Conference Session

Research on the First Year I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beverly Jaeger, Northeastern University; Susan Freeman, Northeastern University; Richard Whalen, Northeastern University; Rebecca Payne, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

GRE are made as with the SAT and ACT exams. For many test takers,scores are shown to improve after being familiarized with test taking strategies.MAT. In addition to the GRE many social science and educational graduate programs use theMiller Analogies Test (MAT) created by Harcourt Assessment, Inc. Research has shown thatperformance on analogies involves multiple levels of cognition and that makes it a superbmeasure of g, verbal comprehension, and analytical thinking.1, 18 Kuncel et. al. 200414 showedthat the MAT and GRE measure abilities shared with other cognitive ability instruments, and thatthese abilities are generally valid predictors of both academic and vocational criteria

Conference Session

Design in the First Year

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Bennett, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Will Schleter, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

project to help students learn estimation.The project is also used to have students work a scaling problem.The students are asked to estimate the amount of paint that would be required to paint the tubularsteel supports of the Jumbotron (Figure 1). The Jumbotron is within easy walking distance of theclassroom, so students are able to walk around to estimate diameters of members, heights, etc.Getting the students out of the classroom and actively collecting data is an important part of thisproject. Teams are required to make a quick two-minute initial estimate. They turn this estimatein to the teaching assistant, who records it. The students work together in their teams to make amore detailed estimate of the amount of paint required, approximating

Conference Session

Innovations in First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey Ringenberg, University of Michigan; Marcial Lapp, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

(1), there are multiple lab sections tied to a single lecture section. This helps Page 15.1243.3to limit the number of presentations that are seen by each student and prevents the students fromtiring of the material. Once thee ppresentations have been delivered in lab, the stud tudents in eachsection vote on which presentatio tion they liked best and a winner is chosen for eac ach lab section. Inthe case of a tie in votes, the teac aching

Conference Session

Potpourri of First-Year Issues

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rod Paton, University of Auckland; Chris Smaill, University of Auckland; Gerard Rowe, University of Auckland

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

fellow student. In this way the students alsocontribute to the development of generic skills within their peer-group.Student learning experiencesOverall, the goal of the University of Auckland’s first-year engineering courses is to showstudents the ‘way into’ engineering via lectures, tutorials, assignments and projects. Electricaland Digital Systems, based on its high student success rate, would appear to be largelyachieving this goal: in 2009, 93% of enrolled students passed the course, with 2% droppingout and 5% not achieving sufficiently well in the assessments. The key findings are modelledin Figure 1 below, showing how first-year engineering students are engaged in active, self-directed and peer learning. These learning modes are described

Conference Session

Mentoring First Year Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steve Rippon, Arizona State University; James Collofello, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

held.BackgroundEducators and industry alike have well documented their concerns about the future ofengineering in the United States due to a decline of engineering graduates.1 Increasing thenumber of engineering graduates requires both an increase in the number of students choosing tostudy engineering as well as an increase in engineering student retention. Engineering programshave struggled with retention issues for decades with many programs reporting that 30-40% ofstudents leave engineering after the freshmen year. Numerous studies indicate the many factors Page 15.256.2that impact retention 2,3,4.Page 15.256.3The remainder of the paper provides a description of

Conference Session

Research on the First Year I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chirag Variawa, University of Toronto; Susan McCahan, University of Toronto

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

. This paper attempts to review the literature onthe subject of inclusivity with respect to these issues, within the context of first year post- Page 15.362.2secondary education, to create a practical framework that unites the different approaches into anup-to-date resource that is relevant for engineering.The Online Ethics Center at the National Academy of Engineering 1 has a collection of over 50abstracts that address teaching to diversity in engineering. Minority retention rates in post-secondary education, for instance, is a topic that also falls in this category. The 2008 annualreport by the National Action Council for Minorities in

