On the influence of creativity in basic programming learning at a first-year Engineering course

Teaching fundamentals of programming is a complex task that involves the students’ acquisition of diverse knowledge and skills. It is also well known that programming often requires a certain degree of creativity. There are some studies on how to foster creativity with programming, but few studies have analyzed the influence of students creativity on their performance as programmers. In this paper we present the results of a study, with a sample of 89 freshmen engineering students. Our results suggest (p<0.01) that a high level of creativity is correlated with achieving excellence in programming. Creativity is a generic competence which is not currently covered with in most engineering curricula, and we conclude it should be taken into account. Females, diverse thinking student and some disadvantage groups may benefit from a free-thinking environment in the classroom, in particular at their first-year in college.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

University Professors\u27 and Department Directors\u27 Perceptions Regarding Support for Freshman Academic Performance

In Chile, 50% of students who enroll in Chilean colleges do not graduate, negatively impacting their families\u27 economic situations as well as national development. The purpose of this qualitative bounded case study was to gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions held by math, English, and general education professors regarding the support provided to freshman students in a program at 1 campus of a private Chilean university. Deci and Ryan\u27s self-determination theory emphasizing internal and external motivations and social constructivism theory emphasizing development as a process comprised the conceptual framework. Both theories provide meaningful understanding of the drivers that support students in their learning process. The research questions focused on understanding the support that math, English, and general education professors and directors might provide to freshman students. A purposeful homogeneous sampling was used to identify 9 professors and 3 directors. Data collection involved semistructured interviews, peer debriefing, and member checks to triangulate the data. The findings revealed that the university could benefit from implementing a seminar program to acclimate conditionally admitted students to university studies. A 1-week seminar was developed. This study may contribute to positive social change by influencing professors\u27 and directors\u27 perceptions regarding possibilities for supporting students in improving their academic performance, thereby raising student passing and graduation rates to positively impact national development in Chile

From Gatekeeping to Engagement: A Multicontextual, Mixed Method Study of Student Academic Engagement in Introductory STEM Courses.

The lack of academic engagement in introductory science courses is considered by some to be a primary reason why students switch out of science majors. This study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed methods approach to provide a richer understanding of the relationship between student engagement and introductory science instruction. Quantitative survey data were drawn from 2,873 students within 73 introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses across 15 colleges and universities, and qualitative data were collected from 41 student focus groups at eight of these institutions. The findings indicate that students tended to be more engaged in courses where the instructor consistently signaled an openness to student questions and recognizes her/his role in helping students succeed. Likewise, students who reported feeling comfortable asking questions in class, seeking out tutoring, attending supplemental instruction sessions, and collaborating with other students in the course were also more likely to be engaged. Instructional implications for improving students' levels of academic engagement are discussed

A Case Study the Effects of Student Engagement on Academic Achievement in African American Women: Comparing Undergraduate STEM Majors to Non-STEM Majors from a Historically Black College and University

The nation is at a critical juncture in history as it seeks to increase the number of students who enter the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. The national push to have a properly trained STEM workforce was at the forefront of the past administration’s top priority list. The higher education community has a unique opportunity to contribute to the creation of a sustainable U.S. STEM workforce. Although significant progress has been made in STEM fields, some argue that movement has been too slow in certain cases, as shown in degrees earned by women in engineering (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2020; Armstrong and Jovanovic, 2015; Nassar-McMillan et al., 2011; NSF, 2002; NSF, 2017). Advancing towards degree attainment in STEM dwindles even further when race is considered. In efforts to include women, sustainable measures are needed, such as retention and academic/non-academic support throughout all levels of education, which serve as a roadmap to the inclusion of underrepresented minorities in STEM. This study sought to investigate the relationship between student engagement and academic achievement of African American female, full-time undergraduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors to African American female, full-time undergraduate students in non-STEM majors who matriculate at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The National Survey of Student Engagement and Demographic Variables from institutional effectiveness were used for data collection tools. The researcher used descriptive statistics, ANOVA and ANCOVA statistical tests to conduct this study. The results indicated that the learning with peers student engagement indicator influence on academic achievement was significant within and between study groups. The remaining student engagement indicators (experiences with faulty, supportive campus environment, and academic challenge), which served as independent variables, were not significant. This study contributes to emerging research related to student engagement and academic achievement of undergraduate African American females in STEM fields. As the nation strives to increase the number of STEM degrees, transformational best practices that support underrepresented minorities, are topics of investigation. Feedback from this population assesses factors that influence degree completion and provide recommendations to increase program retention at higher education institutions across the country

