An Evaluation of a Baccalaureate Engineering Enrichment Program on Diverse Engineering Students’ Success Using CIPP and VEE Models: A Multi-Method Approach

Background: Scholars have noted that the STEM labor shortage diminishes the U.S. global competitiveness and threatens national security. Among the STEM disciplines, the engineering field experiences a lack of workers, and engineers have been on the top list of hard-to-fill jobs. Around 50% of the freshmen students entering engineering degrees do not complete the degree requirements. Furthermore, there is a constant underrepresentation of racial/ethnic minorities and women in the engineering field. Broadening participation in engineering is essential to drive the nation's innovation and improve lived experiences of minoritized engineering students. Purpose/Research Questions: This study aims to examine the implementation and effectiveness of the Program for Mastery in Engineering Studies (PROMES) at the University of Houston. Guided by Stufflebeam's (1971) CIPP model and Greene's (2006) VEE model, this study evaluates the PROMES's implementation and impacts on improving diverse engineering students' academic success, building a diverse community, and strengthening students' engagement. This dissertation explored the following research questions: 1) What strategies and resources have the program utilized to meet PROMES' goals and targeted students' needs, especially that of underrepresented racial minorities (URM) and female students? (Input); 2) To what extent and in what ways are PROMES' strategies being implemented? How are they received by engineering students? (Process); and 3) What is the impact of PROMES on engineering students' academic success, particularly of URM and female students? (Product). Methods: Multi-method approaches were applied to examine the research questions. For the qualitative phase, 12 individual interviews with key program stakeholders were conducted. Inductive analysis techniques were applied for the qualitative data. The quantitative portion employed the Propensity Score Analysis and t-tests techniques to examine the differences in program and non-program's students' GPA. The enrollment and transcript data for freshmen engineering students who enrolled in the college of engineering in the Fall 2018 (N = 327) and PROMES data for all freshmen who enrolled in the program in the Fall 2018 (n = 21) were utilized. Findings: PROMES is a successful program that has positively impacted academic success for engineering scholars, especially minorities and female students. The program created a strong sense of acceptance, inclusion, and engagement in engineering for minority and female students, which motivated them to advance in engineering majors. It increased students' self-efficacy, which led to their improved persistence in engineering. It also contributed to the engineering workforce by preparing students for career readiness skills and gaining job offers. The program's impact on improving students' GPA was credited in the qualitative findings but not confirmed in the quantitative analysis. The program's success was attributed to various factors, including an inclusive strategic planning approach, a strong faculty's commitment to diverse engineering students' success, and a student body with good community spirits. Conclusion: This study points to a need for more substantial investment in PROMES or similar engineering enrichment programs to improve engineering students' success and broaden minority and women's participation in the engineering workforce.