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Implementation of Instructor-Initiated Drop Policy after COVID Pandemic Period to Improve Student Learning and Success

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH) Technical Session 3: Student Success

Tagged Division

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

Page Count

14

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43907

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43907

Download Count

183

Paper Authors

biography

Amir Karimi The University of Texas at San Antonio

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Dr. Amir Karimi P.E., The University of Texas at San Antonio
Amir Karimi, University of Texas, San Antonio Amir Karimi is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1982. His teaching and research interests are in thermal sciences. He has served as the Chair of Mechanical Engineering (1987 to 1992 and September 1998 to January of 2003), College of Engineering Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (Jan. 2003-April 2006), and the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies (April 2006-September 2013). Dr. Karimi is a Fellow of ASEE, a Fellow of ASME, senior member of AIAA, and holds membership in ASHRAE, and Sigma Xi. He has served as the ASEE Campus Representative at UTSA, ASEE-GSW Section Campus Representative, and served as the Chair of ASEE Zone III (2005-07). He chaired the ASEE-GSW section during the 1996-97 academic year.

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biography

Randall D. Manteufel P.E. The University of Texas at San Antonio Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-9829-2723

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Dr. Randall Manteufel is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He has won several teaching awards, including the 2012 University of Texas System Regent’s Outstanding Teaching Award and the 201

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Abstract

The easy access to solution manuals, on-line tutoring services, spending little time in reading the textbook materials, not studying the textbook example problems, not attending schedule classes, not solving homework problems, and grade inflation have all been the contributing factors to gradual decline in student learning. As a result, the passing rates in required upper-division undergraduate courses gradually decreased from 85-90% to 55-60 % in large classes. In 2016 the university established an “Instructor-initiated Drop policy”. The policy allows instructors to drop those students who exceeds the absence or missed assignment limits for the class described and specified in the course syllabus. The newly established “Instructor-initiated Drop policy” was adopted and enforced in three different courses taught from fall 2018 through fall 2019 semesters. The policy improved class attendance, completion of homework assignments, and student pass rates. During the COVID pandemic the university suspended the “Instructor-initiated Drop policy” and did not re-initiated it until fall 2022. In teaching upper division courses in fall 2021 and spring 2022, not only we noticed students’ lack of commitment in attending lectures or doing their homework assignments, but also observed that many students lacked the knowledge of prerequisite topics in courses they passed during COVID. As the result, in fall 2021 over 50% of students had an average grades of less than 70% in the first two mid-term exams in an undergraduate heat transfer course. In fall 2022, the “Instructor-initiated Drop policy” was implemented in two sections of the heat transfer course. The enforcement of this policy vastly improved students’ class attendance, completing the homework assignments, and performance in exams, resulting in an improved passing rate of 78%. This paper describes the implementation of “Instructor-initiated Drop policy” in fall 2022 semester, the level of student success, and lessons learned.

Karimi, A., & Manteufel, R. D. (2023, June), Implementation of Instructor-Initiated Drop Policy after COVID Pandemic Period to Improve Student Learning and Success Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43907

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