Innovate from the Start: Engaging Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduates

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The iSTART program aims to increase the retention and graduation rates of engineering and computer science (CS) students at the University of California Irvine (UCI) as well as transfer of students from three local community colleges (Irvine Valley College, Saddleback College, and Santa Ana College). The implementation of evidence-based strategies to address the needs of engineering and computer science students at UCI and partner community colleges will increase the number and diversity of well-prepared graduates who enter the engineering and computer science workforce. Specifically, the iSTART program will establish a formal First Year Experience Program at UCI, improve the articulation and transfer process between community colleges and UCI, and establish specific innovation-based retention initiatives to provide a system of support and engagement for students.The iSTART program will leverage existing infrastructure, activities, and partnerships, as well as integrate a coordinated set of evidence-based practices and interventions to support students' learning and engagement and transfer from community colleges. For UCI lower-division students, a new Introduction to Engineering sequence will engage freshmen in design projects with themes around Global Grand Challenges. Similarly, a hands-on and collaborative CS: Principles course will be developed and implemented to provide an entryway to students interested in pursuing information and computer science. To address challenges lower-division students encounter in mathematics courses, a new Analytical Formulation of Engineering seminar that incorporates collaborative and active learning will be developed for engineering students, which is modeled after the successful revisions to mathematics courses in the computer science curriculum. Moreover, multiple evidence-based interventions for students at the partner community colleges will be implemented through the recently established Corridor to Academic Success in Engineering and Computer Science (CASECS) program. These include cross-enrollment opportunities, articulating courses to improve the transfer process as well as modify engineering and computer science courses at the partner community colleges to integrate hands-on and applied learning activities, recruiting and building cohorts at the partner community colleges who will have access to co-advising, peer mentoring, and supplemental tutoring, and a summer bridge program for transfer students. Finally, the integration of a design and prototyping space for industry-driven student design projects will provide students co-curricular experiential learning opportunities to develop and support students' innovation and creativity skills. An evaluation plan that includes formative and summative evaluation will inform improvements during the project period as well as measure the outcomes of the project through surveys and student tracking. Knowledge gained from the evaluation will help provide a modular model for improving student retention that can be adapted at other institutions with similar needs.