Chasing the holy grail: Successful academic persistence and retention of highly motivated first-year engineering students

Abstract

The 2012 ASEE report "Going the Distance" outlined efforts of exemplary engineering institutions to promote undergraduate engineering retention, with particular emphasis on student-level support and interventions like tutoring, advising and co-curricular activities. This paper outlines efforts at a rapidly growing college of engineering to reduce attrition by 10% by better understanding 1st year students cognitive and non-cognitive profiles, testing an applied engineering math course, and incrementally shifting faculty and administrative culture from transactional relationships to higher quality student engagement for 1st year students. between Fall 2014 and Fall 2015 qualitative data was collected measuring new students' initial "grit", motivations and career expectations. The total sample (N=509) consisted of 84% freshmen, 16% transfers, 21% women and 14% minority students. Quantitative data included an analysis of the high school SATs and initial university math placement scores for Fall 2014-Fall 2015, a comparative analysis of the same data for the Fall 2011-Fall 2013 cohorts, and an analysis of student outcomes from an adapted version of the Wright State University's EGR101 applied engineering math course, offered to students most at risk for failing math in the first year. This paper will outline the interventions, discuss the successful 10% drop in attrition across the two cohorts, and share progress shifting institutional culture to retain more highly motivated students beyond the first year.