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

the ERC.3. The COE hired 10 Peer Tutors to provide free tutoring in the ERC for engineering-related and university core courses.4. The COE elicited cooperation from the English and Speech Communication Departments to have one ESD section of first-semester Speech Communication and two ESD sections of first-semester English courses taught in the ERC.5. The COE revised the math curriculum to provide Engineering Learning Skills (ENGR 111 A/B) courses in the ERC to prepare freshman engineering students for Calculus.A goal for this study was to identify effective and sustainable components of the ERCcontributing not only to retention of freshman engineering students but also to their futuregraduation. The results of this study may help

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

. That is, theFiRs have a greater understanding of the complexities experienced in lives of today’s collegestudents. The FiRs are able to adjust classroom activities to better suit the learning styles oftoday’s students.Quantitative Academic SuccessesAcademic success of ERC students was measured by (a) first-time, full-time freshman (FTFTF)retention from the fall 2007 semester to the fall 2008 semester, (b) current semester grade pointaverage (GPA), (c) performance in one of three first and second-year mathematics courses(MATH.: Precalculus, Calculus I, and Calculus II), (d) performance in one of four first andsecond-year science courses (SCI. CRSE.: Chemistry I, Chemistry II, Physics I, and Physics II),and (e) performance in one of the four

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

AC 2009-1922: INTEGRATING A FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING PROGRAMWITH A LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITYTimothy Hinds, Michigan State University TIMOTHY J. HINDS is an Academic Specialist in the Michigan State University College of Engineering Undergraduate Studies and Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is the lead instructor for the Cornerstone Engineering / Spartan Engineering program teaching courses in engineering design and modeling. He has also taught courses in machine design, manufacturing processes, mechanics, computational tools and international product design as well as graduate-level courses in engineering innovation and technology management. He has over 25 years of combined academic

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

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First-Year Programs

AC 2009-1256: INTEGRATED LEARNING IN FRESHMAN ENGINEERING: THETHEMED LEARNING COMMUNITYJanet Meyer, Indiana University-Purdue University, IndianapolisPatrick Gee, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis Patrick Gee, MSME, is a Lecturer in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI. He is also director of the Minority Engineering Advancement Program (MEAP). Patrick has both a B.S. and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering.Laura Masterson, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis Laura Masterson is a joint advisor in the School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI and University College at IUPUI. She has a B.S. degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters

Conference Session

Beyond the Engineering Classroom

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cindy Veenstra, Engineering education consultant

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

engineering year. In general, it is expected that students enrolled in Pre-Calculusand Calculus I in the first semester are the most at risk for persistence in engineering. In aUniversity of Michigan study by Koch and Herrin, it was found that students with an A to Bgrade in Calculus I had a 74% six-year graduation rate versus a 54% graduation rate for studentswith a B- to C grade in Calculus I.8 Page 14.118.3In this paper, a comparison is made in the first-year GPA and first-year retention for engineeringstudents versus three other student sectors. Although no literature comparisons were foundacross majors for the first-year GPA and retention

Conference Session

Projects and Problems in First-Year Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vinod Lohani, Virginia Tech; Ganesh Balasubramanian, Virginia Tech; Ishwar Puri, Virginia Tech; Scott Case, Virginia Tech; Roop Mahajan, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

stronger, see Figure 5(b)). Finally, studentsplotted the gravitational force as a function of separation distance between two atoms. Thisexercise further emphasized that gravitational forces are insignificant at the nanoscale due to thenegligible molecular masses. Students were also assigned a couple of homework problems thatfurther emphasized the nature of forces at atomic level. (a) (b) Figure 5: Hands-on activities in LABVIEW environmentPost-module Survey: As part of assessment activities in EngE1024, an exit survey has beendeveloped and implemented since Fall ‘0418. Additional questions were added to this survey for

Conference Session

The Ever-Changing Course

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathleen Harper, Denison University; Richard Freuler, Ohio State University; Stuart Brand, Ohio State University; Craig Morin, Ohio State University; Patrick Wensing, Ohio State University; John Demel, Ohio State University

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First-Year Programs

. Page 14.345.4 #include int main ( ) { int A, B, AplusB, AtimesB ; printf (“ input 2 numbers, A B”) ; scanf (“%d%d”, &A, &B) ; AplusB = A + B ; AtimesB = A * B ; printf (“ A + B = %d\n”, AplusB) ; printf (“ A x B = %d\n”, AtimesB) ; return 0 ; } Figure 1. A simple C language program that prompts the user for two numbers and then adds and

