discussed how the semester was progressing, any areas of struggle, andgoal setting. A number of students described that having a peer mentor was helpful. As onestudent commented, “it was comforting to know someone was looking out for us,” and anothercommented, “[as a STEM transfer student] the mentor knows exactly what we are going throughand can give suggestions from [the mentor’s] perspective.” Several students also described thebenefit of goal setting and having the opportunity to reflect on these goals. Other students foundthe peer mentoring less useful during year two, because they already felt successful in theircoursework, and had already identified their goals. Because these meetings could occur throughe-mail, most students did not find
on our data to answer this question, when asked to reflect on thechanges that have occurred, many interviewees remark that faculty today do pay greater attentionto undergraduate education, and participate in more regular, if not always continuousimprovement efforts both at course and program level. Indeed, individuals from many differentinstitutions, regardless of position or institutional rank, mentioned that conversations in thedepartments and colleges that were stimulated by an ABET visit were helpful. (This said, manyinstitutions still rush to compile their ABET data two to three years before a visit.) Many of thoseinterviewed also admit that curriculum changes, especially at program level, were a moreinfrequent occurrence prior to EC
, and conclusions or recommendations expressed inthis material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NationalScience Foundation.References[1] G. M. Rogers and J. K. Sando, “Stepping Ahead: An Assessment Plan Development Guide,”Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana, 1996.[2] M. J. Allen, Assessing Academic Programs in Higher Education. John Wiley & Sons, 2007.National Academy of Engineering Committee on the Engineer of 2020 Phase I, “The engineer of2020: Visions of engineering in the new century,” National Academy of Engineering,Washington, D.C., 2004.[3] T. Curran, C. Doyle, E. Cummins, K. McDonnell, and N. Holden, “Enhancing the first yearlearning experience for biosystems engineering