Conference Session

FPD VI: Presenting "All the Best" of the First-Year Programs Division

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Smaill, University of Auckland; Gerard Rowe, University of Auckland; Lawrence J. Carter, University of Auckland

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

slightly aware that someone is going to have to mark their work and Idid witness some students think about how they lay it out and are aware they will lose marksfor insufficient working. So hopefully this ended in them constructing better answers in testsand exams.” “The student learning did improve as a result of peer marking exercise as it allows them toknow how others think”. “It forces the students to grasp the material at early stage of (the) course which results inbetter understanding of the course.” “I marked (a) few exams and found that most of the students did write the UNITS of thequantities in (their) solution. It was definitely due to peer-marking exercise.” “I think peer marking exercise is a good practice to do and it adds an

Conference Session

FPD IV: Improving Student Success: Mentoring, Intervening, and Supplementing

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Colleen A. McDonough, Michigan State University; Daina Briedis, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Renée S. DeGraaf, Lansing Community College; Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Sarah J. Stoner, Michigan State University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University; Claudia E. Vergara, Michigan State University; Thomas F. Wolff, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

AC 2011-1659: PEER-LED SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION IN AN NSFSTEP PROJECT: THE EEES EXPERIENCEColleen A. McDonough, Michigan State University Colleen A. McDonough is a graduate research assistant at the College of Engineering at Michigan State University. She is the coordinator of two component projects of a National Science Foundation grant focusing on retention issues and engaging early engineering students, and also serves as an academic advisor. McDonough earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from William Smith College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She is currently a third year doctoral student in the Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education program at

Conference Session

FPD VII: Innovative Curriculum Elements of Successful First-Year Courses

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew A. Carr, U.S. Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

scheduled for one lecture session and two two-hour lab/workshops per week for a total of threecredits. Consistent with many “freshman support” programs at other universities, the goals ofthe course are to introduce the midshipmen to the “big picture” of the major for context; tointroduce the midshipmen to each other and develop a mutual support network; and, to provide“tools” for success in follow-on courses. These tools include technical writing, critical thinking,design process, project management, computer programming and software, and engineeringdrafting skills. There is a significant project-based learning (PBL) component to the course. Theassignments include both individual and team submittals. The double “lab” schedule allowsmuch of the

Conference Session

FPD VIII: Crossing Bridges and Easing Transitions into the First Year

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Danny King, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis; Laura Masterson, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

numerous benefits received from enrollment in a LC. Most notably,they report the following 5: 1. Making connections with other students, peer mentors, faculty, and advisors, 2. Academic advising (e.g., knowledgeable, available when needed assistance), 3. Experiencing environment that promotes and respects diversity, 4. Becoming familiar with campus and academic support resources, 5. Deciding on a major or future career, 6. Adjusting to college. The Summer Bridge (SB) program is a specific type of LC intended to bridge the gapbetween high school and college. The intensive 2 week SB program, developed as an additionalsupport for incoming, first year students, provides a high-impact, high-touch experience tostudents in a major

Conference Session

FPD VIII: Crossing Bridges and Easing Transitions into the First Year

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bernard White, George Mason University; Eileen Patricia Mazzone, George Mason University; Vicki L. Dominick, George Mason University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

interacting with peers and mentors. After muchthought and consideration to the students’ perceived need for a way to bridge the gap betweenhigh school and college, then exploring ways to exploit the capabilities of today’s educationaltechnologies and media resources, the idea of developing an online alternative to the traditionalon-campus Summer Bridge Program was born. Interestingly, a search of the literature did notreveal many previous initiatives employed by other engineering schools to provide an onlineprogram for assisting with transitioning STEM freshmen into college.When Learning Specialists from the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services(CAPS) Office who had provided the lion’s share of workshops on academic skills and

Conference Session

FPD II: Increasing Engagement and Motivation of First-Year Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Roesch Johnson, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Engineering Professional Development

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

technicalwriting by providing various models and templates. The students were first introduced to articlesin the Science Section of the New York Times as an example of writing that exemplifies theclarity and conciseness needed to explain technology and science to the average reader. Inaddition, the international template known as IMRaD, (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Page 22.5.8Discussion) was explained and modeled from articles found in peer-reviewed publications. Thiswas done in preparation for the students’ own technical report on research topics that representedcurrent challenge in technology and science. Many students choose to report on

