Conference Session

FPD5 - Teaming and Peer Performance

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arlisa Labrie Richardson, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Services in the NASA Center for Success in Math & Science at Estrella Mountain Community College, she utilizes her academic preparation and extensive engineering background to prepare students for successful careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields through student internships and summer research experiences. Page 13.1289.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Tinkering Self-Efficacy and Team Interaction on Freshman Engineering Design TeamsIntroductionIn the book Talking about Leaving, Seymour and Hewitt interviewed hundreds of

Conference Session

SPECIAL SESSION: Describing the Engineering Student Learning Experience Based on CAEE Findings: Part 2

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Jocuns, University of Washington; Reed Stevens, University of Washington; Lari Garrison, University of Washington; Daniel Amos, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

. I mean, the most successful people, they’re in the industry, and the ones who will, um, be noticed for their work and who will advance in their careers the fastest are not necessarily the ones who, um, are-are the best, um, fundamental engineers. (Darrell, SPRI, Year 3).Darrell noted that the engineers who were successful were not necessarily those who had themost excellent mathematical abilities, but rather those who possessed skills such as working withothers, communication, and the ability to present one’s work. That is, it is not primarily anunderstanding of science that enables one to be successful in engineering, but also, and morecentrally, abilities that have to do with conditions of working with others, such

Conference Session

Writing and Portfolios

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Turns, University of Washington; Kejun Xu, University of Washington; Matt Eliot, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

working on this project - and produced a successful Stirling engine. (1B)The following annotation does not include any first person statements, which makes it difficultfor the reader to necessarily know what the student is claiming that they know. CONCURRENT ENGINEERING Many mechanical engineers will design and create products for a career. By using concurrent engineering, the time and cost of manufacturing can be reduced along with improving the quality of the part. This is done by considering how the product will be manufactured when designing the product, which is concurrent engineering. During the designing process, mechanical engineers should consider what materials are available, how easy it is to form the product

Conference Session

Professional Skills and the Workplace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Trevelyan, University of Western Australia

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

degree awarded can be a poorindicator of a graduate’s actual abilities”10. Employers expressed “a need for enhancingcourses in terms of their development of practical skills but not at the cost of losing a strongtheoretical base”.There are other signs pointing to the need to rethink the objectives of engineering education.In a recent visit to a representative sample of leading engineering education institutions inIndia I learned that very few of their graduates enter engineering careers: most are employedby IT firms producing software (and associated services). The apparent driver is salary levels:IT firms pay 50,000 Indian rupees/month. (~US$16,000/yr). In engineering companiesgraduates earn about one third as much. Labor market theory tells us

Conference Session

K-12 Engineering Outreach Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Powers, Clarkson University; Bruce Brydges, SUNY Potsdam; Gail Gotham, SLL BOCES; James Carroll, Clarkson University; Peter Turner, Clarkson University; Douglas Bohl, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

applications of the use of computer technology in the classroom. Instructional equipment, including a miniature roller coaster setup, laptop computers, data acquisition apparatus and software, is supplied to the schools.‚ In-class roller coaster design units taught by college students in 8th grade technology and HS physics classes where all students benefit from the data acquisition, mathematical modeling and design experience.‚ Extra-curricular programs for disadvantaged youth that include activities based on the roller coaster project and sessions to provided students and parents with information on college and career preparation in STEM fields and the financial aid and the college admission process.‚ Additional events to get

Conference Session

Philosophy of Engineering Education: Epistemology and Ethics

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gayle Ermer, Calvin College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

release, and the Three Mile Islandnuclear reactor near melt-down.Causes related to personal ethics include the immoral actions of people that contribute tocatastrophic failures. This type of cause is usually opposed in the engineering curriculumthrough the study of engineering codes of ethics and case studies to help students clarifythe moral responsibilities inherent in their chosen career and to apply them faithfully.Causes related to societal evil include the political and economic contexts in whichmodern technology operates that contribute to engineering disasters. While some of theseissues are dealt with in the context of engineering ethics, often they are better dealt within liberal arts courses which intentionally raise the consciousness

Conference Session

Best of the NEE

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beverly Jaeger, Northeastern University; Margaret Bates, Northeastern University; Brittany Damon, Northeastern University; Alison Reppy

