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Board 72: Impact on Retention: Integrating Introduction to Engineering Concepts into a Freshman University Seminar Experience

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Conference

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Tampa, Florida

Publication Date

June 15, 2019

Start Date

June 15, 2019

End Date

June 19, 2019

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Tagged Topics

Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--32415

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/32415

Download Count

395

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Paper Authors

biography

Madeleine Jennings Arizona State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-3165-9230

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Madeleine Jennings is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at Arizona State University - Polytechnic Campus, pursuing a PhD in Engineering Education Systems & Design. She received a B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering from Texas State University - San Marcos. Madeleine's research interests include investigating and improving the experiences of invisible identities in engineering, such as LGBTQ+ and first-generational engineering students, and engineering students with mental health disabilities.

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biography

Kimberly Grau Talley P.E. Texas State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-6235-0706

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Dr. Kimberly G. Talley is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology, Maker Space Co-Director and Senior Research Fellow for the LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research at Texas State University, and a licensed Professional Engineer. She received her Ph.D. and M.S.E. from the University of Texas at Austin in Structural Engineering. Her undergraduate degrees in History and in Construction Engineering and Management are from North Carolina State University. Dr. Talley teaches courses in the Construction Science and Management Program, and her research focus is in student engagement and retention in engineering and engineering technology education. Contact: talley@txstate.edu

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Abstract

A four-year study meant to analyze the effects of a modified introductory engineering course on two-year retention of women and minorities was conducted at Texas State University. Introduction to Engineering modules were integrated into a general freshman university seminar course. Two experimental tactics were followed. One section type, Early Career Intervention (ECI), focused on giving students resources and contacts such as faculty, student leaders, and industry professional contacts that they could utilize to succeed in their degree plan and later on, their career. The other experimental section type, Design Intervention, included a small design project and introduction to design theory, as well as Early Career Intervention. This work-in-progress sought to discover early data trends that indicate success of the modified introductory class. Early data suggests that Engineering Technology (ET) students may prefer Design Intervention, and Engineering (ENGR) students may prefer ECI. Furthermore, under-represented minorities (URMs) in ENGR majors may prefer Design Intervention, women in ET majors seem to succeed after Design Intervention, and women in ENGR are retained by ECI. Further investigation of these trends is scheduled upon completion of data acquisition.

Jennings, M., & Talley, K. G. (2019, June), Board 72: Impact on Retention: Integrating Introduction to Engineering Concepts into a Freshman University Seminar Experience Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32415

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