2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an online college-level introductory engineering course tailored for high school students, who are typically four years younger than college freshmen and receive college credit for completing the course. The purpose of the XXX program is to offer opportunities for local high school students, particularly underrepresented and first-generation students, to take college equivalent courses that are otherwise not available to them. The digital learning program helps reduce inequities experienced by some students, many from higher poverty rate neighborhoods, who attend high schools that do not offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses. It also helps demonstrate to these students that they belong and can be successful in the university environment.
The online course included hands-on laboratories and design projects, with required synchronous lectures and lab sessions complemented by asynchronous content. Students completed quizzes after watching lecture videos to assess their understanding. Pre-lab videos and at-home lab exploration activities, supported by custom kits containing materials for experiments and design projects, prepared students for live synchronous labs where they collaborated with virtual partners. The study focused on evaluating the structure, engagement, and feasibility of teaching an online, hands-on course to this younger audience.
Elements of the course design included a very structured course experience to support students with developing self-efficacy skills, frequent availability of peer tutoring and mentoring, and introductory interactive content to establish expectations at the beginning of the course.
A post-course survey was conducted providing quantitative and qualitative feedback, with responses broken down by First-Gen and Non-First-Gen student status. Initial findings from the 36 survey respondents showed that most students were satisfied with the course (42% somewhat satisfied, 33% extremely satisfied), felt comfortable with the course structure and using the online learning platform, and appreciated the availability of tutor hours, which were cited as the most helpful resource. The peer tutoring hours were well attended. 87% of the students came to at least one tutoring session, while the average number of tutoring sessions students attended over the duration of the course was 8.9 indicating that students were comfortable getting support from tutors their age.
However, the results also revealed challenges in student engagement, particularly in fostering meaningful peer interactions during remote labs and projects. Many students were reluctant to ask for help or collaborate, with some preferring to work independently. Despite offering extra credit, it was difficult to encourage students to turn on their cameras. Furthermore, many students were overextended participating in extracurricular activities like international trips and internships, which was challenging to compete with.
This paper explores the implications of these findings, offering insights into student collaboration, engagement, and motivation in a college level, fully online, hands-on learning environment for high school students, and provides recommendations for future iterations of similar courses.