2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work in Progress: Redesigning the First-Year Engineering and Computer Science Experience

Presented at Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED) - DEI and Design Education

In this work-in-progress paper, we report on-going efforts to redesign the first-year experience for engineering and computer science students at the University of the Pacific. Pacific is a medium-sized, private student-centered university with Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) and Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) status. The School of Engineering and Computer Science has a high proportion of first-generation and Pell-eligible students (approximately 40%).

The curricular redesign presented here is part of a broader effort to embed design throughout the curriculum and to develop an interdisciplinary experience that strengthens first-year students’ sense of belonging and persistence in engineering and computer science. The desire to transform the first-year experience developed from a school-wide curriculum and pedagogy working group that engaged faculty from all departments. The working group reviewed and considered efforts to redesign first-year engineering experiences at colleges and universities across the country and identified skills that would better prepare first-year students for success in their future courses and careers. A major recommendation was the adoption of a new two-course sequence for first-year students. This sequence will replace the current one-unit introductory seminar course for first-year engineering and computer science students.

A backward design process — that began with student learning outcomes and produced content and assignments that would support these outcomes — was used by a subsequent summer working group to develop plans for the two-course sequence. This backward course design was facilitated using the TiLT (Transparency in Learning and Teaching) framework. The main goals for the two courses are to introduce design concepts and skills, foster a sense of belonging, and improve retention. The courses will incorporate active and project-based learning and emphasize design, real-world problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and interdisciplinary approaches. In addition, the courses will introduce college and career success skills, professional communication methods, and technical tools. The summer working group also recommended establishing a new program code, IDEA (Interdisciplinary Design and Entrepreneurship / Excellence in Action), to highlight the school’s focus on interdisciplinary engineering and computer science.

We will start offering these courses during the 2024-2025 academic year. Efforts are underway to develop assessment tools to collect data on students’ skill development, sense of belonging, and persistence in engineering and computer science majors.

Authors

Dr. Sebastian Dziallas University of the Pacific [biography]

Sebastian Dziallas is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of the Pacific. He previously served as a founding faculty member at Fulbright University in Vietnam. He received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Kent and a B.S. in Engineering from Olin College of Engineering. His research interests in computing education research include using narrative methodologies to understand student experiences and exploring novel work-based learning approaches.
Dr. David Mueller http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9094-6593 University of the Pacific [biography]

Dr. David Mueller is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs at the University of the Pacific. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Missouri in 2015, where he was a Graduate Teaching Fellow for 3 years. His research interests include engineering education and renewable energy and carbon emissions of renewable resources such as wind and photovoltaics.
Dr. Shelly Gulati http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3284-442X University of the Pacific [biography]

Dr. Shelly Gulati is Professor of Bioengineering and Assistant Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs, Teaching Excellence and Inclusion at University of the Pacific. Her research interests are in biomicrofluidics as well as engineering education. Her recent projects have emphasized mentorship of women and underrepresented students and creating engaging learning environments that promote students' sense of belonging, persistence, and success in engineering.
Mary Kay Camarillo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9522-5127 University of the Pacific [biography]

Mary Kay Camarillo is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. She specializes in environmental engineering and has worked on research in the areas of water reclamation, biomass energy, geothermal energy, oil and gas production, watershed modeling, use of technology to study environmental issues, and engineering education.
Dr. Abel A. Fernandez P.E. University of the Pacific [biography]

Abel Fernandez is Professor and Chair of the Engineering Management Program at the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California. He holds the Ph.D. degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida; MBA, M.E. and B.S. degrees in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Dr. Chi-Wook Lee University of the Pacific [biography]

Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department at University of the Pacific.
Dr. Vivek Pallipuram University of the Pacific [biography]

Vivek Pallipuram is an Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Program Chair for the Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) program. His research interests include the applications of machine learning, natural language processing, and high-performance computing (HPC) to domains including public health, Cloud computing, social sciences, and education. His latest research is on how educators can leverage machine learning tools for improved student learning and teaching outcomes.

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