Online Distance Learning in Higher Education: E-learning Readiness as a Predictor of Academic Achievement

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between e-learning readiness and academic achievement in an online course in higher-level education. The survey method was employed when collecting the study data, and the data-collection instrument used was the E-Learning Readiness Scale. The scale comprises 33 items and six sub-dimensions, including (1) computer self-efficacy, (2) internet self-efficacy, (3) online self-efficacy, (4) self-directed learning, (5) learner control, (6) motivation toward e-learning. The study participants comprised 153 freshmen who were taking an online English as a Foreign Language course. A relational model is proposed in this study to measure the predicted levels of readiness on academic achievement in online learning. Reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, linear regression analysis, and structural equation modelling were used to analyze and model the study data. Results indicated that self-directed learning is the strongest predictor of academic achievement, while motivation toward e-learning was found to be another predictor of academic achievement. Internet/online/computer self-efficacy and learner control were not found to be among significant predictors of academic achievement. It is concluded that, especially with the spread of Covid-19 worldwide, education is currently switching from face-to-face to online learning in an immediate and unexpected way; therefore e-learning readiness has to be carefully taken into consideration within this new educational paradigm

Promoting student success: students' perceptions of the factors that influence their engagement at a Mexican university

textStudent success is a major concern of the higher education community. To increase it, students, parents, teachers, and educational leaders have concentrated on improving the performance of the factors which affect student engagement and promote better learning and persistence—and, ergo, greater student success. The explore this phenomenon, this study has used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, especially Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA). From the contributions of highly engaged students in focus groups, personal interviews, and surveys it was possible to: identify the factors which influence the level of student engagement, show their relative level of influence, measure their performance (in the particular case of the participants and the site of the study), demonstrate how they are interrelated, and learn student perceptions of them. The results indicate that among the nine factors that affect student engagement, the two which contribute most to the level of student success are related to them personally: personal aspects and goals (values, interests, personal and study habits, behaviors in and out of class, desire for improvement, clear and ambitious goals, commitment to goals). For successful students, both factors have high relative influence and high real performance. The diagram which shows the relation among the nine factors further revealed that the most fundamental prerequisites to student success are parents and teachers who influence them fundamentally by their instruction, companionship, encouragement, expectations, and support. One product of the research is a grounded model of student engagement, a description of the engaged student, and a tool (the Matrix of Engagement Level) to measure the level of a student’s engagement. Further, a list of recommendations for the site of the study was created to improve student performance there.Educational Administratio

Teaching College Economics in a High School Setting: Lessons Learned and Implementation Strategies

Interest in exposing high school seniors to college level economics has risen in recent years. Under one delivery option, a dual-enrollment program, students are concurrently enrolled in college and high school, and receive credit at both institutions for the same course. These programs benefit high schools by increasing the academic rigor in the senior year, and may also aid colleges' external relations and recruitment. Colleges and universities considering such a program must recognize important administrative and student body differences between the university and high school settings. This paper summarizes the experiences of Southern Illinois University, where a dual-enrollment program was implemented in the mid 1990s, and uses this case to illustrate key differences between the two classroom environments. Suggested strategies for coping with these differences are described.

