Socially Just Assessment Using Undergraduate Engineering Student Survey Data

This paper explores what can be learned by applying socially just assessment to data from three institutional surveys of undergraduate students at a Canadian engineering school, revealing advantages and limitations. The findings shed light on components of the ecosystem that shape engineering students’ perceptions about the “climate” of this engineering school. They also reveal that these engineering students do not all utilize the learning opportunities, resources and services in the same way. The inequities in these experiences could arise from the differential impacts of the social structure of the engineering school on various student groups. This paper contributes to the emerging movement for socially just assessment in Canadian postsecondary institutions. It is our hope that this work can inspire researchers in other engineering schools to utilize institutional survey data to investigate the campus climate and the potential barriers that diverse student populations may face in engaging with the existing environment.