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Student Academic Advisement: Innovative Tools for Improving Minority Student Attraction, Retention, and Graduation

Abstract

Like most engineering programs across the country, the undergraduate mechanical engineering program at The University of Texas – Pan American, is engaged in the implementation of a process of continuous quality improvement that promotes students’ academic and professional success and supports program and institution accreditations. In general, engineering, computing and applied science programs seeking accreditation by ABET (Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology) must demonstrate, among other things, that they evaluate student performance, advise students regarding curricular and career matters, and monitor student’s progress to foster their success in achieving program outcomes, thereby enabling them as graduates to attain program objectives. The paper describes innovative tools that support the advisement process and their impact on faculty and students. One effective tool has been an online degree planning software used by students and faculty. These tools have been successfully implemented in different programs in the same minority serving institution. The use of these tools has allowed the faculty to concentrate on other important aspects of the student academic advisement. This paper will also describe in detail the use of these tools in a comprehensive academic advisement process and its impact at an engineering program serving mainly minority students. The mandatory academic advisement has positively impacted student access, retention, and graduation. Students meet at least once a semester with an assigned engineering faculty member. Faculty monitor and advise students in areas such as proposed course workload and reasonable progress towards graduation, evaluation of grades, course prerequisites, graduation requirements, transfer/CLEP credits, university requirements, and early warnings. Faculty mentor students in areas and activities such as professional opportunities for students, answer questions about career choices, encourage good habits, building a relationship, financial aid/scholarships, and selection of technical electives appropriate to student interest and career goals. Furthermore, faculty help students find information about required courses, course prerequisites, course offerings at the University and other places, transfer credits / CLEP tests, consequences of repeating courses, answer questions about courses, and scholarships.

Introduction

Like most engineering programs across the country, the undergraduate mechanical engineering program (B.S.M.E.)at The University of Texas – Pan American (UTPA), is engaged in the implementation of a process of continuous quality improvement that promotes students’ academic and professional success and supports program and institution accreditations. Based on this premise, student academic advisement has been a priority for the UTPA ME faculty since the beginning of the B.S.M.E. program. In general, engineering, computing and applied science programs seeking accreditation by ABET (Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology) must demonstrate, among other things, that they evaluate student performance, advise students regarding curricular and career matters, and monitor student’s progress to foster their success in achieving program outcomes, thereby enabling them as graduates to attain program objectives1. Even though the ABET criteria is continuously evolving and depends on the type of program, the

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Crown, S., & Fuentes, A., & Tarawneh, C., & Freeman, R., & Mahdi, H. (2009, June), Student Academic Advisement: Innovative Tools For Improving Minority Student Attraction, Retention, And Graduation Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--5608