Identifying Factors Influencing Engineering Student Graduation: A Longitudinal and Cross‐Institutional Study

Pre‐existing factors are quantitatively evaluated as to their impact on engineering student success. This study uses a database of all engineering students at nine institutions from 1987 through 2002 (a total of 87,167 engineering students) and focuses on graduation in any of the engineering disciplines. We report graduation rate as a function of years since matriculation, and determine the typical time‐to‐graduation. A multiple logistic regression model is fitted to each institution's data to explore the relationship between graduation and demographic and academic characteristics. A pooled model is fitted to six institutions where a complete data set was available. High school GPA, gender, ethnicity, quantitative SAT scores, verbal SAT scores, and citizenship had significant impact on graduation. While HSGPA, SATQ were significant for all models tested, the significance of other predictors varied among institutions. These studies add to the existing body of research about factors affecting the success of engineering students.     

Is Modeling of Freshman Engineering Success Different from Modeling of Non‐Engineering Success?

The engineering community has recognized the need for a higher retention rate in freshman engineering. If we are to increase the freshman retention rate, we need to better understand the characteristics of academic success for engineering students. One approach is to compare academic performance of engineering students to that of non‐engineering students. This study explores the differences in predicting academic success (defined as the first year GPA) for freshman engineering students compared to three non‐engineering student sectors (Pre‐Med, STEM, and non‐STEM disciplines) within a university. Academic success is predicted with pre‐college variables from the UCLA/CIRP survey using factor analysis and regression analysis. Except for the factor related to the high school GPA and rank, the predictors for each student sector were discipline specific. Predictors unique to the engineering sector included the factors related to quantitative skills (ACT Math and Science test scores and placement test scores) and confidence in quantitative skills.     

Faculty as a Critical Juncture in Student Retention and Performance in Engineering Programs

Large numbers of students depart from engineering programs before graduation. For example, in fields such as engineering and computer science, students have commented on the inaccessible or unapproachable nature of faculty. To evaluate this problem, this study gathered data across four research universities. Using structural equation modeling, it measured environmental effects, i.e., academic integration or faculty distance on (a) self‐efficacy, (b) academic confidence and (c) self‐regulated learning behaviors effort, critical thinking, help‐seeking and peer learning, and (d) GPA. Results showed that faculty distance lowered self‐efficacy, academic confidence and GPA. Conversely, academic integration had a positive effect on self‐efficacy, which in turn had strong positive effects on effort and critical thinking. Consequently, ongoing educational reform efforts must encourage engineering faculty to understand the significance of their student/professor relationships and seriously undertake measures to become personally available to students.     

Assessing the Impact of Engineering Undergraduate Work Experience: Factoring in Pre‐work Academic Performance

This paper examines how undergraduate work experiences affect engineering graduates' post‐graduation starting salary, their cumulative grade point average upon graduation, and their likelihood of receiving a job offer prior to graduation. This study contributes to the field of undergraduate work experiences uniquely by taking into account academic performance prior to work experience, including the exact number of work experiences, and examining how gender interacts with work experience to affect the measured outcomes. The results show that more experience results in a higher post‐graduation starting salary and an increased likelihood of a job offer prior to graduation. Increases in cumulative GPA upon graduation were only marginal. Furthermore, undergraduate work experience affected female and male students as well as students from different majors similarly.     

A Study of the Impact of Minority Engineering Programs at the FAMU‐FSU College of Engineering

The Engineering Concepts Institute, and the rest of the comprehensive minority student development program that followed it, has served students of Florida A&M University matriculating to the Florida A&M University—Florida State University (FAMU‐FSU) College of Engineering. A significant relationship between participation in the programs under study and graduation/retention was identified with the Pearson Chi‐squared test, Cochran‐Mantel‐Haenszel statistics, as well as the Mantel‐Haenszel estimate. Students who participated in the program were estimated to have significantly higher odds of five‐year graduation and six‐year graduation than students who did not participate in the program. A comparison of high school GPAs identified a selection bias, and high school GPA was then used to control for this selection bias in a multiple logistic regression model. While multiple individual cohorts remain statistically significant, the aggregate of all cohorts lacks significance due to the small number of participants and the possible overly stringent penalty imposed by the addition of high school GPA. Nevertheless, the results continue to show the positive trend observed earlier—that Minority Engineering Program participants are 25 percent more likely to be retained and graduate in engineering than students who had similar high school GPA but did not participate in the program—it is expected that continuing longitudinal study will bear out this trend as statistically significant. Although the programs described in this paper have been discontinued as a result of personnel changes, the study of the program is still useful as a contribution to the body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of such programs.     

