2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

First-year computing is the most important pathway to undergraduate degrees and student success in computing, data science, engineering, and related fields. While there is an abundance of research in the area, we still lack retention of students in first-year computing. This is due to many factors including, but not limited to, 1) student math preparation and readiness from high school, 2) adjunct faculty teaching classes where no common coursework is employed, 3) faculty teaching the same courses in different ways, creating inconsistency in material covered, and 4) lack of tutoring for students who are struggling, behind, or do not understand the material.

This paper presents task force results from a collaboration between faculty and academic support specialists. The paper focuses on two high-impact areas of improvement: standardizing curricula and building support scaffolding outside the classroom. The results, a comprehensive course blueprint, include core resources for a first-semester computing course and recommendations for identification and support of struggling students.