Orr, M. K., & Brawner, C. E., & Ohland, M. W., & Layton, R. A. (2013, June), The Effect of Required Introduction to Engineering Courses on Retention and Major Selection  Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--22577

\bibitem{asee_peer_22577}
  Orr, M. K., \& Brawner, C. E., \& Ohland, M. W., \& Layton, R. A. (2013, June), \emph{The Effect of Required Introduction to Engineering Courses on Retention and Major Selection}
  Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia.
  10.18260/1-2--22577

Marisa K. Orr, Catherine E. Brawner, Matthew W. Ohland, and Richard A. Layton.  "The Effect of Required Introduction to Engineering Courses on Retention and Major Selection".  2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia, 2013, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2013.  https://peer.asee.org/22577 Internet.  29 Jun, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_22577}
  Marisa K. Orr, Catherine E. Brawner, Matthew W. Ohland, and Richard A. Layton.
  "The Effect of Required Introduction to Engineering Courses on Retention and Major Selection".
  \emph{2013 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia, 2013, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2013.
  https://peer.asee.org/22577 Internet.  29 Jun, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_22577
author = "Marisa K. Orr, Catherine E. Brawner, Matthew W. Ohland, and Richard A. Layton"
title = "The Effect of Required Introduction to Engineering Courses on Retention and Major Selection"
booktitle = "2013 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2013"
month = "June"
address = "Atlanta, Georgia"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/22577}
number = {10.18260/1-2--22577}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The Effect of Required Introduction to Engineering Courses on Major SelectionStudents who matriculated in undergraduate engineering programs are studied to determine theeffects of a required introduction to engineering course on major selection. The hypothesis is thatrequiring such a course affects the way the students sort into majors, particularly students whochoose not to declare their major at matriculation. This study integrates quantitative findingsfrom MIDFIELD universities (Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating EngineeringLongitudinal Development and qualitative findings from interviews at five institutions.Preliminary Qualitative Findings: For many students who were sure of their major when theyentered their institution (whether they were allowed to declare it or not), the introduction toengineering course confirmed to them that they had made the right decision. For those who werenot sure about the major they wanted, the first year experience, including the introduction toengineering classes and discussions with faculty and TAs, allowed them the opportunity toresearch the different engineering majors and determine which ones fit best with their personaland career goals. Other influencers on students’ major selection were high school experiencesand family members who were engineers.Preliminary Quantitative Findings: We compared the majors at matriculation and at the fourthterm of students who were required to take an introduction to engineering course and those whowere not. Of students who start in a discipline, those who are not required to take a surveycourse are more likely to be in the same discipline in term 4 (not required = 73%, required =64%). Students who are undecided to begin with seem to benefit from the course in that thosewho are required to take an introductory course are less likely to leave the institution (required =9%, not required = 12%). Noting that slightly more than 12% of the “required” and “notrequired” group leaves the institution before the fourth term, the undecided students who take arequired course show a different behavior from other students. The forthcoming paper will alsoexamine how these changes affect enrollments in specific majors.                                                           Status at fourth term                    Required                                                Non-                     Intro                   In a       Undesignated    engineering        Left the                    Course?        N      discipline    Engineering        Major          universityStudentsdeclaring a      No          37185              73%               ~0%             15%           12%major atmatriculation    Yes         17367              64%                9%             14%           13%Studentschoosing         No            8267             54%               16%             17%           12%engineeringundesignated     Yes           4248             46%               29%             15%            9%*rows may not add to 100% due to rounding
AU  - Marisa K. Orr
AU  - Catherine E. Brawner
AU  - Matthew W. Ohland
AU  - Richard A. Layton
CY  - Atlanta, Georgia
DA  - 2013/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Effect of Required Introduction to Engineering Courses on Retention and Major Selection
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/22577
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--22577
ER  -