Overview Of Louisiana State University's Stem Talent Expansion Program, Engineering Engagement For Student Success
- Conference
- Location
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Louisville, Kentucky
- Publication Date
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June 20, 2010
- Start Date
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June 20, 2010
- End Date
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June 23, 2010
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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18
- Page Numbers
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15.936.1 - 15.936.18
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--16103
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/16103
- Download Count
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477
Paper Authors
Summer Dann Johnson Louisiana State University
Ms Dann is currently employed by the Dean's office at LSU as the STEP program manager.
Ms. Dann earned her bachelor and master degrees in Mechanical Engineering at LSU and was
employed in private industry prior to her current position.
Warren Waggenspack Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Dr. Waggenspack is currently the Associate Dean for Engineering Undergraduates and holder of
the Ned Adler Professorship in Mechanical Engineering at Louisiana State University. He
obtained both his baccalaureate and master's degrees from LSU ME and his doctorate from
Purdue University's School of Mechanical Engineering. He has been actively engaged in
teaching, research and curricula development since joining the faculty in 1988.
John Scalzo Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Mr. Scalzo is the Associate Rector of the Engineering Residential College and an instructor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. He earned his bachelor degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1992 and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1993. Mr. Scalzo was employed in private industry prior to his employment at LSU.
Kelly Rusch Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Dr. Rusch is the Associate Dean for Diversity in the College of Engineering. She is a Full
Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is the Formosa Plastics Endowed Professor and has been active in researching waste water treatment, aquaculture and
biodegradation of plastics in the environment.
Gerald Knapp Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Dr. Gerald M. Knapp, P.E., P.E., Fred B. and Ruth B. Zigler Associate Professor of Engineering, is an associate professor of industrial engineering and IE Undergraduate Coordinator at LSU. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from SUNY Buffalo, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iowa. Dr. Knapp is an ASQ Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) and a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Louisiana. Dr. Knapp’s specialization is in information systems & technologies, currently in the area of semantic analysis (a subarea of natural language processing).
Roger Seals Louisiana State University
Dr. Seals is Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental at Louisiana State University. He
obtained both his baccalaureate and master's degrees from the University of Florida and his doctorate from
North Carolina State University. He has been actively engaged in teaching, research and curricula development during his tenure at West Virginia University, 1965-1980, and Louisiana State University, 1980-2005. He served two years as a Program Director in the Division of Undergraduate Education, National Science Foundation.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Overview of Louisiana State University’s STEM Talent Expansion Program, Engineering Engagement for Student Success, ENG2
Abstract
The Louisiana State University (LSU) College of Engineering’s ENG2 Project is designed to increase the number of engineering and construction management graduates through retention programs aimed at developing and maintaining a sense of community among the students and faculty, enhancing academic skills of the students, and providing a framework for interactions between faculty, students and industry personnel. The project hosts three main programs: a Faculty Development Workshop, the Encounter Engineering Bridge Camp (E2), and a freshman course, ENGR 1050 Introduction to Engineering. The project also hosts several of its professional development and academic enhancement activities in the Engineering Residential College (ERC), a residential hall for freshmen. Finally, the project is expanding Peer Mentoring, which emerged from the bridge camp team captains, and now is incorporated into ENGR 1050.
Assessment includes individual program elements and overall impact on retention. Feedback on the individual components includes surveying the attitudes and value of the various activities by the participants, instructors and other personnel. The ENGR 1050 course and the Peer Mentoring program were assessed by an outside evaluator. The overall project impact includes tracking the graduation and attrition rates of all students, comparing these rates between programs and to a control, obtaining attitudinal and perception feedback from student surveys on program components and independent observations of faculty and an outside evaluator. Based on the 2 years of data for Cohort 1 (07/08 AY) and 1 year of data from Cohort 2 (08/09 AY), preparation for calculus appears to be the positive significant factor in retention in the College of Engineering and the university. Participation in the camp and ENGR 1050 is also positive. Overall students who participate in any ENG2 program activity have a higher retention in the College of Engineering and in STEM programs than those who do not participate. This manuscript describes the main ENG2 program elements and their assessment in detail as well as the retention data for 2 cohorts.
Background
Research has shown that engineering retention and graduation rates are enhanced through first year experiences that actively incorporate and engage faculty and students (1-7). From the behaviorist perspective, participants involved in activities that utilize hands-on inquiry and active learning strategies, demonstrate that continued learning and a sense of community has occurred by manifesting enduring change in observable behavior, such as changes in attitudes, higher GPA’s and retention in the college, and active involvement in their respective student organizations, relative to a cohort group with similar aptitude and incoming test scores. Many behaviorists suggest that very few incoming freshmen reached the “formative operational stage” of learning. (8- 9) The “formal operation stage” is defined by Jean Piaget (1896-1980) as the ability to use symbols in abstract concepts. Piaget asserted that the stages of mental cognition are based on biological age; whereas Bruner suggested that each stage is present and necessary for learning. Learning is therefore a process of motor activity or rote task, developing images to
Dann Johnson, S., & Waggenspack, W., & Scalzo, J., & Rusch, K., & Knapp, G., & Seals, R. (2010, June), Overview Of Louisiana State University's Stem Talent Expansion Program, Engineering Engagement For Student Success Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--16103
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