Conference Session

Retention Tools and Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cindy Veenstra, Engineering education consultant; Gary D. Herrin, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Survey Course on Engineering Careers Improve First-Year Engineering Retention?AbstractWith a need for more engineers in the United States, there is a strong interest in student successprograms and curriculum changes that improve student retention. As a part of a research projectto study the modeling of first-year engineering retention at the University of Michigan, therelationship between enrollment in an engineering survey course on engineering careers andfirst-year retention was studied. Experienced faculty teach the course on career opportunities inthe engineering fields that are supported in the College of Engineering.The retention rate of students enrolled in this first-year course on engineering careers wascompared to

Conference Session

Beyond the Engineering Classroom

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Traum, University of North Texas; Sharon Karackattu, University of North Texas

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

the University of Florida. Page 14.503.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Early Exposure to Engineering Practitioners Provides Informed Choices for Students Continuing Engineering ProgramsAbstractThe engineering education literature calls for studies highlighting the impact of students’ earlyexposure to post-graduate engineering careers. This paper provides data critical to assessing theeffectiveness of a unique first-year experience concept: exposing new students to the careers ofpracticing engineers. We report on an initiative for incoming students to the mechanical and energyengineering (MEE) major

Conference Session

Goal Specific First-Year Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lesley Strawderman, Mississippi State University; Bill Elmore, Mississippi State University; Arash Salehi, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

expectations. By examining theirexpectations, and subsequent perceptions, it is possible to prepare them for a rewarding andsuccessful college classroom experience. This paper examines the use of a service quality modelto predict and enhance student efficacy and performance. Results indicate that the differencebetween students' expectations and perceptions (gap score) was significantly related to theiracademic, team, and career efficacy. Additionally, the change in efficacy over the semester wassignificantly related to student satisfaction. This paper examines the causes for these results indetail, and discusses the implications of the results on course design and first year students.IntroductionThe importance of student motivation, mechanisms for

Conference Session

Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Summer Dann Johnson, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; John Scalzo, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; Sarah Jones, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; Kelly Rusch, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; Warren Waggenspack, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

industries, since those are the predominant employers for graduates in thisgeographic region. The speed information session provided access to professionals who discussalternative engineering career and/or additional professional development skills needed that arenot covered in another topic. Guests included the LSU International Programs/Study Abroadgroup, engineers in medical and law professions, representatives of the Graduate School, MBAprograms and current graduate students, and representatives from the Louisiana ProfessionalEngineering and Land Surveyors (LAPELS) Licensing Board.Introduction to Engineering, ENGR 1050 Introduction to Engineering (ENGR 1050) is an interdisciplinary course gearedspecifically to assist students academically

Conference Session

Learning as a Community

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Hinds, Michigan State University; Thomas Wolff, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Amanda Idema, Michigan State University; Cynthia Helman, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

related to the failure of New Orleans levees in hurricane Katrina. As Associate Dean, he oversees curriculum, advising, career planning, study abroad, early engineering and other related initiatives.Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University NEERAJ BUCH is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University. He is also the Director of Cornerstone Engineering and Residential Experience program at Michigan State University. He earned his M.S. degree in pavement engineering in 1988 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and his Ph.D. in pavement and materials engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station, in 1995. Dr. Buch began his

Conference Session

Exploring Retention

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeong Hwan Choi, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Jacob Marszalek, University of Missouri, Kansas City; Joyce Lee, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Susan Linnemeyer, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

SAGE – Student Assisted Guidance in EngineeringI. IntroductionEngineers are key personnel to maintain or promote economic growth and create jobs throughinnovation in a society 1. However, engineers experience difficulties in transition or socializationin multiple stages of their academic and professional career 2-5. Especially, first-year engineeringstudents are exposed to more critical environmental changes and discrepancies of identity 6, 7.Unsuccessful transitioning into rigorous engineering education context induces low retention offirst year engineering students. The National Science Foundation 8 reports that only 60% ofstudents who enter engineering disciplines obtain an engineering degree. Some engineeringcolleges provide special

