Increasing Retention of Engineering Students using a Cohort Model Rob Twardock, P.E. College of Lake County Grayslake, IL

Outline of Presentation What works well for retention? Research on Retention NSF Scholarship Program Details NSF funding opportunities Components of good NSF proposal Ideas for your school

Retention Ideas Cohorts, learning communities Clubs Tutoring Active Advising $$ Faculty contact Summer Bridge ???

Question What works well for your school to increase retention of STEM students? What doesn’t work well? What are barriers to completion?  Graduation  Transfer

Brainstorming on what works well Clear connection to jobs and employers. Parternship w/industry Competitions. STEM Ambassador class to enage students. Helps create bonds Robotics First competition Connection with advisors/faculty Cohort model

What works well (cont) Industry part of programs Scholarships – for more traditional students

Research on Retention Need for personal relationships Use of design projects Students need validation of reasons for studying a difficult field Making a connection to discipline Tutoring connected to classroom Benefit of cohorts

CLC’s NSF Scholarship Program Funded by National Science Foundation S- STEM program, Grant No Applied 2005, began year planning, 4 years of scholarships, 1 year extension Applied in August 2011 for next round $500,000 total over 6 years. Dedicated recruiter

NSF Scholarship Program Details: Services to Student Up to $7,000/year for two years, plus  Tutoring – by full time CLC faculty  Mentoring – by professional engineers  Advising – by faculty and counselors  Transfer Assistance – by faculty  Cohort model: work as a group

Schedule: Weekly Activities for Scholars Common coursework Twice weekly study halls w/tutoring Frequent meetings with advisor/counselor Engineering Club activities Ongoing meeting with mentors Tracking academic performance

Lessons Learned Counseling is critical Summer bridge difficult Financial aid process is critical path Academic success class important Study hall is the linchpin NCAA student-athlete model is appropriate Personal relationships key

Student Testimonials

Results 49 scholarships awarded Larger percentage of minority students in NSF cohort (65% vs 42%) Fewer numbers than proposed, but larger individual need than anticipated $5,800 per student per year ~80% of NSF cohort transfers vs % for non-NSF population

Results (cont) Cohort students had higher GPA Cohort students repeated beginning classes at a higher rate Cohort students repeated more advanced classes at a lower rate Support services critical Counselor involved – MOST IMPORTANT Individual interactions/relationships were most important

Results (cont) Overall Engineering enrollments have increased by 70% in 4 years Minority enrollments have increased by 60% in 4 years Female enrollments have increased by 25%, but are still low. Low income enrollments have increased by 20%

NSF S-STEM program Proposals due in August For low-income financially qualified students STEM fields PI must be teaching in STEM fields Cohort model Underrepresented groups encouraged $600,000 limit over 5 years, $225,000/year

Elements of Good NSF Proposal Follow the outline Write to your peers Demonstrate institutional/community support Clear and to the point Explain assessment plan Support need Demonstrate reasons the project is likely to succeed

Your Next Steps Are there immediate steps you could take to increase retention? What support is needed to take the steps?