MEASURING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ENGINEERING SELF-EFFICACY: A SCALE VALIDATION STUDY

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate engineering self-efficacy measures for undergraduate students (N = 321) and to examine whether students\u27 engineering self-efficacy differed by gender, year level, and major. The relationships between engineering self-efficacy and academic achievement and intent to persist in engineering were also investigated. Data from engineering students from two southeastern universities were collected in spring 2013. Exploratory factor analyses resulted in a unidimensional general engineering self-efficacy scale and a three-factor (i.e., research skills, tinkering skills, and engineering design) engineering skills self-efficacy scale. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that self-efficacy did not differ by gender or year level. Students in different engineering sub disciplines reported different levels of tinkering self-efficacy. Multiple regression analysis showed that engineering self-efficacy measures predicted academic achievement outcomes but not intent to persist in engineering. Engineering self-efficacy significantly contributed to the prediction of achievement after controlling for prior achievement. Research funded by the National Science Foundation, EEC Award No.1240328

Factors That Contribute to Persistence and Retention of Underrepresented Minority Undergraduate Students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

The objective of this research was to identify specific factors that contribute to underrepresented minority (African American, Hispanic, Native American) undergraduate students‟ success in STEM disciplines at a regional university during the 2007-2010 timeframe. As more underrepresented minority (URM) students complete STEM degrees, many will possess the skills to become part of the domestic human capital needed to meet U. S. workforce demands and enhance the nation‟s STEM innovation. According to Burke and Mattis (2007), the lack of URM students in STEM education and in the workforce is one of the major contributors to STEM shortages in the United States. In this study, the investigator employed a sequential mixed method design to comprehensively examine which specific factors contributed to URM student success in STEM. Mixed methods design was necessary in order to capture the complexities of factors contributing to URM persistence and retention in STEM disciplines. Data collection and analysis was conducted to address four research objectives in two distinct sequential phases. In Phase I, quantitative analysis of archival data (taken from the regional university‟s ISIS and SAM databases) was used to explore the impact of specific factors on URM student persistence and retention. Logistic regression was used as the statistical procedure to examine objectives one and two. In Phase II, qualitative data were collected and analyzed using a nominal group technique. The researcher met with eighteen URM students (11 African American, four Hispanics, and three Native American) and posed two questions based on the quantitative findings as to why they persisted and were retained in STEM disciplines. This study was designed to help students and this institution better understand how URM students can navigate and overcome barriers to obtaining STEM degrees. According to George, Neale, Van Horne, and Malcolm (2001), tapping the reservoir of URM could help in meeting the STEM workforce demand as these minorities continue to show great increases in college enrollment. The findings for objectives one and two revealed four factors that were statistically significant contributors of URM student success in STEM disciplines. They included college GPA, academically rigorous curriculum, percent of hours completed, and percent of hours passed. The findings of objectives three and four revealed the top five rankings of URM persistence and retention factors in STEM success. The researcher employed a nominal group technique to collect and analyze this qualitative data

Evaluation of a puzzle-based virtual platform for improving spatial visualization skills in engineering freshmen

Being able to spatially visualize and mentally rotate is a key skill necessary to succeed in graphics and subsequent engineering courses. Recent research has focused on methods to develop Spatial Visualization (SV) skills in engineering students, as it is a key skill to succeed in most of the STEM fields. However, in most of the engineering schools, the instructors find it very difficult to develop keen SV skills in students. The major factors contributing to this challenge include, but not limited to the huge class sizes, limited time to teach the material, lack of effective demonstrations and the unavailability of feasible hands-on activities. With the funding from the National Science Foundation, the authors are developing a puzzle-based active learning platform called Student Assistant for Visualization in Engineering (SAVE) for developing SV skills in engineering freshman. In the preliminary version of this learning platform, the students are asked to complete a quiz with tasks requiring SV skills. For any incorrect answer, they are provided with automated hints about their mistakes. These hints are expected to help them in solving the following tasks. If they commit three mistakes, the quiz locks itself and creates a report on their performance thus far. The students are able to go back and restart the quiz. The student\u27s target is to complete the quiz with a minimum number of attempts. In the study reported here, the effectiveness of this game platform in conveying essential concepts of engineering graphics is investigated. Firstly, SAVE is implemented in a smaller classroom and the student feedback is collected. Then, it is implemented in a freshmen graphics class in a large public university in the west coast. The performance of the participating students in a follow-up exam is compared against that of a control group. The results show that the use of SAVE improves students\u27 conceptual understanding compared to a control group, as measured by the scores in the follow-up exam