Implementation Project: Blue-Shirt Program: Engineering Clinic-Based Curriculum to Enhance Retention of Underrepresented Groups at Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University, Nashville TN

Investigators

Abstract

Implementation Projects in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Undergraduate Program provide support to design, implement, study and assess comprehensive institutional efforts to increase the numbers of students and the quality of their preparation by strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and research. This implementation project in the College of Engineering at Tennessee State University seeks to address issues related to the declining enrollment and graduation of African American men in engineering. The goal of this project is to create a five-year pilot engineering program where students participate in a one-year pre-engineering curriculum and are engaged in hands-on projects every year to enhance the retention rate and graduation rate of African American engineering students. The project studies the leading factors that contribute to retention of minority students, specifically African American males. The project is guided and informed by formative and summative evaluation. This project reforms the traditional engineering curriculum to allow less prepared incoming students to complete a one-year pre-engineering curriculum to get them prepared for the four-year program. The Blue-Shirt program will deploy the concept of engineering clinics that provide project-based learning experiences. Specific objectives are: to develop a pilot one-year engineering preparation curriculum that allows students to enter the formal traditional engineering program with adequate credentials; to develop courseware and laboratory modules to enhance the learning experience of engineering students through real-world designed projects and interaction with industry professionals for mentoring and professional development; to identify and examine the psycho-social attributes that contribute to the disparate attrition rate of African American students in engineering, with a particular focus on African American men, and to recommend intervention strategies to improve the retention rates; and to institutionalize the Blue-Shirt program with sustained efforts focused on STEM student achievement. This project can serve as a model for engineering education to train qualified engineers, who will ensure the continued global competitiveness of the U.S. industries.