This paper describes several programs at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) that have been implemented in the past four years to improve the success and graduation rates of RIT students. RIT programs such as the Early Alert System, Freshman First Year Experience, Learning Communities, and the North Star Center are being used to improve the success of Engineering Technology (ET) students. New ET programs such as the mentoring of women ET students, a transfer student scholarship program, and the addition of professional staff advisors to the ET departments have also been added. The success of these programs is measured by comparing the attrition of ET freshman and transfer students for the past five years to the RIT attrition of freshman and transfer students.
This paper describes how the freshman seminar movement has been implemented at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). All seven engineering technology programs at RIT have had a required freshman seminar course in their curriculums for the past five years. Course staffing and typical session topics in these courses are described. Freshman attrition in engineering technology programs at RIT has improved from 21% in 1991 to 12% in 1994.
This paper describes the objectives, strategies, assessment and evaluation, and special program features of the Rochester Institute of Technology's (RIT) Multi-department Engineering and Engineering Technology (MEET) Scholars Program. This program began in December, 2004 and is designed to recruit, retain and graduate additional transfer students in our selected engineering and engineering technology degree programs. The MEET Scholars Program represents a collaborative effort of five academic departments across two colleges, and the Enrollment Management and Career Services Division at RIT. All of the programs in the five participating departments are ABET-accredited, and require students to obtain one year of industry coop experience before graduation. The MEET Scholars program builds upon our excellent infrastructure for mentoring students, and involves our mandatory cooperative education program-both of which help students address their financial needs and facilitate placement in the high technology workforce. RIT has an exceptional record in engineering student placement in industry after graduation and an excellent record for both retaining and graduating upper-division transfer students.
Two Engineering Technology departments at Rochester Institute of Technology have participated in distance learning initiatives since 1989. The Department of Electrical, Computer, and Telecommunications Engineering Technology presently offers eleven different courses in two different distance learning formats. The Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology offers a bachelor of science degree in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Technology. These Engineering Technology departments have experienced growth in the credit hours generated in these courses during the past four years. The distance learning courses have increased the productivity of the departments during times of lower student enrollments and are now providing opportunities for increases in credit hours generated by each of the departments. This paper describes the implementation of distance learning courses in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Telecommunications Engineering Technology.
is a professor of engineering technology in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Telecommunications Engineering Technology. She is currently the program chair for the electrical engineering technology program and teaches freshman courses in the department. Her scholarly activities are academic programming and services to ensure student success, curriculum development, and assessment.
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