SCAFFOLDING STUDENT SUCCESS: CAMPUS SERVICES TO SUPPORT BLACK UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING PROGRAMS

Abstract

Few Black women graduate with baccalaureate engineering degrees in the United States, despite the recent proliferation of many STEM diversity initiatives in higher education. Campus services, including academic advising, tutoring, and career guidance, are promising areas of student support that influence minoritized student graduation rates. However, research about campus services does not pay adequate attention to the racialized and gendered aspects of engineering higher education. To address this gap in the literature about campus services, we asked the following research question: How do Black women engineering students describe their experiences with academic and professional development services? We answered this question using a qualitative, case study design based on 45 one-on-one interviews with Black women undergraduate students in engineering programs. We found (a) Black women students find value in the support of academic advisors and success coaches, (b) Black women are often academically supported through tutoring services and use them extensively, (c) Black women articulate a desire for identity-driven campus-wide supports, and (d) some Black women students did not use academic and professional development services because they were either not aware of them (e.g., due to lack of adequate advertisement) or they felt too intimidated to use them. Based on these findings, we conclude that academic and professional development services help only some Black women academically and professionally. However, many Black women students are underutilizing available services, indicating institutions have a gap in delivering information and addressing specific needs. This finding suggests scaffolding student success through campus services, which includes synergizing student supports and increasing communication with students, is needed to support Black women in engineering.