Conference Session

Assessment and Curriculum Development

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Hall, Louisiana Tech University; Stan Cronk, Louisiana Tech University; James Nelson, Louisiana Tech University; Patricia Brackin, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

can be embedded in engineering curriculathat promote independent learning, assessing the level at which lifelong learning has beenachieved is difficult. The first year engineering curriculum at Louisiana Tech Universityprovides activities that support development of lifelong learning skills. Examples include therequirement of student attendance at professional society meetings or service functions andindependent research into global and societal issues that are likely to influence their careers. Ourproject-based curriculum requires skills beyond those imparted in the classroom. For example,students must learn with little or no classroom instruction to create parts and assemblies with a3D modeling tool, to diagnose technical problems with

Conference Session

Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Welch, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Engaging Freshman Experience – Key to Retention?AbstractIntroducing freshmen to engineering is easy, right? Or is it? Current freshmen studywhile listening to an IPOD, texting or IMing their friends, etc. So methods used byfaculty should be effective – measuring the tolerance of washers, building a circuit on abreadboard, etc. Those students not interested in these types of lab experiences should notbe engineers, right? The University of Texas at Tyler chose to try something new whilelooking to improve retention of freshmen and provide valuable content like engineeringconstraints early in an engineer’s academic career. First the history of engineering isintroduced so that students better

Conference Session

Exploring Retention

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Freeman, Northeastern University; Beverly Jaeger, Beverly Jaeger, and Richard Whalen are members of Northeastern University’s; Richard Whalen, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

through the use of technology is the way to maintain the U.S. edge inthe global market place.1 An argument for the second perspective is the belief that the U.S. leadsin creativity and innovation and has the best universities in the world to pilot the way.2Regardless of the viewpoint taken, it is apparent that we must transition more high schoolstudents into engineering to be competitive; having a clear picture of the current state of themarket factors that may influence our youth as they make their career choice is imperative.According to the U.S. Department of Education5 it was estimated that in the fall of 2008 nearly49.8 million students attended public schools in the U.S. with an additional 6.2 million attendingprivate schools. Of those

Conference Session

Retention Tools and Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daina Briedis, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Jan Collins-Eaglin, Michigan State University; Nathaniel Ehrlich, Michigan State University; Denise Fleming, Michigan State University; Timothy Hinds, Michigan State University; Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University; Thomas Wolff, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

ABET.Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University Dr. NEERAJ BUCH is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University. He is also the Director of Cornerstone Engineering and Residential Experience program at Michigan State University. He earned his M.S. degree in 1988 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, College Station, in 1995. Dr. Buch began his academic career at Michigan State University in 1996. Dr. Buch teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in concrete materials and pavement engineering. He is also involved in teaching short courses on pavement design and rehabilitation and pavement

Conference Session

Retention Tools and Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Thomas Wolff, Michigan State University; Wolfgang Bauer, Michigan State University; Daina Briedis, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Nathaniel Ehrlich, Michigan State University; John Courtney, Michigan State University; Ruth Heckman, Lansing Community College; Denise Fleming, Michigan State University; Louise Paquette, Lansing Community College; Renee Mickelson, Lansing Community College; Mark Urban-Lurain; Clifford Weil, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

in hurricane Katrina. As Associate Dean, he oversees curriculum, advising, career planning, study abroad, early engineering and other related initiatives.Wolfgang Bauer, Michigan State University Wolfgang Bauer is University Distinguished Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University, as well as Founding Director of the Institute for Cyber-Enabled Discovery. He has pioneered internet-based distance learning classes for college and advanced placement high school audiences and has been a co-PI on the MSU Lon-Capa project, a course management and automated individualized homework system. He is MSU’s representative for the Science &

Conference Session

The Ever-Changing Course

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Gustafson, Duke University; Rebecca Simmons, Duke University; W. Neal Simmons, Duke University; Michael Ehrenfried, Kent Denver School; Tod Laursen, Duke University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

fields would need to know a compiled language, they alsofelt that a programming package such as MATLAB would be more globally useful during theirundergraduate career – reflecting the conclusions of Bjedov and Anderson1 as well as those ofAzemi and Pauley in a more recent study2. Furthermore, given the vast differences inprogramming experience of entering freshman students, a language like MATLAB was seen aspresenting similar educational benefits to a compiled language, without as steep a learning curve.Thus, the course has been completely revised to utilize MATLAB. One benefit of this approachhas been the inclusion or expansion of MATLAB use in several other engineering courses3,4 aswell as in math and physics courses. This vertical integration

