Abstract:

The success of a first time in college (FTIC) student, enrolling in an engineering program and graduating from the program depends on several factors. These factors are mostly the student’s level of preparedness, including the high school attended, the maturity of the student, the student’s knowledge of mathematics and science from high school courses, effective time management skills, critical thinking skills, and adaptability to different learning and teaching styles. Most high school students are typically used to teaching and learning styles that do not conform with teaching practices in engineering schools. These teaching styles create in students a dependence on using formulae to solve all engineering problems versus approaching a problem through the understanding of the laws of physics and applying them methodically to solve problems. To mirror the work environment, engineering programs require students to engage in working in teams to enhance understanding and application of the basic laws of physics and to work in inter and or multidisciplinary teams to design, build and evaluate a product as part of a final year project. These are all new skills that must be acquired by FTIC students for success within the engineering program and beyond.

The purpose of this paper is to document the perceptions and attitudes in a study of FTIC students that are enrolled in ABET accredited civil and mechanical engineering programs at a US institution. The two aligned engineering disciplines are selected for this study due to the shared classes, such as Statics and Dynamics, which are taken by students enrolled in the two programs. The study is conducted through the administration of a survey instrument to several students enrolled in the two programs. The time of the survey administration was chosen as the end of the first semester in residence in which the students take the first engineering course, Introduction to Engineering. Results of the survey show that students feel prepared for the transition from high school to an environment as FTIC students, where the daily influence of parents is no longer present. Students now have more responsibilities such as time management, regular class attendance, and completion of homework assignments all while balancing extra-curricular activities. This study is a first in a series in which the authors plan to “follow” and study the same cohort of students until their final semester in the engineering programs.

Keywords:

Engineering, education, freshmen, skills development.