Conference Session

FPD IX: Research on First-Year Programs and Students, Part II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jae Hoon Lim, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Patricia A. Tolley, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Kimberly Warren, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Peter Thomas Tkacik, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

data analysis showed differentpatterns between male and female students‟ peer relationships and support systems. Furthermore,male and female students also tended to adopt slightly different coping strategies relative to thedemanding course workload. While male students were more likely to form a quick socialnetwork and to build “learning relationships” with “like-minded” others most female studentstended to work alone and exclusively focused on academic work while not seeking more diverseand non-academic social networking opportunities. Each strategy seems to present some positiveand negative consequences.IntroductionDuring the last two decades, there has been growing consensus among engineering educators andpolicy makers that the retention

Conference Session

FPD IV: Improving Student Success: Mentoring, Intervening, and Supplementing

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Frederick L. Smyth, University of Virginia; William H Guilford, University of Virginia; Brian A. Nosek, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

trigger a change in one or both of the other constructs (e.g. stereotypesand/or self-concept) 13. For example, subliminal priming of test subjects with the femalestereotype (i.e., women are not mathematically inclined) causes women's explicit and implicitmath attitudes to shift 15. Similarly, women’s — but not men’s — implicit math attitude changedas a function of whether the experimenter was male or female 16. Also found to influence STEMperformance is the ratio of male to female peers in the immediate environment 17,18 andinteractions with an implicitly sexist male peer 19.These studies suggest that we may be able to influence implicit attitudes toward engineering, and

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

C.J. Egelhoff, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Susan Donner Bibeau, U.S. Coast Guard; K.L. Burns, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Corinna Marie Fleischmann P.E., U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Engineering have been trying to tap potential engineering students from theunderrepresented minority segment of the population for more than thirty years. As soon as itwas realized how few high school minority students were fully qualified to and interested instudying engineering, four-year institutions began seeking and qualifying those students whowere “almost” qualified. Summer bridge programs were developed to build needed skills, createacademic community and perhaps offer course credit. Extensive first-year programs werecreated which provided academic assistance, peer or faculty mentoring or perhaps offering firstyear research with faculty. Follow-on programs were also instituted at some colleges to giveacademic support and build community among

Conference Session

FPD II: Increasing Engagement and Motivation of First-Year Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nicky Wolmarans, University of Cape Town, Department of Civil Engineering and Centre for Research in Engineering Education (CREE); Corrinne Shaw, University of Cape Town, Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Centre for Research in Engineering Education (CREE)

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

; referencing; writing in a technical genre; and communicatingtechnical concepts to a small group of peers. In addition each student learns about a numberof concepts related to structures and construction as an orientation to their site visits.Skills are typically not isolated to a single project, but build together through multipleprojects. For example, in preparation for writing the major technical report, structure andcoherence in paragraphs is introduced in the informal settlement upgrade project. The basicsof experimentation, with a focus on measurements and data presentation, alongsidespreadsheet functionality and design are introduced through three activities within the servicereservoir project. Students are expected to use these skills in

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ding Yuan, Colorado State University, Pueblo; Jude L. DePalma, Colorado State University, Pueblo; Nebojsa I. Jaksic, Colorado State University, Pueblo; Jane M. Fraser, Colorado State University, Pueblo

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

). Engle and Tinto11 address various obstacles to college success for low-income students.They state that “After six years, only 11 percent of low-income, first-generation students hadearned bachelor‟s degrees compared to 55 percent of their more advantaged peers.” One of theirrecommendations includes cohort development. Furthermore, the learning community modelimproves the persistence of the low-income and the first generation students12.A learning community is an environment that encourages student-student, and faculty-studentinteraction. At Colorado State University - Pueblo, a pilot learning community was initiated inthe Department of Engineering in fall 2009. Two first-year courses were linked with shared

Conference Session

FPD I: Attacking the Problems of Retention in the First Year

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yvette Pearson Weatherton, University of Texas, Arlington; Andrew P. Kruzic, University of Texas, Arlington; Beth R. Isbell, University of Texas at Arlington; Lynn L. Peterson, University of Texas, Arlington; Carter Tiernan, University of Texas, Arlington; Vu V. Pham, University of Texas at Arlington

