Diversity-Related Differences in Students' Perceptions of an Industrial Engineering Program

The demand for diversity in the population of engineering professionals is growing, following both the general demand for engineering professionals and the explicit need for more diverse teams. Thus, the engineering education community is becoming more interested in identifying factors that influence students' satisfaction with their engineering education. The purpose of this study was to elicit students' perception of an industrial engineering program in Germany and identify differences in students' perceptions based on their migration background, being a first-generation student, and their gender. We solicited survey data from 132 undergraduates of an industrial engineering program of a large University of Applied Sciences in Southern Germany. We tested whether there were significant differences regarding the satisfaction with the study program (e.g. perceived time and performance pressure, role models), intra-personal variables (e.g. locus of control), preferences regarding gender distribution, and perceived discrimination. Results indicate differences in the perception of and approach to the industrial engineering program between majority and non-majority students. Satisfaction with the program and perception of the faculty as role models were somewhat lower for students with a migration background and female students. First-generation students differed in their perceived locus of control; students with a migration background showed more extrinsic motivation and perceived more discrimination. Implications focus on combining psychological and structural interventions that address and recognize diverse perceptions and approaches in students and academic affairs practice.