An Engineering Mathematics Course to Improve Success of Students in Algebra II

Edmund Tsang; Kenneth David Domingue; Sarah Gray Hagen; Rebecca A. Scheffers; Lenore Yaeger; Katherine Fox

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Conference: 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Publication Date: June 26, 2016
Start Date: June 26, 2016
End Date: June 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-692-68565-5
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Mathematics Division Technical Session 3
Tagged Division: Mathematics
Page Count: 19
DOI: 10.18260/p.26580
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/26580
Download Count: 672

Paper Authors

biography

Edmund Tsang Western Michigan University

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Edmund Tsang received a B.S. with distinction in Mechanical Engineering from University of Nebraska and a Ph.D. in Metallurgy from Iowa State University. Dr. Tsang's current professional interests include integrating service-learning into engineering, social entrepreneurship, and student success and retention.

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Kenneth David Domingue Western Michigan University

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Kenneth Domingue is currently a graduate student in Aerospace Engineering at Western Michigan University. As a graduate assistant for the STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP), he has assisted in data collecting and analysis and mentoring undergraduates. He is also a student assistant in the engineering mathematics course.

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Abstract

Historically, students with ACT-MATH sub-score of 19 to 23 are considered to be under-prepared in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies, and their success as measured by second-year retention to STEM has been low. Summer Bridge [1] and Peer Mentor [2] have been implemented by some engineering programs to support the success of this student population. To better inform this student group of the academic pathway, the admissions requirement into the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) at our institution was revised in fall 2012 in which students must achieve a grade of B or better in Algebra II in no more than two attempts before they can advance into the Pre-Engineering, Pre-Engineering Technology, or Computer Science programs. In conjunction with the admissions revision, we created the CEAS Exploratory (CEAS-EXP) program to support the students. In the CEAS-EXP program, students are placed in cohorts, and students in a cohort are enrolled in the same section of Algebra II, a First-Year Experience (FYE) seminar, and an engineering mathematics course. The engineering mathematics course is adopted from the National Model of Engineering Mathematics Education supported by the National Science Foundation [3], which integrates mathematics with engineering applications. The engineering math course is conducted in a hybrid format in which students view video lectures prior to class; take a quiz on the video lecture materials at the start of the class period; and spend the class period working problems under the guidance of the student assistants. This paper will describe the details of the curriculum and format of the engineering mathematics course. It will also describe the results of the CEAS-EXP program based on student academic performance in Algebra II and Precalculus, and retention to engineering or applied sciences. The percent of CEAS-EXP students who achieved a grade of B or better in Algebra II has increased from 38.7% in 2012 (baseline) to 61.1% in 2014. Performance of the CEAS-EXP students in Algebra II and Precalculus will also be compared with a comparison group of university students taking these two courses. Engineering programs with similar student demographics as our institution may be interested in this paper because the engineering mathematics course and the CEAS-EXP program can be implemented at relatively low cost to support the success of the Algebra II students.

References 1. White, C., Curtis, M., and Martin, C. (2001). “Pre-Freshman Accelerated Curriculum in Engineering (PACE) Summer Bridge Program,” Proceeding of American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, June 24-27, Alberquerque, NM, Session 1653. 2. Budny, D., Paul, C.A., and Bon, L. (2006). “The Impact of Peer Mentoring Can Have on Freshman Students,” Proceedings of Frontiers in Education Conference, San Diego, CA, Oct. 28-31, 2006, CD-Rom, Session M2E. 3. Klingbeil, N. and Bourne, A. (2013). “A National Model for Engineering Mathematics Education: Longitudinal Impact at Wright State University,” Proceedings of American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, June 23-26, Atlanta GA, Paper #7708.

Citation
Format

Tsang, E., & Domingue, K. D., & Hagen, S. G., & Scheffers, R. A., & Yaeger, L., & Fox, K. (2016, June), An Engineering Mathematics Course to Improve Success of Students in Algebra II Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.26580

TY - CPAPER
AB - Historically, students with ACT-MATH sub-score of 19 to 23 are considered to be under-prepared in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies, and their success as measured by second-year retention to STEM has been low. Summer Bridge [1] and Peer Mentor [2] have been implemented by some engineering programs to support the success of this student population. To better inform this student group of the academic pathway, the admissions requirement into the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) at our institution was revised in fall 2012 in which students must achieve a grade of B or better in Algebra II in no more than two attempts before they can advance into the Pre-Engineering, Pre-Engineering Technology, or Computer Science programs. In conjunction with the admissions revision, we created the CEAS Exploratory (CEAS-EXP) program to support the students. In the CEAS-EXP program, students are placed in cohorts, and students in a cohort are enrolled in the same section of Algebra II, a First-Year Experience (FYE) seminar, and an engineering mathematics course. The engineering mathematics course is adopted from the National Model of Engineering Mathematics Education supported by the National Science Foundation [3], which integrates mathematics with engineering applications. The engineering math course is conducted in a hybrid format in which students view video lectures prior to class; take a quiz on the video lecture materials at the start of the class period; and spend the class period working problems under the guidance of the student assistants. This paper will describe the details of the curriculum and format of the engineering mathematics course. It will also describe the results of the CEAS-EXP program based on student academic performance in Algebra II and Precalculus, and retention to engineering or applied sciences. The percent of CEAS-EXP students who achieved a grade of B or better in Algebra II has increased from 38.7% in 2012 (baseline) to 61.1% in 2014. Performance of the CEAS-EXP students in Algebra II and Precalculus will also be compared with a comparison group of university students taking these two courses. Engineering programs with similar student demographics as our institution may be interested in this paper because the engineering mathematics course and the CEAS-EXP program can be implemented at relatively low cost to support the success of the Algebra II students.

References
1. White, C., Curtis, M., and Martin, C. (2001). “Pre-Freshman Accelerated Curriculum in Engineering (PACE) Summer Bridge Program,” Proceeding of American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, June 24-27, Alberquerque, NM, Session 1653.
2. Budny, D., Paul, C.A., and Bon, L. (2006). “The Impact of Peer Mentoring Can Have on Freshman Students,” Proceedings of Frontiers in Education Conference, San Diego, CA, Oct. 28-31, 2006, CD-Rom, Session M2E.
3. Klingbeil, N. and Bourne, A. (2013). “A National Model for Engineering Mathematics Education: Longitudinal Impact at Wright State University,” Proceedings of American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, June 23-26, Atlanta GA, Paper #7708.

AU - Edmund Tsang
AU - Kenneth David Domingue
AU - Sarah Gray Hagen
AU - Rebecca A. Scheffers
AU - Lenore Yaeger
AU - Katherine Fox
CY - New Orleans, Louisiana
DA - 2016/06/26
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - An Engineering Mathematics Course to Improve Success of Students in Algebra II
UR - https://peer.asee.org/26580
DO - 10.18260/p.26580
ER -