Multi-Institutional Evaluation of Engineering Discipline Selection

Abstract

During the fall of 2014, a quantitative study of first-year engineering student discipline selection was conducted at four dissimilar institutions in the Midwest: (1) an Urban Public, (2) a Private, (3) a Large Land Grant, and (4) a Large Urban. At all four institutions, an on-line survey was conducted at the start and at the end of the semester. The questions related to how interested students are in engineering (as compared to other academic majors), how certain they are that engineering is the best field of study for them, which discipline of engineering they are most interested in studying, and how certain they are of that engineering discipline choice. Collectively, there were over 3,300 student responses from across the four institutions studied. The data illuminated some differences between the institutions. However, a common result across all 4 institutions was a decrease in interest in engineering over the fall semester which may be accounted for by a "polarizing" effect in which the students that were more neutral in terms of certainty of engineering and their engineering discipline at the start of the semester shift over the course of the fall semester to the extremes, both high certainty and low certainty.

Engineering Major Selection: An Examination of Initial Choice and Switching Throughout the First Year

“…This data was initially analyzed across three institutions and presented in a past ASEE paper that found that the firstyear engineering experience tends to be a polarizing experience either increasing or decreasing students interest (and likely commitment) to engineering. 13 Further, that study found that the type of institution was an important factor to student major selection, and the authors postulate that those programs may attract a certain "type" of engineering student with different expectations or commitment levels. 13 The survey used in this work also included questions related to a student's choice of major.…”

“…13 Further, that study found that the type of institution was an important factor to student major selection, and the authors postulate that those programs may attract a certain "type" of engineering student with different expectations or commitment levels. 13 The survey used in this work also included questions related to a student's choice of major. These questions are the focus for this work.…”

Assessing Gender Differences between Student Motivations for Studying Engineering

“…8 Common techniques for investigating the motivations behind entering engineering include text analysis of essays on why students chose engineering and Likert scale survey questions including a statistical comparison, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, of results for different groups. 9 This research used both techniques: text analysis of essays guided the development of a Likert scale survey which was quantitatively analyzed.…”

“…First-year engineering students are more certain of choosing engineering as a whole compared to choosing what discipline within engineering. 9 First-year engineering courses also help students determine their interests in the different engineering disciplines. 15 Other sources of information that students commonly use to decide on a discipline include personal exploration, peer discussion, and advice from professors.…”

Freshman Engineering: Current Status and Potential for the Future

“…First-year engineering courses have been added to the engineering curriculum over the past 30 to 40 years in an effort to engage the students in engineering at an earlier time 1 , improve retention 2 , provide an introduction to engineering disciplines 3 , inspire the student for the study of engineering, have students recognize the importance of engineering in our modern way of life, etc. Even though there is general agreement on the objectives of the course, the course content used for these courses varies widely 4 .…”