A Multi-Faceted First-Year Program to Recruit and Retain Engineering Students

University Of Dayton, Dayton OH

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal describes a set of student-support programs designed and implemented by the University of Dayton's School of Engineering to address the need to recruit and retain greater numbers of talented students who receive baccalaureate degrees in engineering fields. Created in the last four years, these programs have been successful in achieving the goal of increasing both recruitment and retention rates of students enrolled in engineering programs at the University of Dayton. This project is providing scholarships for financially disadvantaged students who are benefiting from participation in these successful student-support programs. Scholarship support is giving students the financial assistance they need to sustain full-time enrollment in engineering programs, to complete their baccalaureate degrees, and to pursue post-graduate employment or advanced study in the engineering professions. During the 1990s, the School of Engineering (SOE) was confronted with low enrollments and retention rates of engineering students. Because first-year retention rates were especially low (69.5%) compared to retention rates in second, third or fourth years, the SOE decided to focus its retention improvement efforts at the first-year. A survey was conducted of students leaving the program after the first year, revealing these reasons: (1) difficulty with calculus, chemistry, and physics; (2) lack of association with other engineering students and faculty in the first year; and (3) inadequate first-year advising. To increase enrollments and first-year retention rates, the SOE has created several programs emphasizing student development and academic support in the first year. These programs consist of the First-Year Program, designed to assist and retain all first-year students; the Enriched Engineering Program, designed to recruit and retain "at-risk" students who normally would not be permitted to enroll in engineering because of low ACT or SAT scores; the Minority Engineering Program, designed to recruit and retain under-represented minorities; and the Introduction to Engineering Design course, providing all first-year students with an overview of all engineering fields offered at the University in a laboratory environment. Some of the effective elements of these programs include collaborative learning workshops, cohorted classes in calculus, chemistry, and physics, specialized advising, professional development sessions, and professional mentors paired with students. In each of the two years of the grant, scholarships is benefiting 40 engineering students who meet eligibility requirements and who successfully compete for the scholarships based on academic merit and professionalism. Special effort is made to ensure full consideration of students who are members of under-represented groups in engineering fields. Of the currently enrolled students who qualify for a scholarship, 18 percent are members of under-represented minority groups and 22 percent are female.