Meeting the Graduate 10K+ Challenge: Enhancing the Climate for Persistence and Success in Engineering (ECliPSE)

该项目得到了 STEP“Graduate 10K”特别资助重点的支持，STEP 是美国国家科学基金会的一项活动，部分得到了英特尔基金会和 GE 基金会的捐赠支持，旨在促进大学和学院采取全面行动，帮助增加每年新学士学位的数量。未来十年，工程和计算机科学专业的毕业生将增加 10,000 名。该特定项目的目的是显着提高雪城大学工程和计算机科学第一年和第二年的保留率以及毕业率。为此，该项目正在将本科生的经历转变为一种更受欢迎的氛围，促进师生之间的强有力的互动和工程教育的最佳实践。特别是，项目团队致力于采取多管齐下的方法，通过一系列协同活动来提高教学和学术建议的质量，包括：在工程教育最佳实践方面提供良好支持的教师发展计划；在巴克内尔大学教师的帮助下，对第一学期的网关工程课程进行了彻底的重新设计； 在目标一年级和二年级班级实施创新教学法；指导教师的咨询实践，并建立持续改进学术咨询质量的框架；并将之前测试的第一年学术支持和社区建设计划延长至第二年。该项目有能力改变雪城大学的工程和计算机科学教育，并为校园和其他大学的其他 STEM 部门树立榜样。它旨在满足国家培养更多工程师和计算机科学家的需求，这些工程师和计算机科学家将有助于推动美国经济，并为技术挑战提供创造性的解决方案。对改善氛围的重视预计将对所有学生产生积极影响，但尤其是对代表性不足的群体和女性的学生。此外，在创造制度变革的过程中，个别教职人员正在获得终身教学和咨询技能，这些技能可以在他们在雪城大学或未来可能担任教职的任何地方进行实践。

This project is being supported under a special funding focus for STEP, "Graduate 10K+," an activity of the National Science Foundation, supported in part by donations from the Intel Foundation and the GE Foundation, to stimulate comprehensive action at universities and colleges to help increase the annual number of new B.S. graduates in engineering and computer science by 10,000 over the next decade. The aim of this particular project is to significantly increase 1st and 2nd year retention rates and graduation rates in engineering and computer science at Syracuse University. Towards this end the project is re-forming the undergraduate experience into one with a more welcoming climate, promoting strong faculty-student interactions and best practices in engineering education. In particular, the project team is focusing on a multi-pronged approach to improving the quality of instruction and academic advising through a synergistic series of activities including: a well-supported faculty development program in best practices in engineering education; the complete re-design of the first semester gateway engineering course with help from Bucknell University faculty; implementation of innovative pedagogy in target 1st and 2nd year classes; guidance for faculty in their advising practice and establishment of a framework for continuous quality improvement in academic advising; and extension of previously tested first year academic support and community building programs into the second year. This project has the capacity to transform engineering and computer science education at Syracuse University, and to serve as a model for other STEM departments on campus and at other universities. It is designed to meet the national need to graduate more engineers and computer scientists who will help to fuel the American economy, as well as contribute creative solutions to technological challenges. The emphasis on improving the climate is expected to have a positive impact on all students, but most especially on students from underrepresented groups and women. Furthermore, in the process of creating institutional change, the individual faculty members are gaining lifelong teaching and advising skills that can carry through their practice at Syracuse University or wherever they may be faculty in the future.