Improving Retention Of Undergraduate Students In Engineering Through Freshman Courses

Demand for competent engineers has increased significantly in recent years and as the local availability decreases, corporations have increased efforts to import engineering graduates from abroad. Achieving a significant increase in the number of U.S. graduates in science, mathematics and engineering is a complex problem that requires the participation of many parties. This paper addresses the steps taken by the Mechanical Engineering Department at Alabama A&M University to improve retention rates of engineering freshman through two introductory courses in mechanical engineering. The focus of one course is the facilitation of the development of new engineering competencies. The authors have adapted/developed materials and examples from several sources for the introductory freshman course in Mechanical Engineering. Goals for the course include; the introduction to: The Product Realization Process, professional competencies, professional ethics and the development of a basic engineering project. The project includes engineering analysis, market outlook, basic production techniques, economic assessment, planning, design, manufacturing, testing and product evaluation. The focus of the other course is to further develop required skills in mathematics and engineering science and learning the use of computer programming for the solution of engineering problems. The approach taken in both courses is project/goal oriented, learning topics are “discovered” as part of the project development. In one course, hands-on experimentation is emphasized while in the other analysis and numerical simulation are promoted. The experience of the past few years indicates that retention has improved when students take one of these courses during their first semester at the university.