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

Engineering Programming at Northeastern University. These juniors each have had 3 cooperative learning experiences, working outside the university in IE and have taken a strong interest in Motivation and Learning in Engineering Education, undertaking this research above and beyond their course and career work.Alison Reppy, Northeastern University Brittany Damon and Alison Reppy are 5th-year students in the 5-year Industrial Engineering Programming at Northeastern University. These Seniors each have had 3 cooperative learning experiences, working outside the university in IE and have taken a strong interest in Motivation and Learning in Engineering Education, undertaking this research

Conference Session

Electrical Engineering Technology Design Projects & Curriculum

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kin Moy, Youngstown State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

3rd party laboratories to be certified to a set of quality and technical requirements. This certification process is known as AEMCLRP (Automotive EMC laboratory Recognition Program) 20 administrated by A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation). In additional to the facility, test engineers and test technicians were also part of this certification process. Their qualifications and knowledge in EMC and test instruments/procedures were assessed. This assessment on their EMC competency will be discussed later. Better preparations in EMC education from the university once again became an important contributing factor to the success of a student’s professional career. .Expectations of EMC Test engineers and

Conference Session

Learning from Entrepreneurship Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey Blessing, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Kristen Mekemson, Kern Family Foundation; David Pistrui, Illinois Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

. Prior to his academic career, has worked for three Fortune 500 companies and has owned and operated two small businesses.Kristen Mekemson, Kern Family Foundation Kristen Mekemson joined the Kern Family Foundation in April 2007. She works with senior program staff to oversee, monitor, and evaluate grants and projects. She also conducts program research, site visits, and other investigative activities in support of program development, program exploration, and grant making. Kristen received a B.A. in Writing-Intensive English and French and M.A. in British and American Literature from Marquette University. She was on the development staff at Lawrence University for two years. Prior to her

Conference Session

Learning from Entrepreneurship Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen Thornton, University of Maryland; Jacqueline Rogers, University of Maryland (Retired); Nathan Myers, University of Maryland; Monica Neukomm, University of Maryland

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

internships because either their workschedules did not allow for time off, they had to complete summer classes, or they were notaware of internship opportunities that were financially feasible. Given that many of the HillmanEntrepreneurs are non-traditional students at different stages of their professional lives, findinginternship opportunities that meet their varied career and financial needs may continue to be adifficult process.For the summer of 2008, the Program Directors are being more strategic about informingstudents of the internship process. PGCC has an internship readiness process where studentsparticipate in workshops including career and life planning, resume writing and review, andmock interviews. David Hillman is also expected to hire

Conference Session

Faculty Attitudes and Perceptions

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Lord, University of San Diego; Michelle Camacho, University of San Diego; Christina Aneshansley, University of San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2008-1348: APPLYING "CULTURAL CONSENSUS ANALYSIS" TO ASUBGROUP OF ENGINEERING EDUCATORSSusan Lord, University of San Diego Susan M. Lord received a B.S. from Cornell University and the M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. She is currently Professor and Coordinator of Electrical Engineering at the University of San Diego. Her teaching and research interests include electronics, optoelectronics, materials science, first year engineering courses, as well as feminist and liberative pedagogies. Dr. Lord served as General Co-Chair of the 2006 Frontiers in Education Conference. She has been awarded an NSF CAREER and ILI grants. She is currently working on a collaborative NSF-funded Gender in

Conference Session

Engineering in Middle Schools

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Quincy Brown, Drexel University; William Mongan, Drexel University; Dara Kusic, Drexel University; Elaine Garbarine, Drexel University; Eli Fromm, Drexel University; Adam Fontecchio, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

a self-perpetuatingquality – a small number of minority graduates in STEM fields results in a small number ofthose who return to the community to lead the way for the next generation of graduates. Thisshortfall is further highlighted by the “digital divide”,7–9 the gap between those who have accessto technology, including the information and proficiencies that accompany it, and those who donot. Often, the digital divide falls along the lines that separate income levels, ethnic groups andeducational attainment.7 Bridging the digital divide by providing technology education in theschools has been shown to improve academic performance in K-12 students10 and increases thenumber students prepared to embark on STEM careers. The Pennsylvania

