The Foundation Coalition was funded in 1993 as the fifth coalition in the National Science Foundation's Engineering Education Coalitions Program. The member institutions—Arizona State University, Maricopa Community College District, Rose‐Hulman Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University ‐ Kingsville, Texas Woman's University, and the University of Alabama—have developed improved curricula and learning environment models that are based on four primary thrusts: integration of subject matter within the curriculum, cooperative and active learning, technology‐enabled learning, and continuous improvement through assessment and evaluation. This paper discusses the first five years of Coalition activities and major accomplishments to date.
With support from the STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) of the National Science Foundation, the Texas A&M University Engineering Program (TAMU) is drawing upon existing results to construct an improved learning experience for all engineering majors. Drawing from integrated curricula/learning community initiatives, physics, engineering, and mathematics faculty members are working together to help students more closely link concepts from the three subject areas. Faculty members have constructed specifications that design projects must follow to help students build tighter connections among the three subjects. A comprehensive assessment and evaluation plan has also been designed and implemented. This paper will describe the integration mechanisms, project specifications, and systems to address study skills, as well as data that has been collected and analyzed to date. Future assessment plans and strategies for expanding the program for more students and extending it to two additional firstyear engineering tracks will also be described.
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