Recruitment, retention, and performance of students in the College of Engineering at Illinois

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to better understand the entering characteristics, patterns of performance, attrition rates and reasons for leaving, and experiences of undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Engineering and other engineering disciplines, with particular emphasis on those from traditionally underrepresented groups and other subgroups of interest. All students in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were asked to participate in this study. The study was initiated under the assumption that aggregate data related to issues faced by engineering students would be used to inform discussions and decisions related to a variety of policies and practices employed by the College of Engineering. The topics covered during this study ranged broadly, but generally related to one of the following: 1) general student satisfaction; 2) recruitment and retention; 3) departmental climate; 4) students' experiences; and 5) discrimination and harassment. Engineering administrators, department heads, faculty and student representatives had a voice in the design and oversight of this study, which was conducted by a team of local evaluators.

A Nuclear Power Industry Career Development Workshop for High School Teachers in a Hispanic Serving Institution

“…With strong service-related activities, the college students can tackle not only environmental issues, such as renewable energy, but the practice can also be expanded to high school students. Finally, a study performed at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 7 revealed through student surveys that some of the factors that would assist with student recruitment and retention include providing more connections to the engineering workforce; providing more orientation for incoming students; increasing the quality of instruction; improving the process of selecting teaching assistants; and improving the engineering curriculum. As discussed earlier, most of these studies are student-focused.…”

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“…Renewable energy related summer applied research programs have proven to generate more student interest and promote STEM education, especially in rural areas where there is lack of teaching tools and equipment. Due to the clear need for the engineering and science workforce in the near future, considerable numbers of educators at colleges have taken on creative recruitment and promoting activities to help increase student enrollment in STEM fields [13][14].…”

“…A study performed at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [14] revealed through student surveys that some of the factors that would assist with student recruitment and retention include providing more connections to the engineering workforce; providing more orientation for incoming students; increasing the quality of instruction; improving the process of selecting teaching assistants; and improving the engineering curriculum.…”