Escape To Engineering: A Summer Bridge Program For Women In Engineering (original) (raw)
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31st Annual Frontiers in Education Conference. Impact on Engineering and Science Education. Conference Proceedings (Cat. No.01CH37193), 2001
The Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) Summer Bridge Program is designed to prepare incoming female students for the transition from high school to the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) at Arizona State University (ASU). This program offers academic reviews in courses such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Computer-programming tutorials are also offered in Excel and HTML to better prepare students for their freshman introductory engineering course. Participants acclimate to the campus by receiving general information concerning the university, financial aid, and departmental advising. Students attending the program become familiar with the campus, have a head start on their freshman engineering classes, and have a chance to meet other female students. An overview of the WISE Summer Bridge Program will be presented as well as retention data for 1998 and 1999 program participants. In addition, the paper will discuss the need for and impact of bridge programs specifically geared toward female students. Further, the paper will investigate other life circumstances, such as level of involvement in student activities, living situation, and employment that impact retention of these students. Finally, future projections of implementation and direction of student retention programs will be explored.
2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings, 2015
This paper reports on a grant-funded summer bridge program developed for first-year engineering students who were not academically prepared to start Calculus 1 in the fall of their freshman year. The primary objective of the program was to increase retention and success of first-year engineering students by 1) allowing students to enter their freshman year on-track academically and gain exposure to college-level coursework, 2) providing the information and support necessary to ensure a smooth transition into college, 3) enhancing student interest in and commitment to the engineering field, and 4) helping students build community on campus. The summer bridge program was first offered during the summer of 2014, and had 11 participants. Students took two college-level courses, including Pre-Calculus II, participated in co-curricular workshops, and lived in campus residence halls. Three types of assessment were administered during the program; one survey at the outset of the program to assess student expectations and academic backgrounds, a second survey at the conclusion of the program to gather quantitative data on student satisfaction, and a focus group on the final day of the program to gather qualitative information on student satisfaction. Data from the three assessments indicated that students felt that their expectations had been largely met, and that after completing the program they had improved in their math and writing skills, learned about the field of engineering, and had been successfully oriented to college. Although it is too early to determine the long-term academic trajectory of the 11 participants, based on assessment data already collected, it appears as though the summer program was successful in many of its stated goals.
Summer Study in Engineering for High School Women
The transition between high school and college is a crucial point where many young women engaged in the applied sciences and engineering cease their participation. To help retain young women's interest and help bridge the gap between secondary school and higher education, The University of Maryland, College Park, held a six-week live-in academic summer program to expose 30 young women to college-level engineering study. The young women, who had completed their junior year in high school, were enrolled in two college-level introductory engineering courses. The program also included hands-on team design projects; field trips; laboratory work; computer classes; problem solving; working with others; and presentations by female role models. Parents were invited to participate through visits to the campus and attendance at selected orientation and student design presentations. At a focus group in the fourth week of the program, students discussed their level of interest in engineering...
Beyond the Numbers: A Deeper Look into the Retention of Female Engineering Students
Women in Engineering ProActive Network, 2005
Understanding the retent ion of women in engineering programs involves more than comparing how many women reach a particular milestone with how many began working toward that milestone. A complete picture of retention should also incorporate the factors that affect retention, exa mining how leavers and stayers differ on multiple levels: who, demographically, leaves and stays; when leavers make the decision to leave; why stayers make the decision to stay; and what programmatic factors most influence retention. At the University of Notre Dame's College of Engineering, the study of the retention of female engineering students uses information from a number of sources to understand the many and varied factors that influence retention: demographics, academic performance, experiential information reported on in-class surveys, a week-by-week review of retention and attrition in the first-year Introduction to Engineering Systems two-course sequence (EG 111/112), and anecdotal informatio...
Evaluation Of A Summer Bridge Program On Engineering Students’ Persistence And Success
2010
The College of Engineering (COE) at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) received a grant from the National Science Foundation to increase its graduation rate. In order to meet this objective the COE is focusing on improving retention rates at the freshman and sophomore levels because the attrition rate is highest during the first two years. The COE is implementing a holistic program to address common reasons for students leaving the engineering program, including lack of academic preparation; financial difficulties; difficulty in adjusting to college life; lack of a community atmosphere; and disappointment at not being able to experience engineering principles during the first two years. Following an initial planning period, the COE launched seven major initiatives in 2007 to achieve project goals. These initiatives include (1) an Engineering Residential College that forms the foundation of a new living-learning community; (2) a multi-tiered student mentoring program that...
