Mathematics performance and first year retention of students in engineering learning communities

Abstract

Studies indicate that a number of parameters, including quantitative skills, social integration and academic integration impact student retention to varying degrees. Learning communities are largely designed to address social and academic integration. This paper compares first year retention and performance of Fall 2009 incoming freshmen who participated in one of four engineering learning communities called Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs). The purpose is to begin to develop an understanding of the impact of academic support activities on student retention by evaluating the performance of students in one of the FIGs, called FORCES (Focus On Retention in Cohorts of Engineering Students), compared to students in the other three FIGs and the College of Engineering as a whole. FORCES is funded by NSF's S-STEM (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program and targets students in underrepresented groups for recruitment with the broad goals of removing financial barriers and improving student retention. Recognizing that success in mathematics is critical to engineering student success, key FORCES program elements were designed with a focus on calculus. FORCES scholars were required to demonstrate first fall semester calculus readiness by either earning an acceptable score on the university's Math Aptitude Test (MAT) or by completing "Jump Start Math" (JSM), which consolidates Pre-calculus I and II into an 8-week summer course. The FORCES cohort had to meet participation-based requirements focused on academic success as well. All 18 students in the FORCES cohort qualified to enroll in Calculus I in Fall 2009. A total of 44.4% (8/18) of FORCES students required JSM during Summer 2009. This was essentially equal to the fraction of students in the Non-FORCES FIGs who were not calculus-ready, which was 43.6% (24/55). Students who enrolled in Calculus I or higher were retained through the first year at higher rates than students in Pre-Calculus or lower. Students earning a C or better in Calculus I were retained at higher rates than students who did not pass Calculus I. Frequency distributions for SAT Math scores were analyzed for correlations with GPA. For students retained through the first year, there was a positive correlation between the two variables (although the correlation for the FORCES cohort was weak). For students who did not persist in engineering, the non-FIG student population data yielded a moderately positive correlation between SAT Math scores and GPA, while FIG data showed a negative correlation indicating that average first year cumulative grade point averages decreased with increased SAT Math scores. There were no statistically significant differences, at the 95% confidence level, in grade point averages among all FIGs; however the percent increase in average cumulative GPA between the first and second semesters was higher for the FORCES cohort (12.4%) than for the others. Quantitative and qualitative data collected via surveys are being used to evaluate the effectiveness of FORCES components; a preliminary assessment of some of those components is presented here. Lessons learned during the first year of FORCES implementation are being used to modify the program to improve the outcomes for current and future cohorts. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.