Predicting Success in a Minority Engineering Program

The purpose of this study was to investigate two frequently used selection variables, high school grade point average (GPA) and ACT composite test score, as predictors of success in the Increasing Diversity in Engineering Academics (IDEAs) minority engineering program (MEP) at The University of Akron. Data from 48 minority students who participated in the MEP were used in the analysis. The only significant predictor of graduation with an engineering degree was high school GPA. Both high school GPA and ACT scores were significantly correlated with undergraduate GPA. Although they could not be statistically analyzed, both the completion of the first calculus course and number of hours attending mandatory study halls were critical to success in the IDEAs program.     

The Effects of a First‐Year Engineering Design Course on Student Intellectual Development as Measured by the Perry Scheme

In response to the demand for enhanced design, problem‐solving, and team skills in engineering graduates, Penn State has instituted a number ofteam‐based, project‐learning courses, including one taken by nearly every first‐year engineering student. To determine the impact of these experiences on our students we have begun a cross‐sectional and longitudinal study of their intellectual development based upon the Perry model. In this paper, we describe the research methodology and results for the initial group of first‐year students interviewed. The results of the study include the effects on intellectual development of the first‐year design course, gender, honors status, and the students' academic ability as indicated by SAT scores and grade point average. Design experience was positively related to enhanced intellectual development. Honors status, gender, and academic ability were not significantly related to Perry rating. We discuss the implications of these findings for instruction and curricular reform.     

Understanding Our Students: A Longitudinal‐Study of Success and Failure in Engineering With Implications for Increased Retention

In spite of considerable research about the poor retention rate of undergraduate engineering students, we still have an inadequate understanding of the factors that affect students' decisions to remain in engineering programs and their ability to perform well enough to be retained. Although continued study is needed of external factors such as curricular requirements, admissions criteria, and test scores, we also need to know much more about the relationships between curricular experiences and students' learning styles, habits, and attitudes. The work presented in this paper was designed to enhance educators' understanding of the factors that underlie the concern about student retention in engineering. By observing 1,000 engineering students during their first three years in college, the research team generated a large database on the students' academic and non‐academic characteristics as well as their successes and failures. The traits discovered not only support many findings from previous studies but also reveal some new relationships that could prove essential to designing an educational environment that will prepare engineers for success in the future.     

Assigning Functional Groups: The Influence of Group Size,Academic Record,Practical Experience,and Learning Style

This paper summarizes the results of a four-year study (September 1992 - December 1995) concerned with the performance of student groups in a senior engineering laboratory course. The investigation was conducted in two stages. In the first two years, the effect of group size, incoming GPA, practical experience, and the gender distribution of each group was investigated. During this period we recorded the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) scores at the end of the semester and asked students to report on the performance of their groups given their knowledge of the LSI distribution within their team. In the second stage of this study (1994–95) we evaluated the effect of grouping according to LSI, in addition to continuing our study of the effect of group size, academic record, practical experience, and gender distribution. In the final year of the study we took advantage of the disparity in the incoming GPAs of the two sections of the class (Tuesday and Thursday) to evaluate if incoming GPA influenced course grade. The study consisted of four senior classes totaling 110 students in 33 groups. The learning styles distribution of the students resulted in 6% “Type 1,” 42% “Type 2,” 42% “Type 3,” and 10% “Type 4” learners. The metric used to quantify performance was the average final course grade of students within given groups. This course grade was equally weighted between technical and writing components. Our results indicate that the most important positive correlating factor in a group's performance was the group size (four member groups statistically outperformed three member teams at α = 0.05). Although not statistically significant, observable higher average group grades indicated that the following may have an effect on group performance: the inclusion of academically outstanding individuals, the number of members with “good hands,” and the GPA history of the group. Specifically, the inclusion of a student with a GPA above 3.6 improved the performance (average group grade) of the group relative to their abilities as characterized by their average incoming GPA. Students who were good with equipment or had some practical hands-on experience had a similar positive influence on the group performance. The gender distribution within a group did not have a significant effect on either group performance or dysfunction. Insufficient data were collected to ascertain the relative performance of homogeneous and mixed learning style groups. Since group incoming GPA may be a variable in group performance, student self-selection is not recommended since it would result in an amplified disparity in the course grades. Indeed, we observed that grouping students by GPA, group size, and LSI resulted in a large number of functional teams, with the final variance in the course grade within a class reduced relative to other courses which have grouped activities.     

