Project Preserve: A Program to Retain Minorities in Engineering

A national effort, begun in 1972 to increase the numbers of minorities in engineering, has made substantial progress, but the attrition for minority students is still estimated at 70%. To address the problem, Project Preserve was designed to confirm, by demonstration, the results of previous research showing that the combination of explicit cognitive development, close relationships with faculty, and strong bonds to an institution can raise the performance and retention of minority engineering students. The project enrolled over 100 minority engineering students who had been dismissed from freshman engineering studies on other campuses or placed on academic probation, but whose high school grades and SAT scores were indicative of success. They were channeled into participating institutions chosen for their record of basic support services, willingness to augment or restructure those services, and for variation among institutional variables: Xavier University of Louisiana (XU), California State University at Northridge (CSUN), and City College of the City University of New York (CCNY). A 2 1/2 hour battery of evaluation instruments was given to 79 students upon entry and to 26 students upon their attaining Junior status after two years in the program. The results demonstrated that: (1) an admirable 64% of would-be drop outs had achieved Junior status or were still enrolled in engineering at the conclusion of two years; (2) cognitive growth occurred on basic memory skills and one critical thinking skill, but there were institutional differences in the extent of intellectual development, with Xavier producing the most change; (3) closer relationships to faculty were outcomes; (4) the most positive feelings about, or bonding to, the institution occurred at Xavier University, while the most evidence of social participation and connectedness occurred at CSUN.     

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.     

系统失声？都是显卡惹的祸

笔者在忍受了几个月玩《魔兽世界》只有“幻灯片”般的速度，也为了以后能玩上更华丽的游戏，我咬咬牙，花几百大洋入手了一块ATi HD 3650显卡。