A Characterization of Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduate Participation in High Impact Educational Practices at Two Western Land Grant Institutions

To maintain its technological competitiveness and innovation leadership into the 21st century, the United States requires a robust engineering and computer science (E/CS) workforce with substantial diversity across gender and underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups [1] [2]. However, there are growing concerns about the ability of U.S. educational systems to meet increasing demands to prepare and train a diverse E/CS workforce. Research shows that students from underrepresented gender, racial, and ethnic groups are less likely to complete their education, compared to their counterparts from dominant groups, due to a variety of institutional factors [3]. Also, first-generation college students (FGCS), who are the first in their family to pursue postsecondary education, are less likely to complete their education compared to students whose parents attended college [4]. Therefore, to encourage and enable diverse students to opt into E/CS fields and persist within them, there is a critical need to provide E/CS students with supportive and enriching opportunities from which to learn and grow within their chosen field