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AC 2007-2543: A SURVEY OF TEACHING STYLES AND CLASSROOM TECHNIQUES TO ENGAGE AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS IN THE ENGINEERING CLASSROOM

The purpose of this study will be to present the first phase of a long term study in the evaluation of preferred teaching styles and classroom techniques for African American engineering students. It is hypothesized that the identification and implementation of these preferences may lead to an increase in the retention of African American students in engineering by better engaging them in the classroom and learning process. While the topic of retention of underrepresented populations in science, math, and engineering has received a fair amount of coverage, there is not much on learning styles and classroom techniques. Much of the literature addresses methods to improve the retention and graduation numbers (i.e. university commitment, academic support, minority engineering scholarships, societies, and programs), but little exists on methods that can be implemented in the classroom.