Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 16: That Important Decision - Which Engineering Major?

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert J. Rabb P.E., The Citadel; Jason Howison, The Citadel; Kevin Skenes, The Citadel

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First-Year Programs

quick comparisons with the teachers they have from the multiple departmentswithin the institution and may decide to change majors based on the quality of the teachingalone6. 1) Can student interest in a focus area be influenced by a simple awareness of the sub- disciplines in mechanical engineering? 2) Will the course meet its objectives - how will freshmen mechanical engineering students receive the new Introduction to Mechanical Engineering course? Page 26.237.4Course OverviewThe mechanical engineering faculty at The Citadel recognizes that graduating engineers will beexpected to function effectively on multidisciplinary teams

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 2B: Strategies for Writing and Communication Courses

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Penny Kinnear, University of Toronto; Micah Stickel P.Eng., University of Toronto; Brian M. Frank, Queen's University; James A. Kaupp, Queen's University

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Diversity

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First-Year Programs

largest share of newcomers, nearly one-third (over380,000). Most of the immigrants between 2006 and 2011 have come from Asian and MiddleEastern countries with the second largest group coming from European countries. As 61.2% of [1]the immigrant population and 66.8% of the newcomer population speak one of Canada’s officiallanguage and one or more non-official languages , it would be surprising not to find this [1]diversity reflected in the classroom. The ten most common non-official languages are in order ofprevalence: Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin), Tagalog, Spanish, Punjabi, Arabic,Italian, German

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 7: The Transition from High School to College

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nora Honken, University of Cincinnati; Patricia A Ralston, University of Louisville

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First-Year Programs

spentmore than 20 hours a week preparing for class2. Meanwhile student responses on theCooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey show high school seniorsspent much less time studying or doing homework in their senior year of high school, and overthe past twenty years the amount of time students indicated they spent studying or doinghomework their senior year has been decreasing3 (see Figure 1). 35 30 Percent of Respondants 25 20 15 1987 10 2006

Conference Session

First Year Programs Division Poster Session: The Best Place to Really Talk about First-Year Education

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lizzie Santiago, West Virginia University; Oyemayowa Luqman Abioye, West Virginia University

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First-Year Programs

reporting graduation rates in the range of 40-60%.1-7 Students seem to experience a loss ofinterest and lack of motivation for engineering in part due to the demanding engineeringcurriculum of the first two years.2,3 The first two years are recognized as critical to promotestudent retention in engineering.To improve student retention, the first-year engineering curriculum have experienced significantchanges in the last decade. There is a growing trend towards incorporating engineering conceptsin first year engineering courses. The purpose is to demonstrate that engineering is fun,rewarding, relevant, and interesting. With these changes, there has been an increase in theimplementation of hands on activities that promotes student engagement in a

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 2: Design in the First Year: Challenges and Successes

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

DeLean Tolbert, Engineering Education, Purdue University; Monica E Cardella, Purdue University, West Lafayette

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First-Year Programs

skills. Today’s future engineers enter college with pre-college experiences whichmay lead them to have misconceptions about the nature of engineering problems [1]. Oftentimes,they perceive that engineering problems have linear problem solving processes, are well-defined,highly constrained and are quick to solve. To interrogate this misconception, the researchers setthe following research goal: To empirically examine the “interplay” between mathematicalthinking and design thinking, as experienced by students engaged in open-ended design tasks,and identify situations where mathematical thinking may impede design thinking, and vice versa.The study that ensued recruited first-year engineering students to spend three hoursindependently designing a

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 7: The Transition from High School to College

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert W. Whalin, Jackson State University; Qing J Pang, Jackson State University

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First-Year Programs

Success course our students take in the first summerterm) and reviewing/honing mathematics skills. We found no other summer bridge programsthat were as consistent and sustained as long as the SEEP program. Summer 2015 will be theseventh consecutive cohort and the total engineering students enrolled for 2009-2015 will bewell over 200. The engineering cohorts averaged over 30 students per summer. The SEEPprogram has three unique aspects that set it apart from other summer bridge programs: (1)relatively low level of mathematics college preparedness for first year engineering students, (2)10 week length of the program that earns 8 semester hours of college credit, and (3) theconsistency and sustainment of the program.Analyses PerformedWe chose to

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 4: The Best of the All: FPD Best Papers