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Dinehart, Villanova University; Joseph Yost, Villanova University; Shawn Gross, Villanova University; Aleksandra Radlinska, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

modifications of the existing two course sequence. Thecommittee decided to split the current two course sequence into four parts of equal length, 7weeks each. Part 1 was to include an introduction to engineering and include hands-on mini-labs6. The content and implementation of part 1 is described in detail in References 6. Parts 2and 3 were to be multi-disciplinary projects, referred to herein as mini-projects. Part 4 was anintroductory course in each of the four departments.In the spring semester of 2008 the CoEVU administration and committee requested proposalsfrom all engineering faculty for multi-disciplinary mini-projects to be implemented in the 2009 –2010 academic year. Criteria in the request for proposals included a number of key

Conference Session

Innovations in First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Quamrul Mazumder, University of Michigan - Flint; Anita Ainsworth, University of Michigan-Flint

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

/Nov). Ausubell‟s learning theory: An approach to teaching higher order thinking skills,The High School Journal, 82(1). Research Library[13] Ausubel, D.P. & Robinson, F. G. (1969). School learning: an introduction to educational psychology. (p.46). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.[14] Oxford, R.L. (1990). Looking at language learning strategies. In Language learning strategies: what everyteacher should know, (pp. 1-37). New York: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.[15] Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R. (2000). How people learn: brain, mind, experience andschool. (p.20). Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press

Conference Session

Potpourri of First-Year Issues

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

S. Scott Moor, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

group tasks in the classroom and significantuse of the room outside of class.IntroductionMany studies have recognized the benefits of using alternative approaches to lecturing in Page 15.470.2presenting undergraduate material. Students can be more engaged in the material through active,cooperative and inductive approaches. Felder, et. al. in their review paper on “TeachingMethods that Work” discuss seven themes that have repeatedly been shown contribute to studentlearning.1 Four of these themes directly relate to the instructors approach in the classroom:establish relevance of course material and teach inductively, balance concrete and

Conference Session

Innovations in First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Lewis, University of Louisville; Jeffrey Hieb, University of Louisville; David Wheatley, University of Louisville

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

thinking showed no statistical significant changein the students’ critical thinking from the beginning to the end of the course. Based on writtenassignments and oral presentations, the instructors hypothesize that students did not graspspecific critical thinking concepts to the degree desired for the course. Possible modifications tothe assessment and course are discussed in the conclusions.1. IntroductionThe Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) now requires all accredited schoolsto design and implement a quality enhancement program. In 2007, the University of Louisvilleadopted as its quality enhancement program (QEP) the requirement that all schools within theuniversity, including the school of engineering, develop and

Conference Session

Administering First-Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Russell Korte, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; David Goldberg, University of Illinois, Urbana

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Entrepreneurial Engineer (Wiley, 2006). Page 15.1130.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Students as the Key to Unleashing Student Engagement: The Theory, Design, & Launch of a Scalable, Student-Run Learning Community at XXIntroductionImproving engineering education has been a recurring theme throughout the past century. Overthe last two decades, calls for reform have intensified from many stakeholders at the global andlocal levels—including the National Academies, policy makers, faculty, employers, andstudents.1, 2, 3 Heroic faculty efforts have been broadly mounted and large

Conference Session

Mentoring First Year Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Goodwin, Iowa State University; Amy Brandau, Iowa State University; Deb DeWall, Iowa State University; Bing Du, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

they are doing in their class (as instructorsmay regularly update them in other ways), the one aspect that is different with this concept is thatit brings the advisor into the picture. Research has shown for years the importance of studentsmaking connections early on with key faculty and staff in continued persistence14,15,16. In manylarger schools the engineering students are unable to make those type of connections especiallydue to large classrooms. This provides a way for other key members of the university to try tomake those connections with struggling first semester students.As shown in Table 1, graduation rates fall significantly for students who receive less than a 2.00GPA their first semester in engineering. Those who receive between

Conference Session

Potpourri of First-Year Issues

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University; Kenneth Reid, Ohio Northern University; Laurie Laird, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

