Sharing Exemplary
Admissions Practices
That Promote Diversity
in Engineering

_____

Elizabeth T. Cady, Cameron H. Fletcher,
and Joe Alper, Rapporteurs

Program Office

National Academy of Engineering

Proceedings of a Workshop

NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This activity was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EEC-1840746. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71118-0
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-71118-5
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27278

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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Sharing Exemplary Admissions Practices That Promote Diversity in Engineering: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27278.

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PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR WORKSHOP ON SHARING EXEMPLARY ADMISSIONS PRACTICES THAT PROMOTE DIVERSITY IN ENGINEERING

DARRYLL J. PINES [NAE] (Chair), President and Glenn L. Martin Professor of Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland

ELIZABETH M. HOLLOWAY, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Engagement and Leah H. Jamieson Director of Women in Engineering, Purdue University

THERESA MALDONADO, Vice President for Research and Innovation, University of California Office of the President

BETH A. MYERS, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, Office of the Provost, University of Colorado Denver

ANDREW WILLIAMS, Dean of Engineering and Louis S. LeTellier Chair, School of Engineering, The Citadel

Staff

ELIZABETH T. CADY, Senior Program Officer

CAMERON H. FLETCHER, Senior Editor (until May 2023)

DARUL WEST, Program Coordinator (until January 2023)

Consultant

JOE ALPER, Consulting Writer

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Reviewers

This Proceedings of a Workshop on Sharing Exemplary Admissions Practices That Promote Diversity in Engineering was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by Eric Ducharme, GE Aviation (retired). He was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the National Academies.

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Contents

Acronyms and Abbreviations

1 Introduction

CONDUCT OF THE WORKSHOP

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

2 Higher Education Admissions Systems

“RACE-CONSCIOUS” HOLISTIC ADMISSIONS

A PANDEMIC-INDUCED ASSESSMENT OF ADMISSIONS PRACTICES

TEST-BLIND ADMISSIONS: ELIMINATING THE INEQUITABLE INFLUENCE OF THE SAT AND ACT

UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS POLICIES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SYSTEM

DISCUSSION

3 Admissions Policies

THE TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING ACADEMY PROGRAM

ACCESS PLUS SUCCESS: TWO PILLARS FOR PROMOTING DIVERSITY IN ENGINEERING

ENGINEERS OF THE FUTURE AT RUTGERS SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

ADMISSIONS POLICIES AND PRACTICES AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

DISCUSSION

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION

4 Transfer and 3+2 Programs

BLACK ENGINEERING STUDENT TRANSFER PROJECT

TRANSFER STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

NORTH CAROLINA A&T UNIVERSITY’S 3+2 PROGRAM

GETTING NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS INTO ENGINEERING

DISCUSSION

5 Best Practices in Admissions

ENGINEERING GOLDSHIRT PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

PARTNERSHIPS AND PRACTICES AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

WASHINGTON STATE ACADEMIC REDSHIRT PROGRAM (STARS)

ADMISSIONS PRACTICES AT RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

DISCUSSION

6 Research on Admissions

QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY BIAS AND CHANGE ADMISSIONS CRITERIA

ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF HOLISTIC REVIEW

IMPROVING CONTEXTUALIZED HOLISTIC REVIEW WITH ADMISSIONS DASHBOARDS

HOLISTIC REVIEW: A USEFUL TECHNOLOGY THAT REQUIRES CAREFUL IMPLEMENTATION

DISCUSSION

REPORTS FROM THE BREAKOUT DISCUSSIONS ON FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDS

7 Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Machine Learning in Recruiting, Admissions, and Efforts to Support Retention

DATA SCIENCE AS A FLASHLIGHT: HOW PREDICTIVE MODELS CAN GUIDE THE WAY TO STUDENT SUCCESS

PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE PROCESS OF LEARNING

DATA ANALYTICS AND EDUCATION

DISCUSSION

REPORTS FROM THE BREAKOUT SESSIONS ON HOW DATA TOOLS FIT INTO THE ADMISSIONS SYSTEM

8 Final Remarks

References

Appendix A Workshop Agenda

Appendix B Biographic Sketches of Workshop Speakers

Figures

2-1 Admissions cycle as a Möbius strip

2-2 Definitions of how standardized test scores are used in admissions

6-1 Funnel model of admissions

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Acronyms and Abbreviations

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