2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Students entering university bring with them a rich diversity of backgrounds, each shaped by unique experiences and perspectives. Some students come from families with a strong tradition of higher education, where parents and relatives have laid a well-established academic foundation. These students often enter college with a clear understanding of what to expect and how to navigate the demands of higher education. In contrast, first-generation college students, who lack this familial guidance, may face significant challenges. Without a background steeped in academic preparation, they might find themselves unprepared for the rigors of college coursework. This lack of preparation can create hurdles that affect their confidence and academic performance. While these issues can affect anyone, they disproportionately affect students of color due to a myriad of historical, social, and economic factors.
Professors and lecturers often express concern over the varying levels of academic preparedness among students when they first enter their courses. This disparity can be disheartening, sometimes leading to situations where students perceive that their instructors have lost faith in their ability to succeed. Such feelings of discouragement can create significant barriers to learning. However, regardless of their starting point, every student deserves the opportunity to receive a high-quality education.
[Anonymous University] is a historically Black, land-grant public university dedicated to providing access to high-quality education for a diverse population. The university takes pride in its open-enrollment policy, which allows students from all academic backgrounds to pursue higher education. This inclusive approach gives educators the unique opportunity to engage with students who arrive with varying levels of academic preparation. During our tenure at [Anonymous University], we have observed that, regardless of their starting point, students demonstrate an extraordinary desire to learn and possess immense potential.
This paper presents our experiences and insights gained from working with students who, though often underprepared, exhibit remarkable resilience and a deep commitment to their education. We provide a detailed account of specific teaching methods employed to support underprepared students, focusing on active learning techniques, formative assessments, and individualized feedback. Additionally, we will discuss student outcomes, such as improvements in confidence, retention, and academic performance. Drawing on these experiences, we propose methods that can be applied at other institutions to enhance success in academic environments, ultimately leading to improvement of the engineering workforce and the betterment of society by recognizing the talent in our students and empowering them to reach their potential.