A Multi-Faceted First-Year Program to Recruit and Retain Engineering Students

该提案描述了一套由代顿大学工程学院设计和实施的学生支持计划，以解决招聘和留住更多获得工程领域学士学位的有才华的学生的需求。在过去的四年中，这些项目成功地实现了提高代顿大学工程专业学生的入学率和保留率的目标。该项目为经济困难的学生提供奖学金，这些学生从参与这些成功的学生支持项目中受益。奖学金支持为学生提供所需的经济援助，以维持全日制工程课程的注册，完成学士学位，追求研究生就业或在工程专业深造。在20世纪90年代，工程学院面临着工科学生入学率和保留率低的问题。由于第一年的留用率与第二年、第三年和第四年的留用率相比特别低（69.5%），国有企业决定将改进留用率的工作重点放在第一年。一项针对一年后辍学的学生的调查揭示了这些原因：(1)微积分、化学和物理方面的困难；(2)第一年与其他工科学生和教师缺乏联系；(3)第一年的建议不足。为了提高入学率和第一年的保有率，国有企业创建了几个项目，强调第一年的学生发展和学术支持。这些课程包括一年级课程，旨在帮助和留住所有一年级学生；强化工程项目，旨在招收和留住由于ACT或SAT成绩低而通常不被允许进入工程专业的“有风险”的学生；少数族裔工程项目，旨在招募和留住代表性不足的少数族裔；以及工程设计导论课程，为所有一年级学生在实验室环境中提供大学所有工程领域的概述。这些项目的一些有效元素包括合作学习研讨会，微积分，化学和物理的分组课程，专业咨询，专业发展会议以及与学生配对的专业导师。在两年的资助期内，每年有40名符合资格要求并根据学术成绩和专业水平成功竞争奖学金的工程专业学生获得奖学金。特别努力确保充分考虑工程领域代表性不足群体的学生。在目前入学的有资格获得奖学金的学生中，18%是少数族裔，22%是女性。

This proposal describes a set of student-support programs designed and implemented by the University of Dayton's School of Engineering to address the need to recruit and retain greater numbers of talented students who receive baccalaureate degrees in engineering fields. Created in the last four years, these programs have been successful in achieving the goal of increasing both recruitment and retention rates of students enrolled in engineering programs at the University of Dayton. This project is providing scholarships for financially disadvantaged students who are benefiting from participation in these successful student-support programs. Scholarship support is giving students the financial assistance they need to sustain full-time enrollment in engineering programs, to complete their baccalaureate degrees, and to pursue post-graduate employment or advanced study in the engineering professions. During the 1990s, the School of Engineering (SOE) was confronted with low enrollments and retention rates of engineering students. Because first-year retention rates were especially low (69.5%) compared to retention rates in second, third or fourth years, the SOE decided to focus its retention improvement efforts at the first-year. A survey was conducted of students leaving the program after the first year, revealing these reasons: (1) difficulty with calculus, chemistry, and physics; (2) lack of association with other engineering students and faculty in the first year; and (3) inadequate first-year advising. To increase enrollments and first-year retention rates, the SOE has created several programs emphasizing student development and academic support in the first year. These programs consist of the First-Year Program, designed to assist and retain all first-year students; the Enriched Engineering Program, designed to recruit and retain "at-risk" students who normally would not be permitted to enroll in engineering because of low ACT or SAT scores; the Minority Engineering Program, designed to recruit and retain under-represented minorities; and the Introduction to Engineering Design course, providing all first-year students with an overview of all engineering fields offered at the University in a laboratory environment. Some of the effective elements of these programs include collaborative learning workshops, cohorted classes in calculus, chemistry, and physics, specialized advising, professional development sessions, and professional mentors paired with students. In each of the two years of the grant, scholarships is benefiting 40 engineering students who meet eligibility requirements and who successfully compete for the scholarships based on academic merit and professionalism. Special effort is made to ensure full consideration of students who are members of under-represented groups in engineering fields. Of the currently enrolled students who qualify for a scholarship, 18 percent are members of under-represented minority groups and 22 percent are female.