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary A. Fraley, Michigan Technological University; A. J. Hamlin, Michigan Technological University; Amber Kemppainen, Michigan Technological University; Gretchen L. Hein, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Page 26.1677.2learning. Blended learning has been defined as “the combination of traditional face-to-face andtechnology-mediated instruction”.1 With this broad definition, there is a plethora of ways thatblended learning can be incorporated into courses and programs. Students perceive blendedcourses more positively than either traditional or on-line ones. The main reason for this is thatstudents can manage how they allocate their time. They can choose to complete their courseworkaround their other commitments like sports, work and social commitments.2 Students have statedthat they value interactions with their faculty, but want those interactions to be useful to them.Additionally, engaging with other students is an important component of their

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 2A: Using Alternative Measurements to Look at Students and Their Success

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nora Honken, University of Cincinnati; Patricia A Ralston, University of Louisville; Thomas Tretter, University of Louisville

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Diversity

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First-Year Programs

an analyticmechanism to investigate other variables’ effects on retention.Research MethodsParticipants The participants in this study were all first-time, full-time students in fall of 2012 at onelarge metropolitan research institution. The freshman cohort consisted of 430 students. Datafrom 352 students (82% of the cohort) were used in analysis to determine the threshold value forinterest. The ethnic and gender distributions of the participants were similar to the entire 2012cohort and other recent cohorts at the same university (see Table 1). The sample was lessethnically diverse and had a higher percentage of females than the national population ofengineering students41.Table 1Ethnic and Gender Distribution of Participants Compared

Conference Session

First Year Programs Division Poster Session: The Best Place to Really Talk about First-Year Education

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary E. Goodwin, University of South Florida; John Pharo Morgan III, University of South Florida; Yan Wang, University of South Florida; Michelle King, University of South Florida College of Engineering; Blake A Burton, University of South Florida

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Diversity

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First-Year Programs

attend it. The grading for the classwas pass/fail.Engineering Living Learning CommunitiesThe College began a small engineering living learning community (ELLC) of 28 students in thefall of 2007. Two years later, in 2009, the ELLC was then moved to a newer more expensiveresidence hall in 2009 which had suite style rooms and was located close to the engineeringbuildings. That year the enrollment more than doubled (see Table 1). Due to limited residentialhousing there is no more room to expand the ELLC.Table 1. ELLC Enrollment and Overall Enrollment of First-Year Students Year # Admits ELLC ELLC 2007 440 28 6.4% 2008 479 27 5.6% 2009 363 71 19.6% 2010

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 6: Design and Design Chanllenges

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Haolin Zhu, Arizona State University; Benjamin Emery Mertz, Arizona State University

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First-Year Programs

, aerospace,electrical and chemical engineering majors in sections of 40 students. It meets twice a week for a50 minute lecture and a 2 hour and 50 minute lab throughout the 15-week semester. It introducesthe engineering design process, basic engineering skills, and provides opportunities to learnabout and use various engineering tools and software. The course also teaches basic written andoral communication skills important for communicating technical information effectively.Students also learn to work in a team environment, using design methods to address multi-disciplinary real world engineering design problems. Specific learning objectives of this courseare: 1. Students will, as part of a design team, use the engineering design process to

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 6: Design and Design Chanllenges

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Haolin Zhu, Arizona State University; Amy Trowbridge, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

“make solar energy economical” challenge,students were asked to design, build, and test a solar power plant at relatively low cost that couldprovide consistent electrical power throughout the day (despite the changing position of the sun)for villagers living next to the Taklamakan desert in China. A project testing setup that simulatedthe sun’s movement over time on a small scale (shown in Figure 1) was created to test theeffectiveness of the functional prototypes. Figure 1. Project testing setupFor the two challenges just described, villages located in rural areas around the world were usedto provide students with the opportunity to consider the real needs of a community that they arenot familiar with and to

Conference Session

First Year Programs Division Poster Session: The Best Place to Really Talk about First-Year Education

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Victoria E Goodrich, University of Notre Dame; Leo H McWilliams, University of Notre Dame; Catherine F Pieronek, University of Notre Dame

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First-Year Programs

isgenerally most prevalent in early semesters.6 Therefore, first-year programs are ideally situatedto aid students in building these interactive support networks. With these findings in mind,Notre Dame sought to create an educational experience within the first-year course that wouldencourage students to explore the extracurricular activities available to them within theuniversity. By making students academically responsible for attendance at extracurricularevents, the course staff sought to increase the chance that students would find encouragementand community early in their academic careers while learning more about the engineering majorchoice. More explicitly, the goals of these Engineering Exploration assignments were to helpstudents: 1

Conference Session

First Year Programs Division Poster Session: The Best Place to Really Talk about First-Year Education

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Quamrul H. Mazumder, University of Michigan, Flint; Ulan Dakeev, University of Michigan, Flint