, plus the janitorial staff would not be happywith any messes that could possibly result from such a demonstration. Accordingly, theinstructors decided that a video would be more effective as it would be more visible, providemore control over the situation being illustrated (e.g., multiple takes until the actors get it right),allow for visual close-ups featuring exaggerated responses from the actors to bring more humorinto the presentation, and allow for better dissemination of the lesson if proven successful.MethodologyIn order to determine the Cheeseburger video’s effectiveness, students were shown two in-classvideos. The first video was the “All-in-One Guitar Playing Robot”1 where National Instrumentsand Intel demonstrate the use of a quad

Conference Session

Administering First-Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Caverly, Villanova University; Howard Fulmer, Villanova University; Sridhar Santhanam, Villanova University; James O’Brien, Villanova University; Gerard Jones, Villanova University; Edward Char, Villanova University; Frank Mercede, Villanova University; Pritpal Singh, Villanova University; Randy Weinstein, Villanova University; Joseph Yost, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

retention rate (freshman to sophomore year) consistently averaging over 80%(Figure 1), it was still felt that improving the freshman engineering experience would keep thisrate at a high level, while at the same time providing a more relevant education for the freshman,and would also improve the slightly lower retention rate for underrepresented groups (theuniversity has a common freshman year where student arrive undeclared and choose their majorduring the middle of the Spring semester). Page 15.994.3 100% 90% 80

Conference Session

Introducing Programming in the First Year

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Bucks, Purdue University; William Oakes, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

the engineering landscape. They are used to model potentialsolutions, collect and analyze data, and create new parts through computer aided design packagesand computer controlled machinery. In addition, they are starting to be increasingly incorporatedinto the products of design, from sneakers that track the distance traveled to smart buildingmaterials that can report on the stresses and strains they are experiencing. Computing skills havebeen identified as one of the attributes that future engineers will be required to possess [1]. Dueto this increasing prevalence of computing technologies in both the design and implementationof engineering solutions, many first-year engineering curricula include either a course devotedentirely to computing

Conference Session

Administering First-Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rick Williams, East Carolina University; William Howard, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

incorporate best practices from the National Science Foundation’s Engineering EducationCoalitions.1 Among these best practices was the “Implementation of ‘engineering up front’: theexposure of freshmen to hands-on, real world engineering practice early in their undergraduateeducation, ranging from ‘professional level’ laboratory facilities to realistic design projects.”2Two freshman courses designed to provide students early exposure to engineering concepts werecreated. Both were six-credit courses. The first, ICEE 1010 (ICEE stands for IntegratedCollaborative Engineering Environment), was taught in three one-hour lectures and three two-hour lab sessions per week. Topics included graphics, introductions to mechanical and electricalengineering

Conference Session

Research on the First Year I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rhonda Kowalchuk, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Tarnisha Green, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Robert Ricks, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; John Nicklow, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

order to meet thisobjective the COE is focusing on improving retention rates at the freshman and sophomore levelsbecause the attrition rate is highest during the first two years. The COE is implementing aholistic program to address common reasons for students leaving the engineering program,including lack of academic preparation; financial difficulties; difficulty in adjusting to collegelife; lack of a community atmosphere; and disappointment at not being able to experienceengineering principles during the first two years. Following an initial planning period, the COElaunched seven major initiatives in 2007 to achieve project goals. These initiatives include (1) anEngineering Residential College that forms the foundation of a new living

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Hinds, Michigan State University; Thomas Wolff, Michigan State University; Amanda Idema, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Carmellia Davis-King, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

does not come easily. Previous work on the partnering of these two programs haspresented the coordinated plan joining the Cornerstone Engineering program and theEngineering Residential Experience, while detailing the challenges encountered by thedevelopment and implementation teams.1 This paper details recent modifications made and theinitial results to the academic portion of the program. It also presents the inaugural integration ofthe residential program and the challenges faced by the implementation team. Among thoseissues discussed are providing a balance to students regarding the amount of co-curricularactivity. Much work has been done to assure we have content and frequency appropriateprograms to engage our first-year students such that

Conference Session

Potpourri of First-Year Issues

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Benjamin Flores, UTEP; James Becvar, UTEP; Ann Darnell, UTEP; Helmut Knaust, UTEP; Jorge Lopez, UTEP; Josefina Tinajero, UTEP

