Engineering Boot Camp: An Intense, Transformative Program for Incoming Freshmen

This complete evidence-based practice describes a new summer boot camp program with objectives to prepare students for the rigors of university courses and increase student retention. This boot camp is a subset of a university wide program specifically for students entering the College of Engineering. It is not a remedial course and all incoming freshmen engineering students are encouraged to apply. This is an intense week-long course requiring students to attend lectures, complete homework assignments and projects, take exams, and partake in skills sessions meant to help students adjust to university life and increase their success in university level courses and thus retention in the college of engineering. This program is assessed through evaluation of university retention data, student grade point averages, first semester math and engineering course grades, and surveys distributed at the end of the program. Preliminary data analysis confirms positive results for boot camp participants. In 2016, retention from first to second year of college was up by approximately 11%, and on a 4.0 grade scale, first semester math grades are about 0.5 points higher over non-participants. 2017 survey results show that after completing boot camp, 94% of participants felt prepared for their first semester classes, 97% felt confident about their freshmen year, and 96% are confident in their ability to do well in their major. Introduction This paper describes the Engineering Freshmen Intensive Transition (E-FIT) program, which is a week-long summer boot camp designed based on best practices for retaining students [1] and the Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) program at Louisiana State University (LSU) [2]. Studies have shown that difficulty adjusting to college life for new students can lead to low grades and issues with persistence in completing a degree. [3], [4]. Stress can also negatively affect first-year students and in some cases lead to students dropping out of college [5], [6]. Furthermore, studies show that students who are academically unprepared for the rigors of university courses leave school without a degree [7]. This boot camp program is for incoming, first-year engineering students and aims to teach them effective study and time management skills in a forgiving environment prior to the start of classes, so that they have a greater chance of being successful in their first-year coursework. The boot camp also aims to help new students adjust to university life and feel a sense of belonging prior to the official start of the semester, since feeling settled in has been shown to be linked with persistence in completing a degree program [8], [9]. Many universities offer pre-college summer programs that offer students the opportunity to study on campus during the summer [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]. These programs vary in length and curriculum. Some offer students credit in their field or an opportunity to explore their academic options with non-credit courses. Many programs specifically target remedial students, in order to help them get college ready, or gifted students to offer them a challenge or opportunity to gain college credits before the official start of the semester. Other programs are only offered to lowincome, first generation college students [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]. This summer boot camp is unique is that it is for students from all backgrounds and skill levels, it aims to teach students how to be successful in college, and it does not necessarily focus on course content. Additionally, in order to help students feel a sense of belonging and start forming study groups, this program is engineering discipline specific, open only to incoming students enrolled in the fall semester, and it is closely tied to the first engineering course offered at the university. Boot camps at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and University of Washington (UW) are similar, but they focus on Math and Writing or Science and Math respectively [15], [16], which means that students will not necessarily meet others in their major. All incoming freshmen engineering students are encouraged to apply to E-FIT, which is designed to suit students of all ability levels. Currently, there is space for 132 students (approximately 20% of incoming engineering students) to participate, but the program plans to be available to all incoming freshmen engineering students within two years. Students selected for the program participate for one week in a course heavily linked to the Introduction to Engineering Design course (ENGR 100), which is required for all incoming freshmen engineering students. The course is offered the week before the start of the fall semester and students reside in their assigned dorm room for the upcoming semester. Students attend lectures by engineering and math faculty members, complete homework assignments and exams, as well as work on a team to complete a design challenge. Each day, students attend one engineering lecture and lab session as well as two math lectures and two math study sessions. In addition to course work, students attend skill sessions, which are designed to help prepare students for university life. In order to facilitate the program and help students get involved in the campus community, they are placed on a “pack” with five of their peers. Each pack is guided by a “pack leader” who is a successful engineering student that acts as a mentor to the new students throughout their freshmen year. Having a peer mentor can aid in new students adjusting to campus life [9], [17]. Additionally, studies have shown that positive role models and social support can impact the level of confidence and self-efficacy that students have in their ability to complete an engineering degree [18]. Methods Participants Boot camp participants were recruited through the Provost’s office and at various College of Engineering events. The Provost’s office created an informational website, called and emailed students accepted to the university, and sent post cards advertising the program to their homes. The College of Engineering Dean and the college recruitment coordinator included the program in their presentations to potential students during Nevada Bound and Best and Brightest events, university orientation, and Engineering Day. Students who want to participate complete an application online and are notified of acceptance in the spring prior to the start of their first semester. Students reported their motivation to participate in E-FIT for the following reasons: preparation for university and major specific coursework, learning more about their selected major, moving to campus early, getting familiar with the campus, help with transitioning to higher education, and meeting people [19]. The participant selection process has been changing as the number of participants increases. In 2015 and 2016, an emphasis was placed on selecting cohorts who were diverse in race, gender, SAT/ACT scores, and selected major. Table 1 shows the gender and Pell eligibility for E-FIT participants and students enrolled in the College of Engineering. In 2015, the camp attendees were 20% female, and 19.5% Pell grant eligible (Table 1) and the majority identified as white or Hispanic (Figure 1), which was similar to the population of the College of Engineering that year (Figure 2), although the percentage of female participants in E-FIT was higher. A comparison of Figures 1 and 2 shows that the percent of Asian students enrolled in the College of Engineering was higher than the percent of Asian participants in E-FIT. Table 1 shows gender and Pell eligibility data for E-FIT participants and students enrolled on the College of Engineering in 2015, 2016, and 2017. 2015 2016 2017 Demographics E-FIT College E-FIT College E-FIT College Male 80.00% 84.00% 76.00% 83.00% 88.00% 82.00% Female 20.00% 16.00% 24.00% 17.00% 12% 18% Pell Eligible 19.5% 31% 23% 25% 23% 28% 59% 21% 7% 5% 5% 2% 1% 2015 E-FIT Ethinicity