Improving First‐Year Engineering Education*

Abstract

In September of 1998, the College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMD) piloted an innovative, integrated, first‐year curriculum. It dramatically changed 31 credits across two semesters. The program was modeled after several previous successful undergraduate experiments at other universities such as those in the NSF Foundation Coalition and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The new program at UMD included This paper describes the new curriculum, some of the practical considerations in its design, and the way it has functioned. Significant improvements demonstrated after one year of operation include integrating the introductory sequences in physics, calculus, chemistry, English and engineering teaching and using teamwork among students and faculty using a specially designed technology oriented classroom using active and cooperative learning methods encouraging formation of a community of students by block‐scheduling classes and grouping students in the dorms using rigorous assessment to evaluate performance. the attrition rate of first‐year engineering students more than halved the percentage of students passing two semesters of physics on schedule nearly doubled the percentage of students passing calculus on schedule increased by 40% the performance of students on common final exams in both physics and calculus significantly increased.

Development of a classification scheme for “introduction to engineering” courses

“…978-1-4673-5261-1/13/$31.00 ©2013 IEEE Prior research in the first year of engineering has focused on an understanding of student success directly related to coursework [1], innovative curriculum design [2,3,4,5], and specific necessary components of the first year including a solid foundation in math [6]. Brannan and Wankat [7] looked at different components in the first year, including introductory courses.…”

Observations on an introductory engineering course and suggestions for enhancement

“…In a similar case, to motivate science and maths learning, two engineering courses were integrated with the calculus and physics sequence, to improve first-year engineering education and develop students' skills in oral and written communication. The researchers found that the performance of the students increased significantly on common final exams in both physics and calculus (Pendergrass et al 2001).…”

Ten Ways to Improve Learning Physics as Part of an Engineering Course

“…Characteristics: Weekly assistance for students with good academic performance in previous years -answering questions 5 . Steps for implementing this support: A student from a previous year that demonstrates good academic performance is available to support the freshman student.…”

“…Characteristics: Weekly teaching service -answering questions / performing exercises 5 . Steps for implementing technical staff support: an instructor is available once a week (8 h) to help the student solve exercises and explain physics concepts to clarify his/her doubts.…”

“…Characteristics: Weekly service for teachers of the discipline -answering questions 5 . Steps for implementing the service: A teacher is available once a week (4h) to help the student with his/her doubts.…”