Full Paper: Promoting First-Year Student Success through the Data-Driven Creation of a Preparatory Engineering Program and an Engineering Math Resource Center

Katherine A Grover; Kristina T Glaittli; Christian R. Bolander; Thomas H Fronk

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Conference: 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference
Location: University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
Publication Date: July 30, 2023
Start Date: July 30, 2023
End Date: August 1, 2023
Conference Session: S6C: Full Papers - Cannot Have Too Much Math!
Tagged Topic: Full Papers
Page Count: 7
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44830
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44830
Download Count: 195

Paper Authors

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Katherine A Grover Utah State University

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Katherine A. Grover has served as the USU College of Engineering Data Analytics Team Supervisor for over 5 years, providing the college with actionable student-related analytics. Additionally, she has worked with students as an Academic Advisor for the USU College of Engineering for ten years, serving as the Lead Academic Advisor for the last six. She serves on the Steering Committee for the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) STEM Advising Community, staying connected to the challenges and trends occurring within STEM fields in higher education. She received her Master of Data Analytics and BS in Biology with a Cellular/Molecular Emphasis from Utah State University.

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Kristina T Glaittli Utah State University

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Kristina T. Glaittli has spent the last 11 years serving as the College of Engineering retention specialist. In this role, she has developed multiple programs and initiatives to promote student retention and success. She has also served as an advisor to multiple student organizations for over 18 years, including the Society of Women Engineers, Engineers Without Borders, and the USU Engineering Council. Kristina has a BS and MS in civil engineering from Brigham Young University. She began her career as a structural engineer in the aerospace industry where she worked on the Space Shuttle booster rockets and other solid rocket motors. For 10 years she owned and operated an engineering consulting business. After transitioning to academia, she worked for the NSF-funded National Center for Engineering and Technology Education.

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Christian R. Bolander Utah State University Department of Engineering Education

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Christian recently joined the Engineering Education Department at Utah State University (USU) as a Professor of Practice in Engineering Mathematics. He just graduated with his doctorate from Utah State in Mechanical Engineering where his research centered on supersonic civilian aircraft and bio-inspired flight. He has taught, or will teach courses, in Compressible Fluid Mechanics, Statics, and Dynamics, two of which are first-year engineering courses at Utah State. He is also the director of the Engineering Tutoring Center and Engineering Math Resource Center, which he founded in 2022 under the direction of the College of Engineering. He is passionate about teaching and mentoring students of all disciplines and walks of life and strives to create an atmosphere of respect and curiosity in his classrooms and in the resource centers of the Utah State College of Engineering.

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Thomas H Fronk Utah State University

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Associate Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

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Abstract

Prior to 2019, the College of Engineering lacked precise historical data regarding student success for first-time, full-time freshmen. To fill this knowledge gap, a dataset of multiple freshmen cohorts was gathered and analyzed. The analysis evaluated each student’s outcome nine years after their initial enrollment semester. Student success, as measured by graduation in the College of Engineering, was then evaluated by freshmen admission standards: high school GPA and ACT/SAT scores. The results showed that degree completion for freshmen was very low for those admitted with scores at the lower end of the admission standards. Success was also examined by the students’ starting math course. Results indicated that student degree completion increased by twenty percent for each increasing level of math preparation, e.g., Pre-calculus, Calculus I, Calculus II.

Based on this study, admission standards were reviewed and adjusted to admit students who had a good probability of graduating as demonstrated by their prior performance. As a land grant institution, maintaining access to education is an important mission for the university. Therefore, a preparatory engineering program was created to help the students who do not meet the new standards. Students who fall below the requirements are admitted to the preparatory engineering program and are provided a pathway to prove they can be successful in engineering. Upon completion of the preparatory pathway, the students are able to move into the engineering major of their choice.

In addition to program adjustments, the analysis provided the needed information to create and fund new student resources including an Engineering Math Resource Center (EMRC). The mission of the EMRC is to assist engineering students in connecting math concepts to engineering problems. During the 2022-2023 academic year, the center was developed and began providing new resources including individual tutoring, math refresher workshops, online resources, and weekly study sessions. Analysis of the data gathered by the center will be used to determine the efficacy of the EMRC and guide future changes and initiatives.

Citation
Format

Grover, K. A., & Glaittli, K. T., & Bolander, C. R., & Fronk, T. H. (2023, July), Full Paper: Promoting First-Year Student Success through the Data-Driven Creation of a Preparatory Engineering Program and an Engineering Math Resource Center Paper presented at 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--44830

TY - CPAPER
AB - Prior to 2019, the College of Engineering lacked precise historical data regarding student success for first-time, full-time freshmen. To fill this knowledge gap, a dataset of multiple freshmen cohorts was gathered and analyzed. The analysis evaluated each student’s outcome nine years after their initial enrollment semester. Student success, as measured by graduation in the College of Engineering, was then evaluated by freshmen admission standards: high school GPA and ACT/SAT scores. The results showed that degree completion for freshmen was very low for those admitted with scores at the lower end of the admission standards. Success was also examined by the students’ starting math course. Results indicated that student degree completion increased by twenty percent for each increasing level of math preparation, e.g., Pre-calculus, Calculus I, Calculus II.

Based on this study, admission standards were reviewed and adjusted to admit students who had a good probability of graduating as demonstrated by their prior performance. As a land grant institution, maintaining access to education is an important mission for the university. Therefore, a preparatory engineering program was created to help the students who do not meet the new standards. Students who fall below the requirements are admitted to the preparatory engineering program and are provided a pathway to prove they can be successful in engineering. Upon completion of the preparatory pathway, the students are able to move into the engineering major of their choice.

In addition to program adjustments, the analysis provided the needed information to create and fund new student resources including an Engineering Math Resource Center (EMRC). The mission of the EMRC is to assist engineering students in connecting math concepts to engineering problems. During the 2022-2023 academic year, the center was developed and began providing new resources including individual tutoring, math refresher workshops, online resources, and weekly study sessions. Analysis of the data gathered by the center will be used to determine the efficacy of the EMRC and guide future changes and initiatives.

AU - Katherine A Grover
AU - Kristina T Glaittli
AU - Christian R. Bolander
AU - Thomas H Fronk
CY - University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
DA - 2023/07/30
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Full Paper: Promoting First-Year Student Success through the Data-Driven Creation of a Preparatory Engineering Program and an Engineering Math Resource Center
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44830
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44830
ER -