2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering design graphics courses provide essential opportunities for students beginning their engineering or technology degree programs to build foundational knowledge and skills. Students entering such STEM fields come from a wide range of academic backgrounds, which affects their level of college preparedness and potential for success in a degree program. First-year and first-generation college students, in particular, require early academic support to enhance their success, retention, and persistence in STEM degree programs.

This paper will describe a study that identified retention and persistence rates of first-year engineering and first-generation students enrolled in a foundations of engineering graphics course, as part of an NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) study conducted at a large land-grant institution in the southeastern United States. Previous analyses of this sample from three semesters' of students have demonstrated improvements in self-efficacy with solid modeling, 3D mental rotation ability, and overall academic success. This longitudinal study using descriptive analysis highlights the retention and persistence rates among 312 first-year engineering students and 218 first-generation college students from that sample, focusing on their continued enrollment and progress toward degree completion.

The findings reinforce the importance of structured support systems for first-year students, including first-generation college students, who often lack sufficient resources and arrive from underrepresented populations. The study further emphasizes the value of engineering design graphics courses in offering early exposure to critical skills that contribute to long-term success in engineering and technology programs. These insights underscore the role of targeted interventions in enhancing student outcomes and supporting diverse learners in STEM fields.