Conference Session

Best of the NEE

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edward Gehringer, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

, Regarding grading, I often find it useful to retroactively change disasters into extra-credit opportunities. That is, I explain that the problem won't count against anyone's grade, but that those students who managed against all odds to solve (or make substantial headway toward solving) a very difficult (or impossible) problem will be rewarded with extra-credit points.Students should not expect assignments to be perfect. Several instructors made the point that inthe real world, requirements are incompletely specified, change during the project, etc. As KathyRoberson9 put it, Up front, and several times during the semester, I explain to my students that they are preparing for a career where they will frequently be

Conference Session

Undergraduate Space Design and Project Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Kuhlman, West Virginia University; Donald Gray, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

flight travel to Houston and participate in the entire RGSFOPexperience, and return to campus with a greater self confidence, energized to moreaggressively pursue their professional careers. They experience a world of opportunityaround them that we cannot show them as dramatically here on campus, and they respond tothis experience. Program participants have moved on to successful careers in aerospaceengineering. Some have gone on to graduate school; two former MRT3 team members inparticular have completed graduate degrees at WVU, working on spray cooling andcontinuing their reduced gravity flights through collaboration with a team of thermalresearchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio17-19. From thisinformation, we are

Conference Session

Innovative Programs - Structure, Delivery, Evaluation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dirk Schaefer, Georgia Institute of Technology; Tristan Utschig, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Continuing Professional Development

in Austria havecreated a training program open to all “teaching teachers”. Participation is voluntarily and oftenused as a means of continuous professional development to support career development.Successful completion of their program leads to professional registration as ING-PAED IGPP(International Professional Engineering Educator).IGIP, together with SEFI, the European Society of Engineering Education14 (the equivalent ofASEE in the US) represent the largest network of higher education engineering institutions andof individuals involved in engineering education in Europe. It promotes information exchangeabout current developments in the field of engineering education between teachers, researchersand students in the various European

Conference Session

Assessing Design Coursework

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Bannerot, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

recognize the importance of teaming and writing skills fortheir careers. Table 15: Summary of Grades for Individual Assignments Ind. Assign Type %1 Avg. 2 SD3 Miss4 HW#1 survey 1.0 4.0 0 0 HW#2 resume 1.0 4.0 0 0 HW#3 demo 0.5 3.82 0.83 3 HW#4 IP & C&S 2.0 3.51 1.24 6 HW#5 specs 3.5 2.43 1.15 7 HW#6 ethics 1.5 2.93 1.35 11 HW#7 economics 2.0 1.82 1.24

Conference Session

Impacts of Public Policy on Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zarjon Baha, Purdue University; Bahawodin Baha, University of Brighton

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

and female students were admitted to the Faculty of Engineering at KabulUniversity, and Kabul Polytechnic Institute, through a general University Entrance Examthat was conducted by the Ministry of Higher Education. Among the applicants,Engineering Faculty was the third favourite career of higher learning after the Medical andLaw faculties in the country.In addition to Faculty of Engineering at Kabul University, and Kabul Polytechnic, severaltechnical community colleges and vocational high schools existed in Afghanistan wheretechnicians and skilled workers in various fields of technology were educated. There wasalso a well-established two-year telecommunication college within the Ministry ofCommunications which trained technicians for the

Conference Session

Educating Graduates in Engineering for a Flat World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Mariasingam, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Thomas Smith, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Sandra Courter, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Tagged Divisions

International

profession,and the profile of the engineer of the future. Consequently, the engineers of tomorrow will beexpected to function differently from today as they face new changing work environments.Kenney and Dossani5 say, The career of the engineer of the future is likely to take one of two directions. Engineers employed in organizations will necessarily be required to coordinate projects having global workforces. The critical words in the previous sentence (to which current engineering education pays little attention) are “coordinate” and “global.” [Italics added]The new profile of an engineer requires new set of skills. Engineering education has to change toimpart this new set of skills. Industry has begun to respond to the