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

management.Motivated by a successful experience in a general chemistry course, we have implementedworkshops based on the Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) model that engages every engineeringstudent enrolled in the introductory chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses through aguided-process and inquiry-based strategy utilizing small group settings. For this purpose wereplaced one hour of lecture with a two-hour small-group workshop. Workshops are guided byan advanced undergraduate peer leader who has successfully completed the course with a gradeof A or B. The courses included in this project are pre-calculus, general chemistry 1 and 2,mechanics, and fields and waves. We anticipate that the implementation of PLTL will result inimprovements in learning that

Conference Session

Mentoring First Year Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dan Budny, University of Pittsburgh; Alaine Allen, University of Pittsburgh; Jeremy Tartt, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

to help the freshman cope with academic failure. This paper discusses anapproach to address the emotional issues that the freshmen students endure due to theiracademic failure. It was determined through this research that the freshmen engineeringstudents must adjust their unrealistic, preconceived academic expectations transferred from highschool, as well as accept academic failure and learn to react in a positive manner to theirclassroom performance.Index Terms ℵ Freshman Retention, Academic failure.INTRODUCTIONNumerous studies document the importance of educating new students about their new academicsetting [1 - 5]. Indeed, helping students anticipate and understand life changes can help theuniversity realize a significantly higher first

Conference Session

Research on The First Year II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stacy Bamberg, University of Utah; Debra Mascaro, University of Utah; Robert Roemer, University of Utah

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

components made using the same rapid prototyping tools available to thestudents; and the use of semester- or year-long design projects integrated with the coursematerial and constructed within stringent budget restrictions.IntroductionMany studiese.g. 1, 2 have demonstrated that cooperative learning with interactive projectssignificantly enhances learning, retention and application of material, helps nontraditionalstudents learn, and motivates engineering students to remain in school, as compared withtraditional techniques. Bruner presented a "‘spiral curriculum’ that turns back on itself at higherlevels" through repetition at ever-increasing depths of knowledge.3 This pedagogy has beenadapted for a large required first-year Mechanical Engineering

Conference Session

Research on the First Year I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Cassady, University of Arkansas; Gigi Secuban, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

support for FEP students. For example, the professor who writes the mid-term and final exams for MATH 2554 conducted review sessions for FEP students prior to the mid-term and final exams. These review sessions were heavily attended by FEP and non-FEP students taking MATH 2554.The Fall 2008 Freshman Engineering Program CohortThe Fall 2008 FEP (FY08) cohort includes 420 students. Table 1 includes summary statisticsregarding the students in the FY08 cohort who entered the University of Arkansas with verifiedACT scores. Table 2 contains summary statistics regarding the students in the FY08 cohort whoentered the University of Arkansas with a verified high-school GPA. Table 3 contains summarystatistics on the AP credit obtained by

Conference Session

Introducing Programming in the First Year

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Virgilio Gonzalez, University of Texas, El Paso; Eric Freudenthal, University of Texas, El Paso

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

applying it to practical uses. Thecritical changes will be the first few weeks, and in preparing the right reference sheets so thatstudents can gain momentum quickly. The later periods of the semester will cover the originalmaterial at a faster pace. The proposed new content is: A. Introduction, installation of python environment (Jython) and interface. (1 hours) B. Simple plots using arithmetic, iterations and “if-then” statements. (2 hours) C. Use of summation and linear operations applied to image transformations. (2 hours) D. Functions and example of class definition. (2 hours) E. Application to simulation of simple mechanical systems. (2 hours) F. Application to simulation of basic electric circuits. (3 hours) G

Conference Session

Research on The First Year II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Junqiu Wang, Purdue University; P.K. Imbrie, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

score.IntroductionThe Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)1 Engineering Criteria 2000requires engineering students should “be able to function effectively in a multidisciplinary team”.The question is: how can students’ team skills be taught and assessed2,3,4? In a previous study,we defined student’s team skills through a three-construct theoretical model: interdependency,goal setting and potency. This model entails possible application in both pedagogy andassessment. Peer evaluation has been used as an effective instrumentation tool to assess students’team skills and performance5,6,7,8,9. We developed a 9-item peer evaluation questionnaire tomeasure student’s individual perceptions on their teammates along our three-constructstheoretical

