Implementing an Engineering Applications of Mathematics Course at the University of Arkansas and Assessing Retention Impact

Heath A Schluterman; Kellie Schneider; Adrienne L. Gaines

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Conference: 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Publication Date: June 23, 2013
Start Date: June 23, 2013
End Date: June 26, 2013
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: FPD 8: Engineering Math Issues
Tagged Division: First-Year Programs
Page Count: 10
Page Numbers: 23.707.1 - 23.707.10
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--19721
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/19721
Download Count: 544

Paper Authors

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Heath A Schluterman University of Arkansas

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Dr. Heath Schluterman is an Instructor and the Associate Director of Academics for the Freshman Engineering Program at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Schluterman completed his B.S. and Ph.D in Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas.

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Kellie Schneider University of Arkansas

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Kellie Schneider is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Industrial Engineering and an instructor in the Freshman Engineering Program at the University of Arkansas. She received her BS and MS both in Industrial Engineering from the U of A.

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Adrienne L. Gaines University of Arkansas

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Adrienne L. Gaines is the Associate Director of Student Services for the Freshman Engineering Program at the University of Arkansas. Gaines completed her B.A. in Management Information Systems at the University of Northern Iowa and M.Ed. in Workforce Development at the University of Arkansas.

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Abstract

Implementing an Engineering Applications of Mathematics Course at a Public University and Assessing Retention Impact One of the hindrances to retention at a public university engineering program with openenrollment is that many students are not prepared for the rigorous curriculum requirements of thefirst year. In fact, recent increases in enrollment coupled with changes in the math placementguidelines at our university have resulted in a significant number of students that are notqualified to begin their course of study in Calculus I. The majority of these students are qualifiedto begin their course of study one math class behind Calculus I. Traditionally, these studentshave enrolled in Precalculus. However, in fall 2010, an Engineering Applications ofMathematics (E-Math) course was implemented as an alternative to the Precalculus course. E-Math is modeled after a similar course developed at Wright State University [1]. The coursecovers many of the topics from the Precalculus course (in the context of engineeringapplications) as well as topics heavily used in sophomore-level engineering courses (includingderivatives and integrals). To date, over 250 students have taken the course, and an additional120 students are enrolled this fall.This paper presents the evolution of the course structure since its implementation including ourwork with the Department of Mathematical Sciences in having the course recognized as aprerequisite to the Calculus I course. The retention rates and progression through the mathsequence of students that took E-Math are evaluated and compared to those results with studentsthat took the traditional Precalculus course to the cohort as a whole. Furthermore, attempts toaddress issues associated with students who enter our program two math classes behind CalculusI are discussed. Specifically, the implementation of a course developed to have the studentsCalculus ready in a single semester is put forward.[1] Klingbiel, N.W. et. al. “Rethinking Engineering Mathematics Education: A Model for Increased Retention, Motivation and Success in Engineering.” Proceedings of the 2004 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 2004.

Citation
Format

Schluterman, H. A., & Schneider, K., & Gaines, A. L. (2013, June), Implementing an Engineering Applications of Mathematics Course at the University of Arkansas and Assessing Retention Impact Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19721

TY - CPAPER
AB - Implementing an Engineering Applications of Mathematics Course at a Public University and Assessing Retention Impact One of the hindrances to retention at a public university engineering program with openenrollment is that many students are not prepared for the rigorous curriculum requirements of thefirst year. In fact, recent increases in enrollment coupled with changes in the math placementguidelines at our university have resulted in a significant number of students that are notqualified to begin their course of study in Calculus I. The majority of these students are qualifiedto begin their course of study one math class behind Calculus I. Traditionally, these studentshave enrolled in Precalculus. However, in fall 2010, an Engineering Applications ofMathematics (E-Math) course was implemented as an alternative to the Precalculus course. E-Math is modeled after a similar course developed at Wright State University [1]. The coursecovers many of the topics from the Precalculus course (in the context of engineeringapplications) as well as topics heavily used in sophomore-level engineering courses (includingderivatives and integrals). To date, over 250 students have taken the course, and an additional120 students are enrolled this fall.This paper presents the evolution of the course structure since its implementation including ourwork with the Department of Mathematical Sciences in having the course recognized as aprerequisite to the Calculus I course. The retention rates and progression through the mathsequence of students that took E-Math are evaluated and compared to those results with studentsthat took the traditional Precalculus course to the cohort as a whole. Furthermore, attempts toaddress issues associated with students who enter our program two math classes behind CalculusI are discussed. Specifically, the implementation of a course developed to have the studentsCalculus ready in a single semester is put forward.[1] Klingbiel, N.W. et. al. “Rethinking Engineering Mathematics Education: A Model for Increased Retention, Motivation and Success in Engineering.” Proceedings of the 2004 ASEE Annual Conference &amp; Exposition, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 2004.
AU - Heath A Schluterman
AU - Kellie Schneider
AU - Adrienne L. Gaines
CY - Atlanta, Georgia
DA - 2013/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Implementing an Engineering Applications of Mathematics Course at the University of Arkansas and Assessing Retention Impact
UR - https://peer.asee.org/19721
DO - 10.18260/1-2--19721
ER -