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids and Heat Transfer - II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jesse Huguet, University of Alabama; Keith Woodbury, University of Alabama; Robert Taylor, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

computational problem solvingearlier in their college careers by developing Microsoft Excel-based modules to be used asteaching tools in the sophomore and junior-level thermodynamics and heat transfer courses. TheMS Excel package was chosen as a software platform for this purpose because of its ubiquitousnature and its ability to utilize Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros in a spreadsheetformat.In the sophomore-level thermodynamics course, much of the class material focuses on theproperties of steam and ideal gases. Therefore, a suite of Microsoft Excel functions to computesteam and ideal gas properties and assist in analyzing properties of states and processes has beendeveloped. A number of Excel packages that pertained to the computation of

Conference Session

FPD4 - Teaching Methods for First Year Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Hall, Louisiana Tech University; Stan Cronk, Louisiana Tech University; Patricia Brackin, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Mark Barker, Louisiana Tech University; Kelly Crittenden, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Laboratory Improvement grant allowed us to extend the curriculum to all 280 freshman engineering students taking ENGR 120 in the fall of 2007. Approximately 400 freshman students have enrolled in the course sequences based on the Living with the Lab curriculum during the current 2007-2008 academic year. During efforts to develop a formal assessment plan to determine the effectiveness of the new courses, we realized that we needed a set of guideposts to help us determine if our strategies were effective not only in teaching students, but also in preparing them for their engineering careers. We realized that the work sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering to identify attributes of “The Engineer of 2020”17 aligned closely with our efforts

Conference Session

STEM Pipeline: Pre-College to Post-Baccalaureate

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gillian Nicholls, University of Pittsburgh; Harvey Wolfe, University of Pittsburgh; Mary Besterfield-Sacre, University of Pittsburgh; Larry Shuman, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

volume of data required was judged to be impractical. Instead,existing data sources that could be adapted for the purposes of this analysis were sought.Extensive research has been performed about students’ educational experiences in high schooland college so several sources were considered. Among them were a series of longitudinalstudies conducted by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics(NCES) collecting information about students as they progress through secondary education andcollege. The most recent of these studies to be completed is the National Education LongitudinalStudy of 1988 (NELS:88)11 which collected extensive demographic, experiential, attitudinal,educational, and career data from students at set

Conference Session

Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linda Anthony, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Marjory Palius, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Carolyn Maher, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Prabhas Moghe, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

include design of cell-interactive biomaterials, nanobiotechnology, and cell and tissue engineering. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), member of the Editorial Board of the journal Acta Biomaterialia, and a recipient of an NSF CAREER Award and Johnson & Johnson Discovery Award. He is the coauthor on a recent book on Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering published by Academic Press. He received a B.S. (Distinction) in Chemical Engineering from University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), University of Bombay, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering (Bioengineering) at the University of Minnesota, and postdoctoral

Conference Session

Innovative K-12 Engineering Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California; Michael Khoo, University of Southern California; Ellis Meng, University of Southern California; Joseph Cocozza, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

their students. Thisexperience facilitates the conveyance of these standards to their students and help makescience and engineering interesting and relevant to them. The university faculty expectthat this in turn will encourage more pre-college students to pursue science andengineering studies in college by increasing their understanding of engineering andtechnological innovation and getting them excited about careers in STEMS fields. Wewill be measuring the level of science interest of the K-12 students whom the teachersteach to measure program success over time.Specific Experiences for RET TeachersEach of the BME laboratories involved in the BMERET program has a tradition of anddedication to the education and preparation of postdoctoral

Conference Session

Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University; Callie Ruben, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

Women Engineers. Her awards are based on her mentoring of students, especially women and underrepresented minority students, and her research in the areas of recruitment and retention. A SWE and ASEE Fellow, she is the PIC IV Chair and a frequent speaker on career opportunities in engineering, especially for women and minority students.Callie Ruben, Arizona State University Callie Rubin is a Senior in Aerospace Engineering at Arizona State University. She is an active member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers. Callie was the Assistant Program Coordinator for Engineering Diversity Programs and the Summer Minority Engineering Program during