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

engineering).The literature acknowledges shortcomings in bridge program evaluations, especially with regardto long-term outcomes. 6,7 There are studies documenting the impacts of individual programs;however the results are difficult to extrapolate to others on a broad scale.8 Page 22.1047.3Washington et al. found that at-risk students who participated in bridge programs at eight Texascommunity colleges and universities enrolled in fewer credit hours of developmental coursesthan non-participants.9 Results regarding retention and performance for those students are notyet available (at the time of this writing). A University of New Mexico study showed

Conference Session

FPD 3: Research on First-year Programs and Students, Part I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Malinda S. Zarske, University of Colorado, Boulder; Derek T. Reamon, University of Colorado, Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

servicelearning pedagogy has significant positive effects on students’ academic performance (GPA,writing skills, critical thinking skills), leadership skills, and increased commitment to continuedcivic participation7. 68% of students engaged in the Engineering Projects in Community Service(EPICS) projects from Purdue University reported that participation in service learningpositively impacted their determination to continue in engineering8.The premise is that engineering design can function as a motivator for learning foundationalskills that are necessary precursors to higher level engineering skills9. Therefore, the use ofdevelopmentally-appropriate engineering curricula that builds on current cognitive researchbecomes an attractive instructional

Conference Session

FPD X: First-Year Design with Projects, Modeling, and Simulation

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mario Gomes, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

their camera to their desired height usingtethers, and have it take a photograph of the target area. Then analysis of the photographwould be done using the MATLAB program developed in stages during the course. Theresult of the analysis was to determine the area enclosed by the figure on the ground. Many Page 22.149.2different designs for timers were created from the materials given, ranging from water clocktimers, viscous timers, ice timers, etc.The programming component of the project was done as individuals, i.e. each student wasresponsible for writing the analysis software. The lab component of the course taught basicprogramming constructs such

Conference Session

FPD VII: Innovative Curriculum Elements of Successful First-Year Courses

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Barbara Elizabeth Carruthers, The Ohio State University; Paul Alan Clingan, The Ohio State University - EEIC

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

somewhat routine, and students learnedwhat to expect from these types of problems.In addition, a lecture was added to the course curriculum outlining the basic statistics required tostate a confidence level for experimental results. Each student was required to write a MATLABscript calculating a significance level for each confidence level. These programs were used tostate the confidence level of their experimental results. The course structure itself was helpful inthe discussion of validation and verification of CFD results – by solving for experimental andcomputational results in parallel, students were able to identify potential pitfalls of using eitherapproach as the “correct” solution.Open-Ended Design Using CFD SoftwareThe CFD portion of the

Conference Session

FPD 3: Research on First-year Programs and Students, Part I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Holly M. Matusovich, Virginia Tech; Brett D. Jones, Virginia Tech; Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech; Jacob Preston Moore, Virginia Tech; Deirdre-Annaliese Nicole Hunter, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

, evaluating hypotheses, and revoicing ideasamong team members.14Because facilitation is a time-intensive process it can easily become a constraint in the properimplementation of PBL.15 Researchers are examining the most effective ways to trainfacilitators16 and are even examining alternative ways to provide facilitation, such as web-basedsystems, designed to support student learning in many of the same ways a PBL facilitator wouldincluding question prompts, peer review, expert modeling, and self-reflection.17 Such systemsare not yet easy to create. Moreover, because little is known about the motivation effects offacilitators, researchers cannot yet predict how these web-based systems would affect studentengagement in learning.Although the words and

Conference Session

FPD VIII: Crossing Bridges and Easing Transitions into the First Year

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Janet Callahan, Boise State University; Judith A. Garzolini, Boise State University; Gary LeRoy Hunt, Boise State University; Joe Guarino, Boise State University; Doug Bullock, Boise State University; Susan Shadle, Boise State University; Cheryl B. Schrader, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

advised of theSTEM core courses they must take in an overview presentation. Next, students were categorizedby specific discipline for individualized course advising using peer advisors and STEM faculty(32 advisors over the summer). The objective was to help the students identify as a STEMmajor, begin connecting them with an advisor, and to identify the STEP project coordinator andother resources available to them.The advisors assisted students in selecting the appropriate math course, promoted the use ofALEKS, a mathematics online learning module (described in part 4), and encouraged enrollmentin Student Learning Communities (SLCs). To continue support and assistance, advisorsaccompanied the students to a computer lab to complete online course