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First-Year Programs

comparison showed Female students are more motivated with betterlearning strategies than male students.Introduction: Previous investigators 1, 2 reported that academic motivation is a powerful factor forstudents in terms of completing their academic work and making them more interested towardlearning. High school and university students, based on their3 theory of learning styles, map thedifferences in how they learn. Furthermore, there is a relationship between high academicsuccess and self-regulated learning strategies4 and it is possible that high school students may bemore self-regulated with respect to their learning strategies5. Several studies have beenconducted on learning strategies and motivation using specific populations like high

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 9: Focus on Student Learning, Lifelong Learning, and the Whole Student

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Thompson P.E., University of Louisville; Patricia A Ralston, University of Louisville

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

introduction to engineering design.Critical thinking instruction in particular, has been one area the instructors have aimed toimprove and reinforce in each iteration of the course. Students in this course are providedexplicit instruction in the Paul-Elder (PE) Critical Thinking framework (Figure 1).1 The PEframework was adopted by the University to improve critical thinking skills for allundergraduates across the curriculum. In addition to explicit instruction of the PE framework inthe Introduction to Engineering course, the PE framework is an implicit part of many later Page 26.1688.2courses in the engineering curriculum. The framework highlights

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 3: Diversity and Multicultural Influences in the First Year

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Isabel Cristina Jimenez-Useche, School of Engineering Education, Purdue University; Matthew W. Ohland, Purdue University; Stephen R Hoffmann, Purdue University, West Lafayette

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

. Page 26.1177.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 Multicultural dynamics in First-Year Engineering teams in the U.S.INTRODUCTION In the last decade, U.S. universities have experienced a significant increase in the number ofinternational students. As reported by the Institute of International Education, the number ofinternational students studying in the U.S. has grown by 40% from 2002/03 academic year to2012/13 academic year 1. Business/Management and Engineering are the most popular fields ofstudy among international students, with an average population of 22% and 19% respectively 1.In some institutions, such as Purdue University, the population of international students in theFirst-Year

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 6: Hands-on Projects and Spatial Skills

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Diana Bairaktarova, University of Oklahoma; Matthew Reyes, University of Oklahoma; Nooshin Nassr P.E., University of Oklahoma; Dan Thomas Carlton, University of Oklahoma, College of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

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Diversity

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First-Year Programs

between differentSTEM disciplines and working professionals. 1. Background Spatial thinking refers to the ability to create and hold an object in the mind’s eye andmanipulate that object through cuts, rotations, etc. The underlying principles allow for spatialthinking to be utilized in solving problems that may not necessarily refer to an object. As long asone can build an accurate representation of the model problem, it can be manipulated to lead to asolution. While this can easily be seen working for macro physical objects or micro double helixpatterns, it can just as well be used in fields varying from military strategy to aviation [1].Theveracity that spatial thinking is paramount in STEM fields is almost self-evident. For the

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 7: Experiential Learning

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Victoria E Goodrich, University of Notre Dame; Leo H. McWilliams, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

, waterproofing, and appearance. Student groups exploitedcomputational tools for their design by creating an engineering drawing in Creo Parametric forvisualization and by developing equations and an expected performance plot in MicrosoftEXCEL for analyzing their system. Finally, they were able to build and demonstrate theirplatforms using course purchased construction materials which included: poster board, shippingtape, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and a handful of other similar products. Some positive traitsof the project include: (1) The modelling equations are simple and do not require physics or calculus knowledge to design the system, so they are appropriate for first-semester students. However, finding a solution to the project is

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 3: Diversity and Multicultural Influences in the First Year

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

So Yoon Yoon, Texas A&M University; Monica M Cortez, Texas A&M University; Teri Kristine Reed, Texas A&M University; P.K. Imbrie, Texas A&M University

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Diversity

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First-Year Programs

Engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, 3126 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-3126; terireed@tamu.edu.Dr. P.K. Imbrie, Texas A&M University Page 26.1728.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 What Makes First-Time-Transfer Students Different from First-Time-in-College Students in EngineeringI. IntroductionA recent report by the National Research Council and National Academy of Engineering (2012)1,titled Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape: Summary of a Summit,has provided a renewed focus

Conference Session

First Year Programs Division Poster Session: The Best Place to Really Talk about First-Year Education

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen E Silliman, Gonzaga University; Toni Boggan, Gonzaga University; Vladimir A Labay, Gonzaga University; George D. Ricco, Gonzaga University, Spokane; Suzann Girtz, Gonzaga University

