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Session 2670

Engineering Learning Center Coach Training Program for Minority Students

Peck Cho and William W. Predebon Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Michigan Technological University

ABSTRACT The objective of the program described in this paper is to help under-represented minority students (African-American, American Indian, Hispanic, and Upper Peninsula Women) to be successful in a number of fundamental engineering courses during their sophomore year and make a smooth transition to the junior and senior level courses in engineering design and analysis. Michigan Technological University (MTU) already has an Engineering Learning Center (ELC) which is dedicated to achieving this objective for all students. However, it was hypothesized that the ELC, where students are coached by fellow students on several gateway courses such as Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials, has the potential to be more effective as a means of helping minority students be successful if more ELC coaches were the minority students themselves. Consequently, eleven minority students were recruited and were given extensive training on learning and coaching skills over a course of two quarters. The training included sessions on diversity in learning styles, studying skills, problem solving skills, interpersonal skills, intrapersonal skills, and techniques for promoting motivation. All recruits successfully completed the training program and, subsequently, worked as ELC coaches. This program is in its second year and, while a quantitative assessment of the program cannot be made at this stage, anecdotal evidence indicates a need to sustain this program.

INTRODUCTION The objective of the program described in this paper is to help under-represented minority students to be successful in a number of fundamental engineering courses during their sophomore year and make a smooth transition to the junior and senior level courses in engineering design and analysis. The need for a special program arises for several reasons. A disproportionate number of minority students come from disadvantaged school districts, and most UP female students are from rural school districts. Preparation or encouragement to train for a science or engineering career may not have been emphasized during their secondary school

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Predebon, W. W., & Cho, P. (1997, June), Engineering Learning Center Coach Training Program For Minority Students Paper presented at 1997 Annual Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 10.18260/1-2--6542