1. CASCADE Peer Mentoring to Improve Engineering Retention and Graduation Rates of Undergraduate Students in a Minority Serving Institution Swapnil Thaker and Srinath Anand Gangishetty (Graduate Students) Mr. Austin McCoy, Dr. David Ramirez, Dr. Jong-Won Choi, Dr. Selahattin Ozcelik, Dr. Nael Barakat   Texas A&M University Kingsville 700 University Blvd, Kingsville, TX 78363, Country
Abstract
This multi-year CASCADE project is part of the STEM focused national effort to increase the retention and graduation rates of Engineering undergraduate students. While Enrollment in STEM fields has increased over the years, retention and graduation rates are still challenging. CASCADE combines project based learning (PBL) with peer-mentoring, connecting consecutive cohorts of students in a cascaded structure, to increase the quantity, quality, and diversity of engineering graduates, at a minority serving institution. Graduate students help in managing the CACADE project while utilizing their technical skills in the research and development efforts through analyzing different, nonconventional, engineering Data, to arrive at conclusions. This poster presents the project plan and some of the results obtained through multiple cycles of application, from engineering graduate students’ perspective. Results show mixed effects of the project activities and provide guidance for future efforts to achieve the project goals of increasing retention and graduation rates.
Research Objectives
Fusion of design concepts across all four levels of the engineering undergraduate curriculum.
Increasing early years retention of engineering undergraduate students, as well as the rate of their graduation.
Incorporation of a freshman design experience into existing course work under the CASCADed mentoring program.
Motivate students and create an innovative environment which may lead them to solve scientific and technical problems posed by South Texas industries and governmental agencies to further pursue their own innovations.
Future Directions
Exploring and implement new ideas from the data collected for better retention results.
Implement learned ideas to improvise current model for mentoring.
Institutionalize the presented model throughout college of engineering in the form of a curricular design thread.
Publish & share findings with peer institutions with feedback for improvement.
Acknowledgements
The authors of the paper would like to acknowledge that this material is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant number The authors are also grateful to the faculty and students who participated in implementing the project and expanding it into the different courses and departments.
Level
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Year 1 : -
Mechanic-I, statics, CEEN 2301, MEEN 2301
Year 2 :
Learning Global Context UNIV 1101
Mechanic-II, Dynamics, MEEN 2302,
Strength Of Materials, CEEN 3311
Computer graphics & app AEEN 1310
Construction Materials, CEEN 3145
Engineering MEEN 1310
Year 3 :
No Activity
Year 4 :
Computer Graphics & app
Environmental Eng.in Global Society, EVEN 2372
AEEN 1310
Engineering graphics 1
Mechanic-II, Dynamics, MEEN 2302
MEEN 1310
Mechanic-I, statics, CEEN 2301
Heat Transfer, MEEN 3348
Year 5 :
Computer Graphics & app AEEN 1310
Fluid Mechanics, MEEN 3392
Engineering graphics 1MEEN 1310
Hydraulics & Fluid Mechanics CEEN 3392
Demographics
Race from pre-activity Surveys
Race from post-activity Surveys
Asian%
African American%
Hispanic
Native American
Native Hawaiian
White%
Total(N) 2 7 59 33 20 - 11 3 4 68 1 24 76 22 49 5 66
211 62 26
147
Fig. 1 Experimental Methodology
Fig. 2 Experimental Methodology
Fig. 3 Freshman to Sophomore (General Retention Rates)
Fig. 4 Are you motivated to remain in Engineering
Fig. 5 Design experience fusion
Proceedings of the 2018 ASEE Gulf-Southwest Section Annual Conference The University of Texas at Austin
April 4-6, 2018