A Formal Research Study on Correlating Student Attendance to Student Success
- Conference
- Location
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San Antonio, Texas
- Publication Date
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June 10, 2012
- Start Date
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June 10, 2012
- End Date
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June 13, 2012
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Engineering Technology
- Page Count
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10
- Page Numbers
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25.50.1 - 25.50.10
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--20810
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/20810
- Download Count
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952
Paper Authors
Jason K. Durfee Eastern Washington University
Jason Durfee received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University. He holds a Professional Engineer certification. Prior to teaching at Eastern Washington University, he was a military pilot, an engineering instructor at West Point, and an airline pilot. His interests include aerospace, aviation, professional ethics, and piano technology.
William R. Loendorf Eastern Washington University
William R. Loendorf is currently a Full Professor of engineering and design at Eastern Washington University. He obtained his B.Sc. in engineering science at the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, M.S. in electrical engineering at Colorado State University, M.B.A. at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, and Ph.D. in engineering management at Walden University. He holds a Professional Engineer license and has 30 years of industrial experience as an Engineer or Engineering Manager at General Motors, Cadnetix, and Motorola. His interests include engineering management, technological literacy, improving the competitiveness of American companies, and real-time embedded systems.
Donald C. Richter Eastern Washington University
Donald C. Richter obtained his B.Sc. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Ohio State University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in engineering from the University of Arkansas. He holds a Professional Engineer certification and worked as an Engineer and Engineering Manger in industry for 20 years before teaching. His interests include project management, HVAC, robotics/automation, and air pollution dispersion modeling.
Terence L. D. Geyer Eastern Washington University
Terence Geyer is the Director of Distance Education in the Department of Engineering and Design at Eastern Washington University. He obtained his B.S. in manufacturing technology and M.Ed. in adult education in a specially combined program of technology and education at Eastern Washington University. His interests include collecting and re-manufacturing older technologies.
Doris M. Munson Eastern Washington University
Doris M. Munson is the Systems/Reference Librarian at Eastern Washington University Libraries. She holds a M.L.S. from the University of Washington, Seattle, and a B.S. from Oregon State University, Corvallis.
Abstract
A Formal Research Study on Correlating Student Attendance to Student SuccessAbstractA few years ago members of our Engineering & Design department began a study to determinethe effects of class attendance on student success. Today's engineering technology students havegrown up in a very different environment from the students of 20 years ago. They accessinformation and engage in social contact through digital media and they often have almostinstant access to this digital media through portable, wireless devices. There is a thought thatwith this greater connectivity they may not respond in the same manner to the teachingmethods of past generations of students. More specifically, the students of today may not feel thesame need to be physically present in their classes in order to be successful. This paperdiscusses the first results of a study that allows the members of the Engineering & Designdepartment to determine if there is a significant relationship between student success andstudent attendance. Questions posed by this study include whether attendance has a correlationwith student success and, if so, does this correlation change during the progression of astudent throughout their undergraduate experience. The study will involve students in programsof Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Computer EngineeringTechnology, Manufacturing Technology, Construction Management, and a service course to thegeneral student body. Data comes from four different instructors teaching approximately 20classes per year ranging from freshman to senior students. Data also includes different facultyapproaches to attendance including incentives for attendance, penalties for lack of attendance,or no requirement at all. Additionally, the study provides the ability to track an individualstudent over their entire undergraduate education. A correlation between attendance and successexists and this paper will discuss this in detail.
Durfee, J. K., & Loendorf, W. R., & Richter, D. C., & Geyer, T. L. D., & Munson, D. M. (2012, June), A Formal Research Study on Correlating Student Attendance to Student Success Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--20810
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