2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Motivation
Through this Great Ideas for Teaching Students (GIFTS) paper we share an inquiry-based, hands-on approach to introducing and engaging incoming first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students in engineering. Data collected over the past 10+ years indicate that students, a disproportionate number of whom are from FGLI backgrounds, leave engineering in their first year of college, often after taking a mathematics course and before ever taking an engineering course. We hope to reverse this trend by introducing engineering to incoming FGLI students during the summer before they start college.

Background
We have been working with 80-90 FGLI students every summer through a 2-week long summer program aimed at helping them transition to college by building a cohort, developing a support network, sampling academic classes, determining where to go for help, and exploring different possible majors.

Two years ago we revamped the curriculum to incorporate more mathematical concepts; while our intentions were good, the outcomes were mixed to negative. So we again revised the curriculum this past summer by introducing mathematics, physics, and engineering through inquiry-based, hands-on projects, with marble runs as the focus (who doesn’t love a marble run?).

Objectives
The emphasis in the summer program was on engineering problem-solving and hands-on activities rather than on mathematical derivations and theory. In an effort to make the material engaging to students from a wide range of backgrounds and interests (not all are planning to major in STEM), we used marble runs as a thread throughout the program. Through the program students:
1. Used mathematics to solve engineering and physics related ramp problems, including loops;
2. Built a laser-cut wooden marble machine, with a spiral ramp;
3. Used breadboards to create an electric circuit to power a marble machine;
4. Reflected on their own learning.

Our main questions are as follows:
Does students’ self-efficacy in mathematics and engineering increase when they are introduced to math and engineering concepts through inquiry-based, hands-on projects?
Are we better able to retain FGLI students in engineering if they are introduced to mathematical and engineering concepts during the summer before their first term?

Implementation
We introduced derivatives and trigonometry as well as physics principles using ramps and an inquiry-based approach. Students worked in small groups to answer questions, test different ramps, build magnetic marble runs, build laser-cut wooden marble machines, and create breadboarded circuits to power their marble machines. During the two weeks of the program we met with students 3 days a week for 2 hours per session for a total of six sessions. The basic outline for each of the six sessions are as follows:
Session 1: Balls rolling on a straight ramp. Students experiment with physical ramps at different heights and with different types of balls. They also use Vernier Video Analysis to find position, velocity, and acceleration. In addition, mathematical and physics concepts are introduced.
Session 2: Loops. Students are introduced to loops. After first experimenting with loops using MagTrax kits, students are asked to calculate the height from which a marble must be released in order to make it around a loop and compare their experimental and theoretical results.
Session 3: Marble runs. Students are challenged to create marble runs in small teams using MagTrax kits.
Session 4: Breadboarding. Students are introduced to breadboarding and asked to create a range of circuits from a basic LED/battery circuit to one controlled by a switch and circuits that include motors.
Session 5: Marble machines. Students build individual marble machines.
Session 6: Connections. Students are introduced to the STEM curriculum at xxx and encouraged to create their own connections.

Results
Through our GIFTS presentation and paper, we will share our curricular resources, which include lesson plans, slides, guidelines for hands-on activities and computer simulations, as well as survey results and feedback from the students.

Pre/post course surveys conducted this past summer show some increase in self-efficacy with regards to mathematics and engineering. We have also tracked which courses the students in the program enrolled in during the fall and will continue to track their progress throughout the year and throughout their academic career. We plan to continue to offer and improve the mathematics/engineering curriculum for the program.