Impacts of a Summer Bridge Program in Engineering on Student Retention and Graduation
Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 2018
A summer bridge program was developed in an engineering program to advance the preparation of incoming freshmen students, particularly with respect to their math course placement. The program was intended to raise the initial math course placement of students who otherwise would begin their engineering studies in courses below Calculus I. One reason given for low retention rates in this particular engineering program was that students needed to spend too much time taking math courses in college just to be ready to take the Calculus I course expected of incoming freshmen in the program; this extended their total time in college and delayed their ability to take the engineering courses that interested them. The program was successful at meeting its immediate goal of raising the math course placement of these students. However, the program’s success with regards to improving math course placement did not lead to significantly improved odds of the students being retained in engineering ...
Ac 2011-332: First Year Women on the Engineering Path- Way: Research Strategies to Support Retention
2011
is the engineering assessment specialist at the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program (ITLL) and the Broadening Opportunity through Leadership and Diversity (BOLD) Center in CU's College of Engineering and Applied Science. He holds a B.A. in psychology from the Louisiana State University, and an M.S. degree in industrial/organizational psychology and a Ph.D. degree in counseling psychology, both from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Knight's research interests are in the areas of retention, program evaluation and teamwork practices in engineering education. His current duties include assessment, evaluation and research for the ITL Program's and BOLD Center's hands-on initiatives.
2005
The observation of substantially different retention rates of men versus women in a required first-year, two-course "Introduction to Engineering Systems" sequence at the University of Notre Dame motivated an examination of demographic and survey data to assess retention patterns. In the course of examining these data, it became evident that different subgroups of women exhibit different retention patterns. We have used demographic data such as SAT scores and intended major for several years to establish baseline characteristics of first-year engineering students. We have used resultsoriented data such as exam scores and GPAs to establish how well students or groups of students perform in the class. More recently, a series of three surveys conducted during the two-course sequence has provided a wealth of information that further informs the significance of the demographic and results-oriented data. Longitudinal comparison of the data also helps to identify key differences from one year to another.
AC 2007-754: A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: STUDENT TRANSITION TO ENGINEERING PROGRAM
In 1995, Virginia Tech's Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) established and implemented a summer bridge program for pre-enrolled freshman students entering the College of Engineering in the subsequent fall. From 1995 to 2004, the program was targeted to under-represented engineering students under the name ASPIRE (The Academic Summer Program Introducing Resources for Engineers). In 2004, the CEED office received a $2 million dollar STEP (STEM Talent Expansion Program) grant from the National Science Foundation. The goal of the project is to increase the number of students earning degrees in engineering and computer science. One component of the grant activities was the expansion of ASPIRE, marketing it to a larger number of first-year students admitted to the College of Engineering (COE). The expanded bridge program still operates under the auspices of the CEED and has been named STEP Bridge -Student Transition to Engineering Program.
ineer.org
The NC State University College of Engineering is an internationally recognized producer of engineers and computer scientists who are prepared to make an immediate contribution to the workforce. Our research faculty are recognized around the world for cutting edge research. Essential to our mission and continued success is a steady stream of top-notch students who contribute to and celebrate ethnic, academic and gender diversity. Each year an entering freshman class of 1100 new engineering students includes 20% women and 20% underrepresented minority students. The rate at which they persist through our undergraduate program is impacted by how they adapt during their first year. Following a successful recruiting cycle, we then invit e targeted students to enter our engineering programs during the summer session as participants in the NC State University Summer Transition Program. The purpose of this program is to begin enhancing the academic and social maturation of incoming minority engineering freshmen prior to the start of the regular academic year. Fifty to 75 students participate in this program conducted during the second summer academic session. Participants receive instruction and where applicable, academic course credits in mathematics, English, and a science course. In addition, they gain early hands-on experience in engineering design, and an introduction to the College of Engineering computing environment. Weekly industry site visits introduce the students to opportunities available to them as they move through their undergraduate program and seek permanent employment. This paper provides a detailed description of this six-week summer bridge program. We present a summary of our national profile, and share data on the impact the program is having on the quality of our students as they persist toward graduation.