Retention of engineering students

Abstract: Retention of engineering students is an international concern. Most countries report a shortage of engineers. By increasing the number of retained engineering students it is potentially possible to increase the number of engineering graduates. The purpose of this article is to identify and analyse what retention research has been done in the past to avoid unnecessary duplication. Although duplication may bring valuable new information, progress in this field has been slow. Therefore, the focus is on facilitating progress rather than seeking more accurate results. The three main themes identified in literature are: the individual’s internal and external characteristics that affect retention, the models that describe retention, conceptual and predictive, and the interventions attempted to improve retention. Further research into methods for improving student retention is certainly justified since in spite of existing research most institutions still struggle to retain engineering students

Investigation of factors related to performance and retention of engineering students.

This study was part of an ongoing effort to improve retention of engineering students at the J. B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to gain a better understanding of the relationship among interest in engineering, performance and first-year retention in engineering, and whether this relationship is different for males and females, and (2) to better understand the relationship among self-control, academic ability and first semester GPA for engineering students. To address the first research question investigating retention, survey responses and data from student records were analyzed using logistic regression. Results of these analyses showed students who indicated they had very high interest in engineering were 43 times more likely to be retained than students who indicated very low interest, and 6 times more likely than a student who indicated they had low to medium interest, given the same GPA. There was not a significant difference in the probability of being retained for students who indicated they had high or very high interest, given the same GPA. Results also showed that a one point increase in GPA increased the likelihood of a student being retained by 4.6 times, given the same level of interest. Based on these results, the Step-outs to Stars engineering retention framework was created. Students were separated into four quadrants based on their level of interest and first semester GPA. The framework can be used as a mechanism to allocate resources targeted to improve engineering retention and to frame future research on engineering retention. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze survey and student data to answer the second research question related to first semester performance of engineering students. In the study academic ability was measured by algebra readiness test scores and ACT math, science, English and reading scores. Self-control was measured by self-reported scores on the Brief Self-Control Scale (Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone, 2004). Results confirmed prior research, which found a significant positive relationship between self-control and academic performance, and a lack of significance between self-control and standardized test scores. These results can be used to strengthen the argument for programs to help improve self-control in K-12 and post-secondary students. The results can also be used to help prospective and current engineering students understand that higher levels of self-control might improve their academic performance in engineering

Could industrial engineering techniques improve retention of engineering students in higher education?

Abstract: By increasing the retention of engineering students at training institutions in South Africa it may be possible to increase the number of engineers in the country. Because of the international demand for engineers, emphasis is placed on engineering in the "list of occupations in high demand" in the Government Gazette in Nov 2014. South African Universities are constrained in terms of funds, infrastructure and teaching staff. The university's resources such as fees are optimised when more students are retained in a course. Many factors affect retention and there are many industrial engineering techniques that could be applied. One of the industrial engineering techniques that has been applied to retention is six sigma. The use of six sigma in academia and the challenges encountered have been documented. Challenges identified in a case study were the definition of the product and customer, measuring performance as well as addressing factors that cannot be controlled. This study used six sigma to improve retention of first year students. Retention was improved and the cost benefit calculated. The purpose of this paper is to look at industrial engineering techniques such as systems engineering, operations research, 20 keys to workplace improvement and value engineering to name a few, and how these techniques could theoretically be applied to improve engineering student retention

Merton College: reinspection (Report from the Inspectorate)

The FEFC has agreed that colleges with provision judged by the inspectorate to be less than satisfactory or poor (grade 4 or 5) should be reinspected. In these circumstances, a college may have its funding agreement with the FEFC qualified to prevent it increasing the number of new students in an unsatisfactory curriculum area until the FEFC is satisfied that weaknesses have been addressed. Satisfactory provision may also be reinspected if actions have been taken to improve quality and the college’s existing inspection grade is the only factor which prevents it from meeting the criteria for FEFC accreditation. This records comprises:- Reinspection of Engineering: February 2001 Reinspection of English, History, Psychology and Social Science: February 200

Should I stay or should I go? Interests, values, fit, and retention of engineering students

With dropping numbers of high school students interested in pursuing engineering degrees and an increasing demand for engineering graduates in the workforce, it is extremely problematic that an estimated forty to seventy percent of undergraduate engineering students switch to non-engineering majors or drop out entirely. The areas of interests, values, and fit together have not been examined within the engineering population despite a wealth of research pointing to their importance; therefore, the present study assesses engineering students at two time points to examine their interests, values, and various measures of fit as they relate to retention and career plans. A total of 199 engineering students at a large, midwestern university completed surveys during both data collections. Analyses revealed that Holland’s (1997) broad model of interests was out-performed by the domain-specific Engineering Interest Intrinsic Value measure when predicting retention-related intentions. Results indicated that value profiles are more informative than interest profiles when predicting engineering students’ retention-related intentions early on in their academic careers. Similarly, stability of value profiles rather than stability of interest profiles led to increased intentions to stay in one’s engineering major and plans to pursue an engineering-related career. Additionally, higher fit scores strongly related to plans to stay in one’s engineering major and to pursue a career in engineering after graduation. Over all, the present study’s results indicate that the traditional method of using interest inventories to help determine a student’s major, and, in turn, career, should be modified, at least for engineering students. Over all, the present study’s results suggest a shift away from the use of broad interest inventories and toward the use of domain-specific interest measures, value profiles, and fit measures to promote retention-related outcomes for engineering students

