which of these characteristics and strategies differentiate between female persisters and non-persisters, in other words, what are the differences between academically successful undergraduate women who leave their engineering majors and those who remain in them? (5) How do characteristics and strategies of persistence and non-persistence compare for special populations? Qualitative interviewing through in-depth individual interviews and small group interviews was the method of data collection; participants were recruited through a purposive sampling frame as well as through volunteering and snowball sampling. Criteria for inclusion in the persisters group were junior or senior level academic standing and academic eligibility. Grounded theory methodology was the primary tool of analysis. The findings clearly demonstrated two major groups of persisters and non-persisters. One group of persisters made early decisions and stayed the course through academic preparation and hands-on experiences. A second group of persisters made later decisions based on encouragement and the structure of opportunity for women and minorities in engineering. One group of non-persisters left engineering for majors that provided a better person-environment fit. A second group of non-persisters, many of whom were pressured to major in engineering although they lacked hands-on experience, left their engineering majors for a variety of different reasons including intimidation, isolation, lowered confidence in their abilities, and personal problems. Perceptions and experiences with the institution itself and perceptions of the culture of engineering education varied depending on the career decision making process, group membership, and individual factors such as personality. Therefore, persistence and non-persistence were found to be a function of a complex interaction of individual, environmental, and social factors.
Providing Co-Curricular Support: A Multi-Case Study of Engineering Student Support Centers
Lee, Walter C. (Virginia Tech, 2015-04-09)
In response to the student retention and diversity issues that have been persistent in undergraduate engineering education, many colleges have developed Engineering Student Support Centers (ESSCs) such as Minority Engineering Programs (MEPs) and Women in Engineering Programs (WEPs). ESSCs provide underrepresented students with co-curricular support using student interventions in the form of programs, activities, and services. However, ESSCs have a relatively short history and there are gaps in our knowledge about these support systems. While the practice of providing students with co-curricular support has been evaluated, theories of co-curricular support have not been as thoroughly investigated; we know very little about how co-curricular support functions alongside engineering curricula. In an effort to help close the gaps in current literature, the purpose of my study was to explore how the student interventions offered alongside engineering curricula influence the undergraduate experience. To address this purpose, I used a multi-case study design to explore the particulars of six ESSCs housed at four institutions. I focused on the ESSC administrators (those who provide support) and undergraduate students (those who receive support) using multiple qualitative data collection methods. The primary result of this study was the Model of Co-curricular Support (MCCS), which is a version of Tinto's Model of Institutional Departure that I repurposed to demonstrate the breadth of co-curricular assistance required to comprehensively support undergraduate engineering students. The MCCS illustrates how a student's interaction with the academic, social, and professional systems within a college–as well as the university system surrounding the college–could influence the success he or she has in an undergraduate engineering program. More specifically, the MCCS is a conceptual model for constructing and evaluating support systems and individual student interventions that prioritize undergraduate engineering students. Within my study, I also identified several classifications of ESSCs and highlighted some pros and cons associated with various classifications and configurations. Ultimately, this research combines student-retention theory with student-support practice in a way that could facilitate future collaborations among educational researchers and student-support practitioners.
Race-conscious Student Support: A Comparative Analysis of Organizational Resilience in Engineering Education
Holloman, Teirra Keina (Virginia Tech, 2023-01-18)
One response to calls for broadening participation in engineering was the establishment of minority engineering programs (MEPs). Since their inception, MEPs have taken many forms with various functions and can be classified as engineering student support centers (ESSCs). Some ESSCs can be considered race-conscious, meaning they specifically focus on race/ethnicity in their support of engineering students. Prior literature points to race-conscious ESSCs as integral to the recruitment and retention of minoritized students in engineering. Despite their importance, race-conscious ESSCs have been met with various direct and indirect barriers threatening their organization's survival. To understand how race-conscious ESSCs have survived given consistent challenges, I conducted a multiple case study focused on exploring race-conscious ESSCs through the lens of organizational resilience. In this study, I interviewed founding and current directors, with a cumulation of 70+ years of experience, of three race-conscious ESSCs at large, public, predominately-white, R1 institutions. The findings from this study provide insight into the types of events, actions, and outcomes that inform the forms and functions of race-conscious ESSCs. I identified six types of events and four types of developments that were salient in leaders' descriptions of their ESSC's history. When considering the relationship between events and developments, some event types only occurred in connection with one type of development while others were in connection with two or more types of developments. This study aims to be a historical documentation of race-conscious ESSCs and events they have endured to remain a resource to racially minoritized engineering students. Additionally, this study contributes to the holistic understanding of ESSCs by using Kantur and Íserí-Say's Integrated Framework of Organizational Resilience as a tool for identifying the factors that enable these organizations to be resilient amid disruption. Lastly, this study adds to efforts calling for policy-makers, researchers, and practitioners to be mindful of the tradeoffs being made by race-conscious ESSCs in the name of resiliency and the unintended consequences of these actions.