Conference Session

Learning as a Community

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Janet Meyer, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Patrick Gee, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Laura Masterson, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

received from enrollment in a LC. Most notably, they reportthe following7: 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.As part of “making connections,” LCs also provide a chance for students to create a network atIUPUI since LCs consist of an instructional team of a faculty member, academic advisor,librarian, and peer mentor. Tinto illuminates the importance of student engagement andnetworking on campus, “The frequency and

Conference Session

Exploring Retention

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Cassady, University of Arkansas; Sean Mulvenon, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

to CoE students are Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering); ≠ providing FEP students with academic, career, and personal advising in a proactive manner; ≠ fostering a sense of community among FEP students, other CoE students, the CoE faculty, and the balance of the UofA community.The FEP is executed via two sub-programs – the Freshman Engineering Academic Program(FEAP) and the Freshman Engineering Student Services Program (FESSP). These sub-programsare executed by a faculty Director, two full-time professional staff members, one full-timeinstructor, volunteer

Conference Session

Beyond the Engineering Classroom

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Bailey, North Carolina A&T State University; Cindy Waters, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

course to the undergraduate Engineering curriculum. Generaleducation is often devalued by students as irrelevant and a waste of time. Students wantmajor specific education, both because of their personal interests, and because of theperceived urgency to further their job and career goals. Major departments often wantlarger budgets which can result from high hours-requirements for their majors. Suchdesires can result in a correlative desire to take hours from general education in order tosecure a larger share of the total possible hours for major hours. In addition, facultymembers in major departments often deprecate general education as ‘soft,”unsophisticated, and intellectually and academically impoverished. We argue here for thepositive value

Conference Session

First-Year Advising and Transition

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles McDowell, University of California, Santa Cruz; Adrienne Harrell, University of California, Santa Cruz

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

opportunity.”Other community building activities throughout the week included group projects and eveningsocial activities such as trips to downtown and a local amusement park, all with the intendedlearning outcome of knowing how to navigate the campus shuttle and city/county publictransportation systems.Orientation components of the program, while somewhat traditional in nature, were designed toeducate students about the resources available to aid them in academic and personal successwhile at UCSC and beyond. Toward that end, students attended presentations with professionalstaff from the Financial Aid Office, the Science & Engineering Library, the Career Center, andthe Services for Transfer and Re-Entry Students office. ETTP participants were

Conference Session

Assessment and Curriculum Development

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Godfrey, University of Auckland; Rosalind Archer, University of Auckland; Paul Denny, University of Auckland; Margaret Hyland, University of Auckland; Chris Smaill, University of Auckland; Karl Stol, University of Auckland

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

AC 2009-538: INNOVATION AND INTEGRATION IN AN IN-HOUSEFIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING PROGRAM: A FAST TRACK TO ENGINEERINGENCULTURATIONElizabeth Godfrey, University of Auckland Dr Elizabeth Godfrey has a Ph.D. in engineering education from Curtin University of Technology, Australia. Her career that has included university lecturing in Chemistry, high school teaching and 10 years as an advocate for Women in Science and Engineering, and most recently completing a 9 year term as the Associate Dean Undergraduate at the School of Engineering at the University of Auckland She has been a contributor to Engineering Education conferences, and an advocate for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning since the

Conference Session

Goal Specific First-Year Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

thatstudents understood critical thinking and its role in the practice of engineering. Subsequentinterviews with incoming engineering students found a limited understanding of critical thinking.In an effort to help students become better critical thinkers and appreciate the importance of itspractice throughout their education and careers, critical thinking and engineering reasoning arenow explicit parts of the engineering school’s recently introduced, ―Introduction to Engineering‖(ENGR 100) course.To maintain consistency with the University’s overall QEP, the Paul-Elder model of criticalthinking is used to define and operationalize critical thinking. Critical thinking is now both anexplicit and implicit component of the ―Introduction to Engineering

