2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

First-year engineering and technology students face various challenges during their transition to college. This study aimed to address these challenges through two course structure modifications in a first-year industrial engineering technology (IET) program at a metropolitan campus. The first modification was a “choose your modality” offering modal flexibility, and the second modification was developing an 8-week recovery option for students who struggled at the beginning of the semester. The grade distributions were analyzed, and a voluntary survey was given before final grades were posted to draw insights from both experiences. The survey results showed that students in year 1 of the study evaluated themselves significantly higher (p-value = 0.03, α = 0.05) on their competency of the learning objectives compared to the students in year 2. However, neither cohort of students performed significantly better (p-value = 0.23, α = 0.05) in the class compared to before modifications were implemented. No significant student performance difference was found between the two modalities indicating that both are equally effective course structures. However, the condensed 8-week course seemed to pose unique challenges for some students. The suggested course structures give students flexibility and the ability to remain on track with their academic program regardless of difficulties faced at the beginning of the semester.