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First-Year Programs

on the students’ retention and performance. A significant conclusionof Stassen relative to the current study is summarized in the following passage from the Stassenpaper3 These results clearly suggest that a variety of fairly humble LC models can have a number of positive effects on the first-year student experience. These positive effects are not limited to those models that are highly coordinated or have extensive faculty involvement, nor are they dependent on selective student enrollments. In fact, in this study, the LC model that was not selective, and was most often ranked in Fig. 1 as having a Low Focus on important LC dimensions, had the most consistently positive outcomes and, for the most part

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacques C. Richard, Texas A&M University; Noemi V. Mendoza Diaz, Texas A&M University; Tanya Dugat Wickliff, Texas A&M University; So Yoon Yoon, Texas A&M University

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Diversity

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First-Year Programs

Paper ID #16190Enculturation of Diverse Students to the Engineering Practices through First-Year Engineering College ExperiencesDr. Jacques C. Richard, Texas A&M University Dr. Richard got his Ph. D. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1989 & a B. S. at Boston University, 1984. He was at NASA Glenn, 1989-1995, taught at Northwestern for Fall 1995, worked at Argonne National Lab, 1996-1997, Chicago State, 1997-2002. Dr. Richard is a Sr. Lecturer & Research Associate in Aerospace Engineering @ Texas A&M since 1/03. His research is focused on computational plasma modeling using spectral and lattice

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeremy Helm, Arizona State University; Tami Coronella, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

State University was 62%, equal to the Arizona State Universityinstitution’s average 6-year graduation rate of 62%, and the national average 6-year graduationrate of 59%1. One-year freshman retention rates for the Fulton Schools of Engineering reflectedrates higher than the national average. The first-year freshman retention rate for studentsadmitted in 2012 within the engineering program was 88%1. By comparison, 84% of all 2012freshman were retained at Arizona State University after one year and nationally, retention offreshmen was 60% after one year1Table 1 reflects the one-year freshman retention rate in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering:Table 1: One-Year Freshman Engineering Retention Rate by Term Initial Admit Term First Term

Conference Session

First Year Programs Division Poster Session: The Best Place to Really Talk about First-Year Education

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Jane Grigg, Clemson University; Elizabeth Anne Stephan, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

first-semester course which has three mainobjectives: (1) to prepare students for the rigor of future engineering classes; (2) to providestudents with a solid foundation of basic engineering skills; and (3) to introduce students to thedifferent engineering majors available at Clemson and possible career options. In Fall 2014, theGE program enrolled 1215 new freshman and 177 new transfer students1.Promoting problem solving development in first year engineering courses is critical to ensuringstudents’ transition successfully into upper-division courses and ultimately to a practicingengineer2. Innovative approaches to teaching problem solving skills have the potential ofappealing to a broader range of students in engineering3. “Traditional

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 3; The Best of All the FPD Papers

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James A. Middleton, Arizona State University; Stephen J. Krause, Arizona State University; Eugene Judson, Arizona State University; Robert J. Culbertson; Lydia Ross, Arizona State University; Keith D. Hjelmstad, Arizona State University; Yong Seok Park, Arizona State University; James Collofello, Arizona State University; Bethany B. Smith, Arizona State University

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First-Year Programs

experiences that bothintroduce and encourage faculty to trial new tools and techniques, but that also run for the long-term, supporting collaborative organizations of faculty working together to transform earlyengineering experiences.IntroductionRecent research has shown that learner centered practices are infrequently used in engineeringpedagogy. Learner Centered instruction is defined by the American Psychological Association ascomprising a set of cogntive and metacognitive factors, motivational and affective factors,developmental and social factors, and individual differences (see Table 1) 1. It is assumed,generally, that to be learner centered, pedagogies need to simultaneously address key concepts,skills, and dispositions in a domain, and

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 8: Project-based Learning and Cornerstone Courses

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wei Zheng, Jackson State University; Yanhua Cao, Jackson State University; Jianjun Yin, Jackson State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

approaches, the traditional seminar approach to introducing creative strategiesand question prompts may particularly promote students to apply cognitive strategies andquestions prompts and enhance their confidence in their ability. The online learning ofcreative strategies and question prompts may be more effective in scaffolding students’learning process and enhancing students’ learning outcomes. The online learning with e-mailed prompts may be more effective in fostering students’ self-efficacy and learning ofmethodology, and strengthening their interest in creativity and engineering, as well as theircareer identity.1. Introduction Nurturing creativity and metacognitive skills of undergraduate students is critical for U.S.to maintain its global

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 12: Teaching and Advising Students in that Critical First Year