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

theprogram!). Page 14.359.11About two weeks after this initial meeting, IPPSR conducted a survey to obtain prompt feedbackon a) the Connector Faculty orientation, b) the first large-group meeting in EGR 100, and c) theprogress of interactions between Connector Faculty and students. Seventy percent of ConnectorFaculty responded to the web-based survey. Of these respondents, 80% rated the orientation aseither being excellent (38%) or good (42%). Faculty were most intrigued by what they learnedabout the general characteristics of the first-year students. They also indicated that a weakness ofthe orientation was the lack of explicit details on how to

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

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First-Year Programs

are: • 43.31%: A • 42.12%: B • 11.78%: C • 2.03%: D • 0.28%: F • 0.48%: No responseThough there is clearly room for improvement, the surveys indicate that the work done thus farhas led to an increase in students’ satisfaction with the course as well as their self-rated abilitieswith computational methods. Page 14.33.6ConclusionsIn this work, the evolution of the curriculum and the practical experience provided by ourundergraduate course in computational methods have been described. The class has evolvedfrom a hodgepodge of several course options in different languages to a single unified courseteaching one practical language

Conference Session

Projects and Problems in First-Year Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mehrube Mehrubeoglu, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

achieve a working robot from building engineering problem solving blocks and program a. Understand sensors4. Use hardware and software b. Learn basic programming skills tools to solve basic c. Design a robot using Lego bricks, motors, sensors, engineering problems and other parts d. Obtain hands-on experience a. Comprehend and follow instructions, and show such accomplishment5. Demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively b. Learn basic programming skills

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

portionsof the course that center on hypothetical and scientific reasoning. Students explore thefour stages of hypothetical method: a. occurrence of a problem, b. formulating ahypothesis, c. drawing implications from the hypothesis and c. testing the hypothesis. Anexample discussed in length is the historic theory of Spontaneous Generation. What arethe roots of the theory? How was the original hypothesis investigated and finallydisconfirmed? Students are also introduced to accepted differences in science andsuperstition and the three underlying principles that must hold true if an event is held tobe “science.” These principles are: evidentiary support, objectivity and integrity all whichare vital concepts for designing and or conducting experiments

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

percentage of students who passed each course, and theaverage grade point achieved in each course. Note that a grade of C or better is required toadvance to the next MATH course at the UofA, and withdrawals are not included in grade pointaverages. Average A B C D F W Total % Passing Grade Point GNEG 1111 194 56 31 14 21 19 335 88% 3.2 MATH 1203 0 1 5 1 4 5 16 38% 1.3 MATH 1285 15 20 13 10 9 5 72 67% 2.3 MATH 2554 12 34 32 18 19

Conference Session

Projects and Problems in First-Year Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Benson, Clemson University; David Bowman, Clemson University; Randolph, Randy Hutchison; Carol Wade, Clemson University

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First-Year Programs

earned a B. S. Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech University, and taught high school physics for six years. He implemented an International Baccalaureate physics program and a Project Lead the Way pre-engineering program, and is a National Board Certified teacher. His current research focuses on human motion biomechanics, and the application of biomechanics in high school and undergraduate curricula to teach fundamental concepts in physics and engineering.Carol Wade, Clemson University Carol Wade is a second year Ph.D. student at Clemson University in Mathematics Curriculum and Instruction. She is a National Board Certified mathematics teacher in the area of Adolescent Young Adult

Conference Session

First-Year Advising and Transition

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jay Brockman, University of Notre Dame; Lynnwood Brown, WikiRing Partnership; Michael McDonald, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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First-Year Programs

value to the educational experience. Distribution of our content throughthe wiki will help us track how our content is used and allow us to update and improve materialas needed. This new model will also change how resources are acquired and reviewed. Thetraditional framework of book editions and chapters may go away, but a premium will still beplaced on high quality, vetted content that best enables instructors to teach a successful courseand students to master the topics.Bibliography1. Jay B. Brockman. Introduction to Engineering: Modeling and Problem Solving. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.2009.2. TWiki® - The Open Source Enterprise Wiki and Web 2.0 Application Platform. http://www.twiki.org3. Foswiki - The Free and Open Source Enterprise Wiki

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

to shape the finalpaper.Bibliography1. Astin, A. and H. Astin. (1992). Undergraduate Science Education: The Impact of Different CollegeEnvironments on the Educational Pipeline in the Sciences. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute,UCLA.2. Seymour, E. and N. M. Hewitt. (1997). Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences,Boulder, CO: Westview Press.3. Chubin, D., K. Donaldson, B. Olds, and L. Fleming. (2008). ―Educating Generation Net—Can U.S. EngineeringWoo and Win the Competition for Talent?‖ Journal of Engineering Education, 97, No. 3: 245-258.4. American Society for Quality. (2009). Engineering Image Problem Could Fuel Shortage. ASQ Press Release,January 22, 2009. American Society for Quality. Available at