Conference Session

Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Wittenborn, Purdue University; Michael Richey, The Boeing Company; Craig Miller, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

data, qualitative data were also collected. Thesedata were obtained through short questionnaires throughout the course as well as follow-upinterviews with students two months after the conclusion of the course. These interviews helpedto enrich the quantitative data by providing explanations of students’ experiences in the class inmore detail and investigating how well the course content relates to their career. The two-monthfollow-up interviews with students also provided insight on the transportability of the coursecontent into the employees’ job tasks after completion of the course. The goal of this research isto determine if the teaching of PLM theories and high-end CAD skills can effectively be taughtin a blended learning

Conference Session

Topics in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Goldberg, Buffalo State College; Paul Siciliano, Buffalo State College; Clark Greene, Buffalo State College; Steve Macho, Buffalo State College

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

-related career paths awareness.”190 students found the instructors to be “good” or better, with 180 students noting the materialswere “good” or better. 94% of the students noted they would participate in EOF courses againnext summer if available and 96% said they would recommend EoF courses to colleagues. Thecontent of the courses was found relevant and useful by 96%.Feedback from Instructors for future DECS workshops: Instructors noted that theparticipant group consisted of a wide variation in subject-matter expertise. It was suggested thatfuture workshops be structured for beginner and advanced participants. It was also suggestedthat EoF provide participants with “refresher” opportunities.In a situation where the coursework consists of numerous

Conference Session

Professional Engineering Management Initiatives

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald Merino, Stevens Institute of Technology; S. Jimmy Gandhi, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

< 20% NONE 0%Table 1: Degree of Commonality (Scale)The above table describes the Degree of Commonality between the various EMBoKs and isbased on the logic of normal distribution6. The 68-95-99.7 rule or empirical rule states that for anormal distribution, almost all values lie within 3 standard deviations of the mean. From that,about 68% of the values lie within 1 standard deviation of the mean.The ASEM EMBoK7 is used as the basis of comparison to other EM BoKs since it is based onthe undergraduate and graduate EM programs. ASEM EM BoK is the basis of the knowledgeEM graduates should have before they join the workforce. It is considered to be a pivotal point inthe career of an engineering manager; therefore it was

Conference Session

Inter- and Multidisciplinary Laboratories

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Sharfstein, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Blanca Barquera, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Michael Hanna, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

AC 2008-749: BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOPROCESSING ANDMICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY COURSES: A MODEL FOR SHARED USE OFINSTRUCTIONAL LABORATORIES BETWEEN ENGINEERING AND SCIENCESusan Sharfstein, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Susan Sharfstein is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her research interests are in mammalian cell culture for bioprocessing. Her teaching interests are in biotechnology and biochemical engineering and in integrating engineering and life science education. Professor Sharfstein received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley. She is the recipient of an NSF CAREER award whose

Conference Session

Graduate Education in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Mainoo, Bowling Green State University; Sri Kolla, Bowling Green State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

, B., Reichgeelt, H., & Zhang, A. (2002).13. Peterson’s Guide to Graduate Study. (2005), Retrieved November 2005, from http://www.peterson.com.14. Price, B., Reichgelt, H., & Zhang, A. (2002). “Designing an Information Technology Curriculum: The GeorgiaSouthern University Experience”. Journal of Information Technology, 17(1), 1-6.15. Stokes, M. E., Davis, C. S., Koch, G. G. (2000). Categorical Data Analysis Using the Sas System. Cary, NC:SAS Publishing.16. United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (2006). Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved June 5, 2006, fromhttp://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.toc.htm.17. United States Department of Labor (2004). Career Guide to Industries. Retrieved June 5, 2006, fromhttp://dol.gov/.18

Conference Session

FPD8 - Early Intervention & Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mukul Shirvaikar, University of Texas at Tyler; David Beams, University of Texas at Tyler; Sagun Shrestha, University of Texas at Tyler

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

goals appear to be difficult to achieve, as explained by Gover and Hurayin their recent book3 that outlines some of the reasons for the decline in engineering enrolment.It is not within the power of academic institutions to change the underlying global economics butit may be possible to craft strategies for recruitment based on changing the public perception ofengineering careers. Recruitment however, is only one aspect of the problem. A very importantvariable over which individual institutions have more control over is retention. It is of vitalimportance, more than ever before, that students who choose the engineering path are nurturedand retained in the system. One of the major stumbling blocks in the retention based approach isthe enthusiasm