Rochester Institute of Technology Department of Mechanical Engineering

Structure  Student Services Office Senior Staff Assistant Student Information Specialist Director of Student Services  First-Year Enrichment Partnership between FYE Office and Mechanical Engineering Curriculum developed in M.E. with a focus on attaining M.E. and FYE course goals.

Highlights of the FYE Course  Lays foundation for academic success strategies Learning Styles Working Styles Time Management Goal-setting  All students in the program have a common FYE experience

Why do college students fail?  Poor time management skills  Distractions  Not interested in course materials  Ineffective study strategies At RIT: MOST HAVE NEVER BEEN CHALLENGED

How do we teach academic success strategies?  “Manage your time better”  “Get extra help”  “Speak to your professors”  “Study more”  “Work harder”  “Set goals for yourself”

The High School Experience of 2008  Pressures for high schools to perform (students achieve acceptable standardized test scores) have created a culture where students are being taught “to the test” rather than learning skills.  Math “drilling” has essentially been replaced by calculators and computers.

The High School Experience of 2008

Back to the FYE Course  Time management, study skills, etc. are useless unless… STUDENTS UNDERSTAND WHO THEY ARE, HOW THEY WORK, AND HOW THEY LEARN

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator  Extravert/Introvert – study atmosphere, social environments, distractions  Intuitive/Sensing – working in groups – who will want to move forward without data collection  Feeler/Thinker – more “practical” when making decisions  Judging/Perceiving – organizational styles

Felder’s Learning Styles  Chemical Engineer  Teaches at NC State  Co-director of the National Effective Teaching Institute (NETI)  After about 15 years, Felder realized he wasn’t reaching his students.  Says that teachers fall into two categories: Those who present information Those who help someone learn

Felder’s Learning Styles  Active vs. Reflective  Intuitive vs. Sensing  Verbal vs. Visual  Sequential vs. Global

First Probation  Students who earn a quarterly grade point average between 1.0 and 1.99 probation  Intake appointment: Study strategies Time management plan Working styles Career choices Personal issues  Use above to develop action plan  Check in during week 7

Second Probation  Second probation: LASSI Progress reports Group meetings Meet with faculty advisor Check-in with student services office during weeks 3, 6, and 9

LASSI  Learning and Study Skills Inventory  Administered online by RIT’s Academic Support Center  Online follow-up modules allow students to improve their skills in each area addressed in the inventory  Self-directed

LASSI Results

LASSI Skills Measured AnxietySelf-Testing AttitudeSelecting Main Ideas ConcentrationStudy Aids Information-ProcessingTime Management MotivationTest Strategies Refer to handout for a detailed description of each skill area

LASSI Follow-Up  Students agree to group meetings to discuss how they can/will use implement the strategies that they’ve learned  Group meetings are coordinated by student services staff  Faculty advisors are provided with results so that they can refer to LASSI when meeting with students.

Program Challenges  Time-intensive for student services staff  LASSI is self-directed  LASSI modules are “clunky”  Need buy-in from faculty