Work In Progress: Assisting Academically Underprepared Engineering Students in Mathematics
- Conference
- Location
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East Lansing, Michigan
- Publication Date
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July 26, 2020
- Start Date
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July 26, 2020
- End Date
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July 28, 2020
- Page Count
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5
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--35788
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/35788
- Download Count
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242
Paper Authors
Prateek Shekhar
New Jersey Institute of Technology
orcid.org/0000-0001-6552-2887
Prateek Shekhar is an Assistant Professor - Engineering Education at New Jersey Institute of Technology. His research is focused on examining translation of engineering education research in practice, and assessment and evaluation of dissemination initiatives and educational programs in engineering disciplines. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, M.S. in Electrical Engineering from University of Southern California and B.S. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from India. Prior to his current appointment, he worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Assistant Research
Scientist at University of Michigan. He is the recipient of 2018 Outstanding Postdoctoral Researcher Award at University of Michigan. He currently serves as the Associate Editor of Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, and International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education.
Stephen Otondi New Jersey Institute of Technology
Stephen Otondi is an undergraduate student at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the Ying Wu College of Computing. He is pursuing a BS in Computer Science. He currently serves on the executive board of the National Society of Black Engineers chapter located at NJIT. He also serves on the executive board of NJIT First Fellows, an organization focused on aiding and guiding first and second-generation college students.
Jaskirat Sodhi New Jersey Institute of Technology
Dr. Jaskirat Sodhi is interested in first-year engineering curriculum design and recruitment, retention and success of engineering students. He is the coordinator of ENGR101, an application-oriented course for engineering students placed in pre-calculus courses. He has also developed and co-teaches the Fundamentals of Engineering Design course that includes a wide spectra of activities to teach general engineering students the basics of engineering design using a hands-on approach which is also engaging and fun. He is an Institute for Teaching Excellence Fellow and the recipient of NJIT's 2018 Saul K. Fenster Innovation in Engineering Education Award.
Abstract
This work-in-progress paper focuses on educating academically underprepared engineering students in mathematics. The problem of student attrition and retention continues to be a critical issue facing undergraduate engineering education. While the literature notes several socio-cognitive factors contributing to student attrition in engineering, academic preparation in pre-college mathematics is widely noted as an important precursor to student progression in engineering. In addition, access to educational experiences that better prepare students in pre-college mathematics content is often tied to students’ socioeconomic status and thus adversely affects students from underrepresented and underserved minorities. To better support academically underprepared students, a mathematics course with emphasis on applications for engineering was initiated at our institution. In this paper, we present preliminary analysis results identifying topics of difficulty and areas of error in students’ mathematical problem-solving. The findings offer implications for first-year engineering education and directions for future research.
Shekhar, P., & Otondi, S., & Sodhi, J. (2020, July), Work In Progress: Assisting Academically Underprepared Engineering Students in Mathematics Paper presented at 2020 First-Year Engineering Experience, East Lansing, Michigan. 10.18260/1-2--35788
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