At a crossroads - Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions and ABET accreditation: An exploratory study

Abstract

The intent of this paper is to introduce an exploratory study of the academic success of Latino students in engineering at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions that are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) - the recognized accreditation body in the U.S. for applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. This paper provides an overview of various demographics of the HSIs and Emerging HSIs in relevance to ABET engineering accreditation. Data on institutional characteristics, faculty, student enrollment, persistence and graduation will is presented. This paper is a prelude to a proposed study investigating the broader implications on the value of "Hispanic-Serving" and "Hispanic-Enrolling" in the context of engineering education for Hispanic students. The goal of this study is to eventually provide summative recommendations regarding the role of ABET-accredited HSIs and ABET-accredited Emerging HSIs in preparing a technically-talented STEM workforce. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.