Innovation in Engineering Outreach: Engineering 11 as a Tool for Recruiting Minority Students to Engineering
Abstract
A unique opportunity for recruiting engineering students has developed in the Antelope Valley of Southern California (AV). While the AV refers to itself as the "Aerospace Valley," with a high percentage of the workforce employed by Edwards Air Force Base and the major Aerospace Prime Contractors, it has had no local baccalaureate degree granting institution to support these high-tech industries. A State University College of Engineering has partnered with the City of Lancaster, the United States Air Force, and local employers to create a unique baccalaureate degree granting program in the AV. The existence of this program has created the opportunity to recruit engineering students from a high school population that is 31.7% Hispanic and 13.7% African American. However, to successfully recruit students from this population into engineering careers and eventual employment in the local Aerospace industry, it is necessary to change the paradigm of the local high school student population. Under the current paradigm less than 21% of high school seniors graduate ready to enter the CSU system without remediation. Among those who are prepared to enter the CSU system, the prevailing attitude is to leave the AV permanently. To combat these prevailing attitudes and attract students to Engineering, the local staff and professors have modified the Engineering 11 course, offered by the servicing state University for the local population. Engineering 11, titled Engineering Applications, is a course designed to introduce qualified high school students to the principles and practices of engineering during their junior or senior years of high school. An innovative format allows the students to discover the basic principles of mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering. This paper discusses the details of the course, its "lecture on demand" style of instruction, the involvement of local industry, and the demographics of the students enrolling in the class.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 30, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA503279
Entities
People
- Jeigh Shelly
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory