Innovate from the Start: Engaging Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduates

IStart计划旨在提高加州大学欧文分校(UCI)工程和计算机科学(CS)学生的保留率和毕业率，以及从当地三所社区学院(欧文山谷学院、马鞍峰学院和圣安娜学院)转学的学生。实施循证战略以满足UCI和合作社区大学工程和计算机科学专业学生的需求，将增加进入工程和计算机科学工作队伍的准备充分的毕业生的数量和多样性。具体地说，iStart计划将在UCI建立正式的第一年体验计划，改善社区学院与UCI之间的衔接和转移流程，并建立具体的基于创新的保留计划，为学生提供支持和参与系统。iStart计划将利用现有的基础设施、活动和合作伙伴关系，并整合一套协调的循证实践和干预措施，以支持学生的学习、参与和从社区大学转移。对于UCI低年级的学生，新的工程导论序列课程将吸引大一新生参与以全球重大挑战为主题的设计项目。同样，将开发和实施一门动手和合作的CS：原理课程，为有兴趣学习信息和计算机科学的学生提供一个入口。为了解决低年级学生在数学课程中遇到的挑战，我们将仿照计算机科学课程中数学课程的成功修订，为工科学生开发一个新的工程分析公式研讨会，其中包括协作和主动学习。此外，将通过最近建立的工程和计算机科学学术成功走廊(CASECS)计划，为合作社区大学的学生实施多种循证干预措施。这些措施包括交叉招生机会，改善转学过程的明确课程，以及修改合作社区学院的工程和计算机科学课程，以整合实践和应用学习活动，在合作社区大学招聘和建立可以获得共同咨询、同行指导和补充辅导的群体，以及为转学学生提供暑期桥梁计划。最后，为行业驱动的学生设计项目整合设计和原型空间，将为学生提供共同课程的体验式学习机会，以发展和支持学生的创新和创造力技能。包括形成性和总结性评价的评价计划将为项目期间的改进提供信息，并通过调查和跟踪学生来衡量项目的结果。从评估中获得的知识将有助于提供一个模块模式，以提高学生的保留率，并可适用于其他有类似需求的机构。

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.