Conference Session

The Ever-Changing Course

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Thompson, University of New Haven; Jean Nocito-Gobel, University of New Haven

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First-Year Programs

, Electrical, System, Chemical and Computer Engineering.2. Understand and demonstrate the attributes of an effective team member. Page 14.735.33. Communicate technical information with engineering graphics, drawings and written documents.4. Understand the engineering design process as applied to multi-disciplinary projects.Technical Skills5. Demonstrate a basic understanding of engineering concepts in the following areas: a. Material Balances: Use conservation of mass, power, and energy for simple system. b. Electrical Circuits: Use voltage, current, resistance, and power relationships. Use Ohm’s law and power-energy

Conference Session

Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jean Nocito-Gobel, University of New Haven; Amy Thompson, University of New Haven; Carl Barratt, University of New Haven; Michael Collura, University of New Haven

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First-Year Programs

14.59.13Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 24 – 27, 2001.3. Anderson, M. and P. Parker, “Creation of a Project-Based Introduction to Engineering Course”, Proceedings,2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Nashville, Tennessee, June22 – 25, 2003.4. Collura, M.A., B. Aliane, S. Daniels, and J. Nocito-Gobel, “Development of a Multi-Disciplinary EngineeringFoundation Spiral”, Proceedings, 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference andExposition, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 20 – 23, 2004.5. Nocito-Gobel, J., S. Daniels, M. Collura, and B. Aliane, “Project-Based Introduction to Engineering - aUniversity Core Course”, Proceedings, 2004 American Society for

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

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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

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

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First-Year Programs

for Entrepreneurship and Information Technology (CEnIT).Patricia Brackin, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Dr. Patricia Brackin is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Rose-Hulman University. Her research interests are engineering design and assessment. Page 14.619.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 The Facilitation of Lifelong Learning Skills through a Project- Based Freshman Engineering CurriculumAbstractEngineering accreditation criteria, as well as the Engineer of 2020 report, list lifelong learning asa critical attribute of future engineers. While exercises

Conference Session

First-Year Advising and Transition

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maria Sanchez, California State University, Fresno; Ira Sorensen, California State University, Fresno; Walter Mizuno, California State University, Fresno; Satya Mahanty, California State University, Fresno

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First-Year Programs

AC 2009-1646: CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ENGINEERING DESIGN CHALLENGE:A UNIQUE COLLABORATIVE FIRST–YEAR EXPERIENCEMaria Sanchez, California State University, FresnoIra Sorensen, California State University, FresnoWalter Mizuno, California State University, FresnoSatya Mahanty, California State University, Fresno Page 14.311.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Central California Engineering Design Challenge: A unique collaborative first –year experienceThis paper describes a unique collaboration between the Mechanical EngineeringDepartment at Fresno State and the engineering programs at several local communitycolleges to provide a mechanical

Conference Session

Retention Tools and Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amber Kemppainen, Michigan Technological University; Amy Hamlin, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

AC 2009-764: USING ENGINEERING DESIGN AS A RETENTION TOOL FORFIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENTSAmber Kemppainen, Michigan Technological University Amber Kemppainen is a Lecturer in the Engineering Fundamentals Department at Michigan Technological University where she teaches first year engineering courses. Her research interests include online learning, ethanol production and sustainability.Amy Hamlin, Michigan Technological University Amy J. Hamlin is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Engineering Fundamentals at Michigan Technological University where she teaches first year engineering courses and an introductory spatial visualization course. Additionally, she advises General Engineering and

Conference Session

Assessment and Curriculum Development

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Casey Canfield, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Yevgeniya Zastavker, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

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First-Year Programs

AC 2009-1444: MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS FACULTY CONCEPTIONS OFTEACHING IN A FIRST-YEAR INTEGRATED PROJECT-BASED ENGINEERINGCURRICULUMCasey Canfield, Franklin W. Olin College of EngineeringYevgeniya Zastavker, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering Page 14.867.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Mathematics and Physics Faculty Conceptions of Teaching in a First-Year Integrated Project-Based Engineering Curriculum Abstract This paper examines the experiences, perspectives, and concerns of mathematics and physics faculty involved in implementing a first-year integrated project-based engineering curriculum. Carried out at a

Conference Session

Goal Specific First-Year Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Srikanth Tadepalli, University of Texas, Austin; Mitchell Pryor; Cameron Booth, University of Texas, Austin

