2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

But wait! There’s more! Developing Students Through a First-Year Course

Presented at First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 9: Student Growth & Professionalization

This complete research paper describes a first semester course at University of the Pacific that serves as an introduction to the engineering and computer science disciplines. The research questions addressed in this paper are:
• How can a first-year course be used to develop students’ knowledge, skills, and integration into the university, and
• To what extent does a well-defined, well-structured, and interactive course benefit student retention and engagement in the university community?

This 1-unit introductory course has been developed around three themes:
• Entering the Engineering/Computer Science Profession
• Engaging in the University Community
• Building Skills for Success

To develop students’ professional skills and knowledge of career paths available, the first-year students in this course meet with student leaders, engage in breakout group discussions with the Chairperson or a faculty member from their intended major, watch and reflect on brief videos about each of the majors offered in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, and participate in classroom activities focused on professional communication and ethics.

Active engagement in the university community is encouraged by inviting student speakers from each of the engineering and computer science-related student clubs, by having teams of students participate in a Scavenger Hunt to find – and make a video of the team at – key locations on campus, and by including assignments that require students to participate in university-level activities. Active engagement in the course is facilitated by assigning students to a different team in most weeks and by incorporating group-based activities and assignments throughout each class meeting.

Course assignments and in-class activities are designed to help students develop their learning and metacognitive skills. Developing students’ understanding of how they learn is intended to improve learning outcomes and retention within the major and the university. Students build skills for success by creating a time management plan, learning how to access university resources, meeting with their faculty advisor regularly, and developing a plan for success in an upcoming assignment and reflecting on its effectiveness afterwards. Two design projects foster teamwork and problem-solving skills. Students collaborate in teams to accomplish a predefined task, honing their ability to work effectively to deliver a project and communicate results.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the course and assignments in detail, present analyses of student retention and engagement, and present faculty and student reflections on the course content and management. We use this information to suggest effective practices for course content, course management, and instructor collaboration in a first-year course.

Authors

Dr. Camilla M. Saviz P.E. University of the Pacific [biography]

Camilla Saviz is Professor and Chair of Civil Engineering at the University of the Pacific. She received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University, an M.B.A. from the New York Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Davis. She is a registered engineer in California.
Dr. Luke S. Lee P.E. University of the Pacific [biography]

Luke Lee is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of the Pacific, where he teaches courses in structural mechanics and structural design and conducts research in infrastructure renewal, structural health monitoring, and durability of composites.
Dr. Jeffrey Shafer University of the Pacific [biography]

Jeffrey Shafer is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of the Pacific. He received a B.S. in Computer Engineering and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton, and a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Rice University. He joined Pacific in 2010.
Dr. Navdeep Singh University of the Pacific [biography]

Navdeep Singh is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of the Pacific. He joined Pacific in 2022 where he instructs courses in solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and machine design.

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