Assessing a Summer Engineering Math and Projects Bootcamp to Improve Retention and Graduation Rates in Engineering and Computer Science

Abstract

She is currently the director of Alavi FTIR Spectroscopic Imaging Lab (AFISIL) and supervises multiple undergraduate students in their research. Her research interests includes characterization of biological samples by employing FTIR Spectroscopic Imaging techniques and developing novel digital image processing and analysis algorithms to process the collected FTIR-spectro-microscopic data. Additionally, Dr. Alavi is a member of IEEE, ASEE and she has been an active member of McLeod Institute of Simulation Science. Dr. Alavi pursues research in advanced control systems and simulation. Additionally, she conducts research in promoting electrical engineering undergraduate education and is the recipient of the best paper award in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Division of American Society of Engineering Education.

Enhancing postgraduate students’ technical skills: perceptions of modified team-based learning in a six-week multi-subject Bootcamp-style CS course

“…In Semester 2, most students agreed that ProgSD had helped them prepare for the S2 courses they were taking as they were able to apply the skills they gained through the Bootcamp in those Semester 2 courses. Similar observations were made in the literature that Bootcamps help improve skills and self-confidence in applying knowledge and skills important to students' majors (Alavi et al, 2020, June;Fronza et al, 2020;Kenny et al, 2018;Lerner et al, 2018). That increase in confidence can last for at least six months (Selden et al, 2013), thus supporting the idea that the ProgSD Bootcamp had a positive effect on student knowledge and skills retention.…”