Engineering School, Life Balance, And The Student Experience

Students who pursue engineering undergraduate degrees at Science, Technology, Engineering and Math-intensive (STEM) institutions experience imbalance unlike most other undergraduates in coeducational institutions. Students tend to be highly academically oriented if they plan to graduate in four years, leaving little opportunity to vary from the prescribed path. High credit loads often range from sixteen to twenty-two hours and course content is both technical and challenging. As part of the Academic Pathways Study (APS) component of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education, results presented in this paper explore the role of life balance in satisfaction and persistence of engineering students. Implications of Findings Given the widespread and repeated calls to expand the ranks of engineers in the United States, it is important for engineering education to pay attention to research findings that suggest trouble spots. Our data indicate that "Mountain Technical Institute" (MT) students desire greater balance than their academic environment will allow. Other institutions must examine their own cultures to determine if these findings are applicable to engineering colleges as a whole. If engineering wants to recruit and retain a larger population, it must find ways to expand its offerings and climate conditions for students who could be interested in engineering if the environment met their interests and needs. Method and Background A mixed-methods approach was used in this analysis and included four items from online survey data, ethnographic interviews, and examination of academic records. This paper presents analysis and findings of data for students in their first year at MT. Nineteen females and twenty-one males comprised the sample and were required to be a May/June 2003 high-school graduate, eighteen or older by October 1, 2003, a US citizen or permanent resident, and be enrolled in or have the intention to enroll in an ABET-accredited engineering major. What We Found Data from the online survey revealed that all of the surveyed students at MT reported feeling some amount of concern about keeping up with schoolwork. In particular, a majority of students If engineering wants to recruit and retain a larger population, it must find ways to expand its offerings and climate conditions for students who could be interested in engineering if the environment met their interests and needs.