A Simulation Analysis of Bivariate Availability Models
Caruso, Elise M. (Virginia Tech, 2000-07-24)
Equipment behavior is often discussed in terms of age and use. For example, an automobile is frequently referred to 3 years old with 30,000 miles. Bivariate failure modeling provides a framework for studying system behavior as a function of two variables. This is meaningful when studying the reliability/availability of systems and equipment. This thesis extends work done in the area of bivariate failure modeling. Four bivariate failure models are selected for analysis. The study includes exploration of bivariate random number generation. The random data is utilized in estimating the bivariate renewal function and bivariate availability function. The two measures provide insight on system behavior characterized by multiple variables. A method for generating bivariate failure and repair data is developed for each model. Of the four models, two represent correlated random variables; the other two, stochastic functionally dependent variables. Also, methods of estimating the bivariate renewals function and bivariate availability function are constructed. The bivariate failure and repair data from the four failure models is incorporated into the estimation processes to study various failure scenarios.
Simulation software for bulk material transportation system's analysis
Watford, Bevlee A. (Virginia Tech, 1985)
This dissertation describes the development of software specifically designed to facilitate simulation analysis of bulk material transportation systems. Use of the term simulation analysis indicates a special variation of the systems analysis process in which the model developed is a digital computer simulation model. Specifically, the software aids in model development, execution, and presentation of the simulation results. Simulation analysis is currently utilized by bulk material transport operators in a limited manner. The problem is that use of available simulation languages requires knowledge concerning language syntax and semantics. Additionally, system operators are not typically trained in how to perform an analysis of their bulk material transportation system. The common solution to these problems is to retain analytical experts who are unfamiliar with the system to be analyzed. The system operators for whom the analysis is performed, and who are responsible for implementation of analytical results, are therefore removed from the analysis process. The considerably reduces the credibility of the analysis. The simulation software described in this dissertation provides a means for a system operator, or anyone not familiar with simulation language use, to develop and execute a simulation model of their system. By increasing the operator role in the analysis process, the acceptability of the analysis is increased. The software is specifically designed for bulk material transportation systems analysis, a research area which can be greatly benefited through the use of simulation model analysis. The simulation software package embodies concepts somewhat similar to those of expert systems, a concept derived from the study of artificial intelligence. The software is "expertly" structured to represent bulk material transportation systems. It contains a knowledge base oriented toward both simulation analysis and bulk material transportation systems analysis. The computer languages C and SIMAN were used for software development. The software is structured in three parts; 1) input interface, 2) SIMAN code generator, and 3) output interface. The user interacts with the input interface, providing information as to the system to be analyzed. This information is utilized by the code generator to create executable SIMAN simulation programs. The output interface provides the simulation output in the system terminology initially selected by the user.
Tools to Improve the Process of Engineering Design: An Analysis of Team Configuration and Project Support
Smith, Paige Elizabeth (Virginia Tech, 2004-03-24)
The purpose of this research was to determine how team design and project management (planning and tracking) affected planning and design performance and the people involved in the process. A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate three factors: team design (individuals versus groups of three), project support (no project support versus manual project support versus automated project support), and the engineering design life-cycle, which includes conceptual design, preliminary design, and detailed design. There were six observations per treatment, involving a total of 72 undergraduate engineering students. The impact of these factors were evaluated for planning time, design cycle time, cost effectiveness, cost variance, schedule variance, mental workload, and job satisfaction. For treatments that called for groups, group process was evaluated in addition to group workload. The results showed groups took 61% more time to plan their projects compared to individuals (p<0.01). Planning time was 31% longer for participants with manual support compared to those with automated project support (p<0.01). Schedule variance (p<0.01) and cost variance (p<0.001) decreased 24% and 23%, respectively, over time during the design process. The design cycle time was 17% longer for participants without project support compared to those with automated project support (p<0.05). During design, groups and individuals allocated their time differently (p<0.05). Mental workload, measured with the NASA Task Load Index (TLX), showed workload increased 16% over time (p<0.001). In addition, the combination of design phase and project tracking support affected the TLX (p<0.01). Job satisfaction was 5% lower at the end of the design project compared to the beginning of design (p<0.05). From the analysis on group process, the type of project support affected the group process during planning. Groups with manual support interacted 83% more than those with automated support (effective behaviors: p<0.01; ineffective behaviors: p<0.05). During design, the roles individuals played within the group affected how much they contributed to the group's process (effective behaviors: p<0.0001; ineffective behaviors: p<0.01). There were several practical implications that can be drawn from this study. In the decision to use teams versus groups, there was evidence that groups were able to attend to more of the design requirements than individuals, which resulted in the design of systems with higher reliability. However the tradeoff of using groups were in the labor cost and in longer planning and status report meetings. Therefore the organization's goals need to be carefully considered before selecting the team design. For project support, there were clear benefits to automating the planning process. Automation resulted in better Gantt chart and planning sessions that were completed more quickly compared to those with manual support. Furthermore, systems designed with automated support resulted in lower design costs compared to systems designed without project support.

Browsing by Author "Watford, Bevlee A."

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