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First-Year Programs

AC 2009-2077: CUSTOMIZED INSTRUCTION IN A WEB-BASED, FIRST-YEARCLASS: MAINTAINING PRESENCE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSITIONUSING CONTENT-MANAGEMENT TOOLSSrikanth Tadepalli, University of Texas, Austin Srikanth Tadepalli is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas. After recieving his BS in Mechanical Engineering from India, he moved to UT where obtained his MSE in Manufacturing Systems Engineering specializing in Design for Manufacturing. He has worked as a Teaching Assistant and as an Assistant Instructor for the Computers and Programming course over a period of 3 years at The University of Texas at Austin and was awarded "The H. Grady Rylander Longhorn Mechanical

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

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First-Year Programs

AC 2009-1327: ENG2: ENGINEERING ENGAGEMENT FOR STUDENTSUCCESS--BUILDING A COMMUNITY FOR FIRST-YEAR FRESHMEN IN THECOLLEGE OF ENGINEERINGSummer Dann Johnson, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Ms Dann is currently employed by the Dean's office at LSU as the STEP program coordinator. Ms. Dann earned her bachelors and masters degree in Mechanical Engineering at LSU and employed in private industry prior to her current position.John Scalzo, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Mr. Scalzo is the Associate Rector of the Engineering Residential College and an instructor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1992

Conference Session

Projects and Problems in First-Year Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Senay Purzer, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Bhad the highest gains in self-efficacy while Team A had the lowest gains. Team B also had thehighest cumulative course grade.Table 1. Descriptive Statistics for Teams Case Team Team Normalized Self-Efficacy Cumulative Team Grade Name Size Gain of the Team Mean (SD) Mean (SD) Bryan’s Team Team B 4 .46 (.26) 88.32 (5.02) Eric’s Team Team E 3 .33 (.16) 82.99 (1.21) Alex’s Team Team A 4 .31 (.22) 87.12 (5.84)Table 2 shows scores for individuals. Bryan started with the lowest

Conference Session

Exploring Retention

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian DeJong, Central Michigan University; Kumar Yelamarthi, Central Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

, etc.), corresponding 1 Table 1: Grade point scale for CMU. Grade Point Grade Point A 4.00 C 2.00 A- 3.67 C- 1.67 B+ 3.33 D+ 1.33 B 3.00 D 1.00 B- 2.67 D- 0.67 C+ 2.33 E 0.00retention rates, and where the unretained students are going. In the following sections, wepresent and discuss a program overview, general retention rates

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

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First-Year Programs

, 2005, ISBN 0-309-07433-9.4. Colby, A., T. Ehrlich, E. Beaumont and J. Stephens, Educating Citizens: Preparing America’s Undergraduates for Lives of Moral and Civic Responsibility, Jossey-Bass, Wiley and Sons, 2003, ISBN 0- 7879-6515-4.5. Fink, L. D., Creating Significant Learning Experiences, Jossey-Bass, Wiley and Sons, 2003, ISBN 0-7879- 6055-1.6. Seymour, E. and N. M. Hewitt, Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences, Westview Press, 1997, ISBN 0-8133-8926-7.7. Minerick, A. R., E-R. T. Allen and B. B. Elmore, Talking & Working for Diversity when You Don’t Belong to a Minority Demographic, proceedings from 2006 ASEE Southeast Section Conference, Session T4-A, April 2006.8

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

editorial is listed in its entirety inAppendix A. The editorial argued that use of cell phones while driving should be banned by law. Page 14.611.11After reading the editorial, students were asked to assess the expressed opinion against theelements and standards of critical thought. The students were given a quiz regarding elements ofcritical thought and the presence or absence of the elements in the editorial. There are a total of8 questions, six pertained directly to the editorial and two were more about critical thinking ingeneral. The quiz questions are listed in Appendix B; the results are given in Section 4 anddiscussed in Section 5.3.4

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

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First-Year Programs

of the Committee to set Michigan high school graduation requirements. He retired in 2007, but has taught two seminars a year since that time. Page 14.536.3© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Engaging Early Engineering Students (EEES): Background and Goals of an NSF STEP Project to Increase RetentionAbstractEarly “leavers” from engineering programs typically fall into one of two overlapping categories:(a) those who leave because of academic difficulties and (b) those who leave because they findthe educational environment of early

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

results reported here were influenced by the students’ exposure not only toengineering practitioners in MEE Practice I and II but also to STEM classes underlying the MEEcurriculum. Over both semesters, students’ top cited reason for selecting mechanical and energyengineering as their major was “interest” (Tables 3 and 4). When asked to indicate the top twofactors influencing them to major in mechanical and energy engineering, 25 to 35 percent of therespondents indicated A) an interest in math, science, technology, logic, and problem-solving; or B)a love for building things and “working with their hands.” Notably, “Interest” as a determiningreason for majoring in mechanical and energy engineering was cited more often at the beginning ofMEE