This study evaluates the impact on student retention of the First-Year Engineering Projects (FYEP) course at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Student retention was measured at the third, fifth and seventh semester for student takers and non-takers of the FYEP design/build course. Data were analyzed for 2,581 students over five years, representing 1,035 students who took the FYEP course (40%) and 1,546 students who did not take the course (60%). Significant gains in retention were found for student takers, and even higher retention rates were observed for students typically underrepresented in engineering-women and students of color. This paper compares these results with reported retention data from other institutions and discusses possible causes and ramifications of the findings.
Supported by the National Science Foundation, the GK‐12 Fellows program at the University of Colorado at Boulder explores innovative ways for engineering graduate students to use engineering as the vehicle to provide K‐12 classroom instruction and hands‐on experiences that integrate physical sciences, mathematics, engineering and technology. Engineering “Fellows” fill a crucial gap in the two‐way exchange of content and pedagogy between the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the K‐12 community of learners. The active presence of real world, engineering role models in K‐12 classrooms improves the quality of math and science content, and introduces engineering to teachers and young students as a potential career path. Working through the University's graduate program legitimizes K‐12 outreach as a valid, and satisfying, academic endeavor for graduate students.
Our invention and innovation course for engineering students cultivates an understanding of the entrepreneurship and invention world through a hands-on introduction to product design and development. A pervasive emphasis on team dynamics as well as on the processes of design, invention and innovation fosters an environment that produces successful teams and inventions. This paper describes objectives and components of the elective course, development of high-performance invention teams, course evaluation, assessment tools and results, and lessons learned.Students working in teams design and build an invention of their choice, and explore entrepreneurial topics such as profitability, marketing, sources for capital, and patenting. Creating business feasibility studies leads each team to estimate the manufacturing cost of their product and forecast potential sales revenues and profits. A two-week, low-risk introductory creativity and design project provides an early opportunity for creative expression, as well as insight into individuals' contribution and effectiveness in a team environment.Our course was inspired and initially supported by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). Some student teams have subsequently received NCIIA product development funding.
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