An investigation into the effects of gender, prior academic achievement, place of residence, age and attendance on first year undergraduate attainment

The number of people engaging in higher education (HE) has increased considerably over the past decade. However, there is a need to achieve a balance between increasing access and bearing down on rates of non-completion. It has been argued that poor attainment and failure within the first year are significant contributors to the overall statistics for non-progression and that, although research has concentrated on factors causative of student withdrawal, less attention has focused on students who fail academically. This study investigated the effects of a number of a number of factors on the academic attainment of first-year undergraduates within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Glamorgan. Results showed that gender and age had only minor impacts upon educational achievement, while place of residence, prior educational attainment and attendance emerged as significant predictors of attainment. Further analysis showed these three factors to be interrelated , with attendance correlating strongly with both entry points and place or residence. In turn, prior attainment was strongly linked to place of residence. Findings may be used to identify and proactively target students at risk of poor academic performance and dropout in order in order to improve rates of performance and progression

A Novel Outreach To High School Students By Teaching Them The Engineering Skills In A Project-Based Approach

In this paper a novel outreach approach to high school students to familiarize them with engineering functions and methods are explained. In this approach students participated in a seven days research camp and learned many engineering skills and tools such as CAD solid modeling, finite element analysis, rapid prototyping, mechanical tests, team working, and communication skills under a project-based bridge design research project. End of the program survey results showed a good understanding about the engineering skills and functions and a high degree of satisfaction among participants

Industrial engineering as a career choice at the University of Johannesburg

Abstract: Internationally the demand for industrial engineers is growing, due to the economic downturn as well as constraints on natural resources. Yet, at the University of Johannesburg, the majority of students who seek admittance to the engineering faculty do not choose industrial engineering as their first choice. A quantitative study was done by surveying industrial engineering students in the first and second year, to determine the number of engineering students at UJ whose first choice was industrial engineering. In addition the satisfaction with the course of those students who did not choose it originally was determined. We investigated the impact of open days and engineering weeks, as arranged by the University, on pupils’ choice of industrial engineering? The study found that a large portion of students did not choose industrial engineering as their first choice and it seems to be due to a total lack of knowledge with regard to industrial engineering. The perceptions of school pupils of engineering need to be changed and issues with the current standard of high school mathematics need to be explored further. The question to ask is: How can we improve the marketing of industrial engineering as a career

Why They Leave: Understanding Student Attrition from Engineering Majors

A large number of students leave engineering majors prior to graduation despite efforts to increase retention rates. To improve retention rates in engineering programs, the reasons why students leave engineering must be determined. In this paper, we review the literature on attrition from engineering programs to identify the breadth of factors that contribute to students’ decisions to leave. Fifty studies on student attrition from engineering programs were included in the primary part of this literature review. In the second half of the work, an additional twenty-five studies that focused on methods of increasing student retention, were examined. Six broad factors driving students to leave engineering were identified by examining the attrition literature: classroom and academic climate, grades and conceptual understanding, self-efficacy and self-confidence, high school preparation, interest and career goals, and race and gender. Evidence from the retention studies suggests that successful efforts to increase retention act on one or more of these factors. A clear gap in the literature is that of economics: the costs associated with losing students, and the costs associated with implementing retention strategies, are virtually unmentioned

Development of a Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral

To operate effectively in today’s workforce engineers need to have a muti-disciplinary perspective along with substantial disciplinary depth. This broad perspective cannot be achieved by merely taking 2 or 3 engineering courses outside of the major, but rather will require a radical change in the way we educate engineers. The faculty of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of New Haven have developed a new approach: the Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral. This curricular model provides the needed mix of breadth and depth, along with the desired professional skills, by providing carefully crafted, well-coordinated curricular experiences in the first two years. The Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral is a four semester sequence of engineering courses, matched closely with the development of students’ mathematical sophistication and analytical capabilities and integrated with coursework in the sciences. Students develop a conceptual understanding of engineering basics in a series of courses which stress practical applications of these principles. Topics in these courses include electrical circuits, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, material balances, properties of materials, structural mechanics and thermodynamics. Unlike the traditional approach, however, each of the foundation courses includes a mix of these topics, presented in a variety of disciplinary contexts. A solid background is developed by touching key concepts at several points along the spiral in different courses, adding depth and sophistication at each pass. Each foundation course also stresses the development of several essential skills, such as problem-solving, oral and written communication, the design process, teamwork, project management, computer analysis methods, laboratory investigation, data analysis and model development. Students go on to build substantial depth in some of the foundation areas, while other topics may not be further developed, depending on their chosen discipline. Thus the foundation courses serve both as the basis for depth in disciplinary study and as part of the broad multidisciplinary background. This paper will discuss the design and pedagogical philosophy of the Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral and describe several of the novel courses in the program