Conference Session

The Ever-Changing Course

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gretchen Hein, Michigan Technological University; Jean Kampe, Michigan Technological University; Amber Kemppainen, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

-yearengineering program. Within this program, entering students learn basic engineering andtechnical skills that are applicable to their engineering and professional careers. Through thecompletion of the first-year engineering courses, students gain, develop, and improve their skillsin:• Teamwork• Written and oral technical communication (memos, reports, technical posters, technical Page 14.852.2 presentations, etc.)• Problem solving• Engineering design• Engineering modeling (numerical, graphical, 3-D)• Engineering analysis (data collection, analysis, description)• Computer software• Interpersonal communication with respect to teammates

Conference Session

Learning as a Community

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sondra Miller, Boise State University; Pat Pyke, Boise State University; Amy Moll, Boise State University; Melissa Wintrow, Boise State University; Cheryl Schrader, Boise State University; Janet Callahan, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

and writing skills. Page 14.1094.4Seminar sessions included guest speakers to discuss the academic and career aspects of specificengineering disciplines, administration and interpretation of personality profile surveys to betterunderstand group dynamics, and watching and discussing documentaries dealing with topicssuch as sustainable building practices and alternative fuel transportation.Activities aimed at community building included a raft trip down the Boise River with the HealthProfessions RC immediately prior to beginning the fall 2008 semester, a bike ride along theBoise River Green Belt to explore the multi-disciplinary engineering

Conference Session

Goal Specific First-Year Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Taryn Bayles, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

, “Chemically Powered Toy Cars: A Way to Interest High School Students in a Chemical Engineering Career,” ASEE paper 2003-596. 7. Brand, J.I., “The Effective Use of Logbooks in Undergraduate Classes,” Chemical Engineering Education, vol. 33, no. 3, 1999, pp. 222-231. 8. Boyd, G. and M.F. Hassett, “Developing Critical Writing Skills in Engineering and Technology Students,” Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 89, no. 4, 2000, pp. 409-412. 9. Frolik, J. and T. Keller, “Wireless Sensor Networks: An Interdisciplinary Topic for Freshman Design,” Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, 2005. 10. Frolik, J. and M. Fortney, ‘A Low-Cost Wireless Platform for

Conference Session

Beyond the Engineering Classroom

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cindy Veenstra, Engineering education consultant

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

admitted to and matriculated into the College of Engineering.Pre-Med: this sector includes students who indicate in the CIRP survey that their most probable career choice was a physician, exclusive of the College of Engineering.STM: this sector includes all science, math and technology majors exclusive of the engineering and pre-med groups using the CIRP variable, “most probably major”.Non-STEM: this sector includes art, music, social science, business and humanities majors, using the CIRP variable, “most probable major”.Two GPAs are defined as:Overall GPA: This is referred to as the GPA (grade point average) and is the grade point average for all courses taken

Conference Session

Learning as a Community

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Ricks, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Rhonda Kowalchuk, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; John Nicklow, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Loen Graceson-Martin, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Lalit Gupta, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; James Mathias, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Jale Tezcan, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Kathy Pericak-Spector, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

................................................................ 3 (12.5%) 15 (62.5%) 6 (25.0%) 0 (0.0%) Interpersonal challenges................................ 6 (25.0%) 15 (62.5%) 2 (8.3%) 1 (4.2%) Career/lifestyle challenges ................................ 10 (41.7%) 12 (50.0%) 2 (8.3%) 0 (0.0%) Other (please specify): (1) patience, (1) 2 (8.3%) 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%) 22 (91.7%) study habits ................................................................The Peer Mentors also reported their perceived level of positive influence on students theymentored (see Table 10). Overall, most of the mentors believed they positively influenced theirstudents “some” or “a great deal” with “personal challenges” (92%), “intellectual

Conference Session

First-Year Advising and Transition

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

of the Year 2005, and won the National Engineering Award in 2003, the highest honor given by AAES. In 2002 she was named the Distinguished Engineering Educator by the Society of 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 a frequent speaker on career opportunities and diversity in engineering. Page 14.1294.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Understanding Engineering Freshman Study Habits: the Transition from