Conference Session

Innovations in First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Curran, University College Dublin; Colleen Doyle, University College Dublin; Enda Cummins, University College Dublin; Kevin McDonnell, University College Dublin; Nicholas Holden, University College Dublin

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

-ordinator beforemeeting their teams to ensure a clear understanding of their responsibilities during the semesterincluding the assessment of student performance. The role of the mentors is not to providespecific technical guidance but to advise according to a timetable of activities (Table 1). Adiscussion is held with the module co-ordinator in the second week on developing informationresearch skills in order to find reliable and useful documents for the project. The next few weeksare spent on compiling the relevant information and developing a small number of alternativedesigns. Students must also consider the scale-up of the design for a specific situation, e.g. a graywater treatment system for a typical suburban house.Materials are located and

Conference Session

Design in the First Year

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Pacella, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Taryn Bayles, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

thisend, students are asked to provide a self assessment, via a survey of their progress in keyABET areas which were part of the course. Survey results from the three years of thecourse that is being discussed in this paper are provided in Table 1 (on the next page).This data is used to assess if there was a difference in the student’s perception of thecomponents of this course. While the course’s previous curriculum addressedcompetency in the discipline, it lacked components that would allow students to criticallydesign and analyze an open ended problem, to cooperate with one another and, in theprocess, learn effective communication skills. However, by introducing a design projectthat places students into groups of 4-6 that are both diverse in

Conference Session

Research on The First Year II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Odesma Dalrymple, ASU Polytechnic; David Sears, Purdue University; Demetra Evangelou, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

recentphenomenon. The current DAA literature presents highly descriptive accounts of its use andaffordances in engineering curriculum; claims primarily supported by instructor observations andcourse evaluations. Most of the research methods that have been employed thus far are notcapable of providing the evidence needed to evaluate the unique allowances of DAA activitieswith respect to motivation or learning. An experimental approach is needed where studentsengaged in DAA activities can be compared to a control group engaged in other traditionalactivities. This experimental approach can provide answers to questions such as: 1. How do DAA activities affect motivation? 2. What types of knowledge can students gain from engaging in DAA activities? 3

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Lowery, West Virginia University; Steve Kane, West Virginia University; Vicki Kane, West Virginia University; Robin Hensel, West Virginia University; Gary Ganser, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

diligently in both subjects. Sincestudents historically perform well in freshman engineering, the expected result, if this experimentis successful, would be improved grades in calculus.In this experiment, three joint projects were defined to illustrate the following math concepts:(1) functions, composition of functions, discrete and continuous variables; (2) exponentialgrowth and decay; and (3) rate of change, specifically focusing on Newton’s Law of Cooling.Each project presents a fictitious real world problem that puts the students in the context of beingthe consulting group that needs to develop the solution to the problem. The problem must beunderstood analytically (the part done in math recitation and continued for homework) as well

Conference Session

Innovations in First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zane Mitchell, University of Southern Indiana; Marco Lara Gracia, University of Southern Indiana; Ronald Diersing, University of Southern Indiana; Glen Kissel, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Conference Session

Research on The First Year II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Catherine Pieronek, University of Notre Dame; Kerry Meyers, University of Notre Dame; Sara Skiles, University of Notre Dame; Sean Kelly, University of Notre Dame; Leo McWilliams, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

theorist Jeffrey Arnett explains, through the American college system,“young Americans are able to keep their work options open for a long time as they try outdifferent college majors before choosing a specific direction,”1 and delay their transition toadulthood. A student’s choice of an academic field of study relates to career goals and, in manyregards, to the student’s identity development as it pertains to a student’s level of exploration ofand commitment to a certain path.2,3 Some entering first-year college students have already fullyexplored their options and are committed to a certain career path, while others are still grappling Page