Comparative analysis of virginia tech engineering students with learning disabilities
From 1988 to 1998, the numbers of learning disabled students entering college almost tripled, significantly impacting the student population in colleges of engineering. This study compared the performance of Virginia Tech (VT) College of Engineering learning disabled students with two groups: VT students from all other colleges with learning disabilities and VT engineering students without learning disabilities. Results demonstrated that, in general, the GPAs of VT engineering males with learning disabilities are lower than both comparison groups. However, the GPAs of VT engineering females with learning disabilities were higher than both peer groups. In addition, this study addressed what can be done to facilitate the success of students with learning disabilities who desire to become engineers. Various factors affect these students' success, but studies show that external support services, internal coping skills, such as self-advocacy, and faculty support are all critical for the success of students with learning disabilities. Colleges of engineering should ensure their students with learning disabilities are aware of the support services available. In addition, engineering faculty need to be made more aware of the problems faced by students with learning disabilities and the importance of accommodating these students.