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shelley Lorimer P.Eng., MacEwan University; Jeffrey A Davis P.Eng., Grant MacEwan University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

larger class sizes where lecture-style teaching methods are prevalent and remain unchangedfrom year to year. At the end of first year only a fraction of the students remain. Attrition ratesfor degree completion in engineering have been reported to be between 40-60%1-3. At ourinstitution the attrition rates for transfer to second year from our first-year program fall withinthis same range. Efforts to maximize retention have been reported through modifications ofcurriculum4 and teaching methods5 (for example) with varying success.Studies done almost two decades ago found a strong link between personality type and academicsuccess6-9. In particular, these studies used Myer’s Briggs typing as the method of analysis in anattempt to direct teaching

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 7: Experiential Learning

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah B. Lee, Mississippi State University; Hunter Lovvorn, Mississippi State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

atMississippi State University (MSU) for computer science (CS) and software engineering (SE)majors to a project-based, hands-on approach to building skills in computational thinking andteamwork. While critical thinking ability and the dynamics of working in a team have beenemphasized in the class through individual and team-based assignments previously, the use oftechnology has been limited.Recent experience with a summer outreach program for middle and high school studentssuggests that students build confidence in problem solving by using a simple programminglanguage with robotic concepts.1 Building off of this experience, students in this first yearengineering course were introduced to programming with a “drag and drop” interface and arobot. Teams

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 8: Project-based Learning and Cornerstone Courses

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James A Middleton, Arizona State University; Stephen J Krause, Arizona State University; Kendra Rae Beeley; Eugene Judson, Arizona State University; John Ernzen; Ying-Chih Chen, Arizona State University

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First-Year Programs

theirpractice may be teacher-centered due to constraints such as class size, time, technology and theirbeliefs about students’ abilities1. Much has been written about Learner- or Student-centeredness over the years ineducation research. The first attempt for defining Learner-Centeredness was put forth in 1949 byFaw, when he applied Rogerian client-centered clinical therapy techniques to the undergraduatepsychology classroom2. These ideas smoldered in academia over the years, and it wasn’t untilthe early 1990s that a comprehensive framework for Learner Centered instruction was proposedby the American Psychological Association (see Table 1)3

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 7: The Transition from High School to College

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tony Vercellino P.E., Youngstown State University; Dylan Christenson, Texas Tech University; Audra N. Morse, Texas Tech University

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Diversity

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First-Year Programs

. Furthermore, all prior mentioned data will beevaluated based on all students, and will also be evaluated to separately gauge the performanceof female and racial minority students.The bridge program is conducted over a week-long period prior to the start of the fall semestereach year. The program is outlined in Figure 1. In addition to the program sections mentioned inFigure 1, tutoring sessions were made available for all students at the end of each day, and theafternoons of each day were used to work practice problems to further prepare the students in theprogram. Upon completion of the program, the students will have taken the MPE three times,and are allowed to use their best score of the three exams as their final score, to be used foradmission

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 5A: Work-In-Progress: 5 Minute Postcard Session I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Clara Novoa, Texas State University - San Marcos; Araceli Martinez Ortiz, Texas State University - San Marcos; Kimberly Grau Talley P.E., Texas State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)student retention rate is 56% vs. 67% for all majors, and that 16% of STEM majors are femalewhile 57% of all undergraduate students are female. Using these statistics, the authors identifiedthe need to offer motivating experiences to freshman in STEM while creating a sense ofcommunity among other STEM students. This paper reports on the impact of two interventionsdesigned by the authors and aligned with this need. The interventions are: (1) a one-day multi-disciplinary summer orientation (summer15) to give participants the opportunity to undertakeprojects that demonstrate the relevance of spatial and computational thinking skills and (2) asubsequent six-week spatial visualization skills training

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 9: Focus on Student Learning, Lifelong Learning, and the Whole Student

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Krista M. Kecskemety, Ohio State University; Jacob T Allenstein, Ohio State University; Robert B. Rhoads, Ohio State University; Clifford A Whitfield, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

DevelopmentIntroductionAlbert Einstein once said, “intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only atdeath.” 1 To develop students who can achieve lifelong learning is a goal of higher education.2Because lifelong learning is vital to an engineer's career, the accreditation board for engineeringand technology (ABET) included lifelong learning as one of its student outcomes. ABET statesthat by graduation students should have "a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage inlife-long learning."3At The Ohio State University’s Engineering Education Innovation Center (EEIC), students areoffered a wide range of engineering courses through the first-year engineering program and asenior-year multidisciplinary capstone program. A requirement for all first