Hands‐On,Minds‐On Electric Power Education*

ABET Engineering Criteria 2000 has encouraged changes in engineering education. The deregulation of the electric power industry is also causing changes in the types of jobs power engineers take upon graduation. This paper describes efforts by power faculty at Kansas State University to provide students more hands‐on active learning experience with power systems and machinery. A summary of the power curriculum is provided. The courses affected include an energy conversion course required of all electrical engineering students, and a new power laboratory course required of students taking the electric power option. Examples of student assignments are provided. Observations and discussion of the in‐class experiences are provided. The paper describes work done and in progress to convert the traditional power courses into studio‐type courses in which instruction can flow from lecture to laboratory to computer demonstration formats with ease. Future plans for the project are also discussed.     

中国高水平高校材料学科专业课程英语化教学必要性探析

"培养具有国际视野的高素质创新人才"和创建国际一流大学已经成为国内一些高水平高校的办学宗旨之一。本文对目前国内一流高校专业英语应用能力培养的必要性进行了分析。针对目前国内高校英语教学主要以通用英语为特征的基本教学模式所存在的问题,结合浙江大学创建国际一流高校、一流学科对本科学生提出的在学期间具有100%的境外访学率以及在学期间对本科生全面展开的研究训练计划(SRTP)培养所伴随的参加国际学术会议、从事与阅读专业外语资料直接相关的学术研究、毕业后具有高出国深造率等基本要求,探讨了专业课程全英文教学的必要性及重要性,并探讨了其对促使所培养的国内学生更好地走出去和让世界各地的学子方便地走进来,以及对推动浙大材料学科更好地向世界一流水准迈进所产生的积极作用。     

Gender and Ethnicity Differences in Freshmen Engineering Student Attitudes: A Cross‐Institutional Study*

We examine the attitudes of entering freshman engineering students and how they change over the course of the first year at 17 institutions. In addition to better understanding these attitudes and the changes that occur, we explore how these changes potentially affect such issues as “first term probation” and attrition from engineering programs. Particular attention is directed at isolating differences due to gender and ethnicity. Thirteen different student attitudes were captured using the Pittsburgh Freshman Engineering Attitude Survey© (PFEAS) at the beginning of the first semester (pre) and at either the end of the first semester or first academic year (post). Definite gender differences were found on the pre‐survey for five of the attitude measures. For all but one of these measures, female engineering students' initial attitudes were more negative than those of male students. Across the sample of institutions, female students consistently began their engineering studies with a lower confidence in background knowledge about engineering, their abilities to succeed in engineering, and their perceptions of how engineers contribute to society than did their male counterparts. However, those same female students were more comfortable with their study habits than were the male students. The post questionnaire data indicated that differences for three of these five attitude measures persisted. Most important, female engineering students continued to maintain a lower confidence in their abilities to succeed in engineering as compared to male engineering students. When the PFEAS data were mapped into EC 2000 outcomes, comparable cross‐institutional gender differences were observed that paralleled those found for the attitudinal measures. Because the number of minority students was relatively small, significant cross‐institutional differences between each minority cohort studied (African American, Asian Pacific, and Hispanic) and the majority cohort, similar cross‐institutional patterns could not be observed. However, possible trends were found between African American and majority students' attitudes for certain measures, while other attitudinal measures were found to be significant when Hispanic students were compared to majority students. Significant attitudinal differences between Asian Pacific and majority students were similar to those found between female and male engineering students. By knowing how attitudinal measures differ among gender and ethnic cohorts, and understanding how those differences relate to attrition from engineering programs, we can then developed more informed programmatic initiatives that can impact these attitude in a positive manner. As a result, we may be able to reduce engineering attrition, especially by underrepresented student cohorts.     

Influence of African American Engineering Student Perceptions of Campus Climate on Graduation Rates

African American undergraduate engineering student perceptions of institutional and personal/social campus climate factors were investigated to determine how these perceptions influence academic performance and institutional graduation rates. Data collection was accomplished through use of a quantitative and qualitative survey instrument administered to a national sample of subjects. The research discovered wide variation in individual institutional African American graduation rates and differences in rates among groups of institutions categorized by their academic selectivity or their designation as a Historically Black College and University. Students at institutions in the higher of the academic selectivity categories had higher graduation rates. However, students enrolled in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities category had more favorable perceptions of their college experience and had higher grades than students attending other institutions. After controlling for institution category, higher graduation rates were associated with students' lower perceptions of racism and discrimination and with students' greater institutional commitment.     

Factors Influencing the Self‐Efficacy Beliefs of First‐Year Engineering Students

A survey incorporating qualitative measures of student self‐efficacy beliefs was administered to 1,387 first‐year engineering students enrolled in ENGR 106, Engineering Problem‐Solving and Computer Tools, at Purdue University. The survey was designed to identify factors related to students' self‐efficacy beliefs, their beliefs about their capabilities to perform the tasks necessary to achieve a desired outcome. Open‐ended questions prompted students to list factors affecting their confidence in their ability to succeed in the course. Students were then asked to rank these factors based on the degree to which their self‐efficacy beliefs were influenced. Gender trends emerged in student responses to factors that affect confidence in success. These trends are discussed in light of the categories identified by efficacy theorists as sources of self‐efficacy beliefs. The results presented here provide a useful look at the first‐year engineering experiences that influence students' efficacy beliefs, an important consideration in explaining student achievement, persistence, and interest.     

A Retrospective on Undergraduate Engineering Success for Underrepresented Minority Students

This paper examines the various factors that contribute to the success of minority students in engineering programs by exploring past and current paradigms promoting success and analyzing models for advancing the participation of members of these populations. Included is a literature review of articles, government reports, Web sites, and archives published since 1980. Student success is correlated to several indicators, including pre‐college preparation, recruitment programs, admissions policies, financial assistance, academic intervention programs, and graduate school preparation and admission. This review suggests that the problem of minority underrepresentation and success in engineering is soluble given the appropriate resources and collective national “will” to propagate effective approaches.     

Characteristics of Freshman Engineering Students: Models for Determining Student Attrition in Engineering

Nationwide, less than half the freshman who start in engineering graduate in engineering, and at least half of this attrition occurs during the freshman year. Clearly, the freshman year is critical for both academic success and retention of engineering students. Such success depends not only on the knowledge and skills learned during this first year, but also on the attitudes individual students bring with them to college. Hence, if these attitudes can be measured before beginning college, we can develop more targeted programs for reducing attrition and improving academic success. Further, by measuring changes in student attitude over the course of the freshman year, we can develop better methods to evaluate engineering education programs. To learn more about these attitudes and how they impact upon retention, we undertook a three-year research effort. First we identified attitudes incoming students have about the field of engineering, their perceptions about the upcoming educational experience, and their confidence in their ability to succeed in engineering. These attitudes were then related to performance and retention in the freshman engineering program. To accomplish this, a closedform survey was developed, tested and administered to the 1993–94 and 1994–95 freshman engineering classes. This study demonstrated that student attitudes can provide an effective means for evaluating aspects of our freshman engineering program, particularly those relating to issues of attrition. Specifically, students who left the freshman engineering program in “good academic standing” had significantly different attitudes about engineering and themselves than those possessed by other comparison groups: students who stayed in engineering and students who left engineering in “poor academic standing.” We developed regression models to predict attrition and performance in our freshman engineering program using quantified measures of student attitudes. Implementation of the models has allowed freshman advisors to better inform students of opportunities that engineering offers, to devise better programs of study that take advantage of students' varied interests, and to set retention goals that are more realistic.     

A Method for Identifying Variables for Predicting STEM Enrollment

This research examines demographic, academic, attitudinal, and experiential data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) for over 12,000 students at two universities to test a methodology for identifying variables showing significant differences between students intending to major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) versus non‐STEM subjects. The methodology utilizes basic statistical techniques to identify significant differences between STEM and non‐STEM students within seven population subgroups based upon school attended, race/ethnicity, and gender. The value of individual variables is assessed by how consistently significant differences are found across the subgroups. The variables found to be most valuable in identifying STEM students reflect both quantitative and qualitative measures. Quantitative measures of academic ability such as SAT mathematics score, high school grade point average, and to a lesser extent SAT verbal score are all indicators. Qualitative measures including self‐ratings of mathematical ability, computer skills, and academic ability are also good indicators.     

Enabling Engineering Performance Skills: A Program to Teach Communication,Leadership, and Teamwork*

A minor in Engineering Communication and Performance is being created at the University of Tennessee in conjunction with the engage Freshman Engineering Program. This minor provides engineering undergraduate students with formal training and a credential in complementary performance skills necessary for success in today's workplace. This interdisciplinary program is designed to improve the ability of engineering graduates to work on teams, to be effective communicators, to be socially adept, and to be prepared for leadership roles . Five courses compose the minor. Three of these courses are new and custom‐prepared for engineering students, while the other two may be selected from a limited list of courses that provide in‐depth training on supervision, cultural diversity, and interpersonal interaction. This multi‐disciplinary program takes a novel approach in the subject matter presentation and in the method of coaching students to use these skills. In the custom courses, students receive instruction and are placed in mini‐practicums. To complete the minor, students participate in a full practicum in a social service setting. This paper discusses assessment; course development; program basis and development; strategies for implementation of this new program; integration between engineering, counseling psychology, and human services; and student, faculty, and industry response to the program. The collaboration makes this program transportable to other institutions as it is dependent on having institution expertise in the disciplines of counseling and human services rather than having engineering educators with expertise in these fields. Our experience with establishing this collaboration will also be discussed.