Toys and Mathematical Options for Retention in Engineering (Toys’n MORE): Final Outcomes for Engineering Students Who Participated in Math Tutoring, a Toy-Based Freshman Design Course, or a Summer Bridge Program
- Conference
- Location
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Indianapolis, Indiana
- Publication Date
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June 15, 2014
- Start Date
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June 15, 2014
- End Date
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June 18, 2014
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies
- Tagged Topic
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NSF Grantees Poster Session
- Page Count
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32
- Page Numbers
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24.1269.1 - 24.1269.32
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--23202
- Permanent URL
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https://strategy.asee.org/23202
- Download Count
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479
Paper Authors
Catherine L. Cohan Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Dr. Cohan is a research psychologist with over 15 years of experience. She has expertise in measurement and diverse experience working with empirical data such as small data sets with observational data to large data sets with vital statistics data.
Alexander C. Yin Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Alexander Yin is the Senior Planning and Research Associate in the Office of Planning and Institutional Assessment at The Pennsylvania State University.
Amy L. Freeman Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Dr. Amy L. Freeman is Assistant Dean of Engineering Diversity at The Pennsylvania State University where she received the M.S. in Architectural Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Workforce Education. She is Co-PI on the NSF-sponsored Toys’n MORE grant and currently manages several retention programs targeting over 2500 women and underrepresented technical students at all levels of the academic and career development pipeline. She is also an executive member of the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA) and several other advocacy organizations.
Javier Gomez-Calderon Penn State University
Dr. Javier Gomez-Calderon is a Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Coordinator at Penn State New Kensington. He is the author or co-author of thirty-three articles, four textbooks, four in-house booklets, and the advisor of eight student publications. Dr. Gomez-Calderon served as the Head of the Mathematics Division (fourteen campuses) from 2002 to 2006 and obtained his Ph.D. in 1986 from The University of Arizona. Dr. Gomez-Calderon was the recipient of the 2007 Penn State Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching, the 2002 Commonwealth College Outstanding Research Award, the 2001 Valley News Dispatch Coach of the Year, the 1997 New Kensington Excellence in Teaching Award, the 1996 Theresa Cohen Mathematics Service Award, and the 1989 New Kensington Excellence in Teaching Award.
Janice M. Margle P.E. Pennsylvania State University, Abington
Janice M. Margle, Associate Professor of Engineering at Penn State Abington, received her M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. She is Co-PI and project manager of the NSF-Sponsored Toys’n MORE grant and currently teaches introductory thermodynamics and introductory engineering design courses. She is active in promoting activities to increase the number of women and minorities in engineering. She is a licensed Professional Engineer and has worked for IBM, the Navy, NASA, Pennsylvania Power and Light (PP&L), and private industry.
Jill L. Lane Clayton State University
Dr. Jill Lane has twenty years experience working with faculty and teaching assistants on methods to enhance teaching, learning, assessment, and evaluation. She has conducted various workshops on teaching and assessment methods at universities and at international conferences. While at Penn State, she worked with several departments on course restructuring and collaborated with more than 300 faculty members on the design, assessment and evaluation of their courses. She is currently Dean of Assessment and Instructional Development and SACS Liaison at Clayton State University, where she oversees faculty development and accreditation activities. Lane holds a Doctorate of Education in Instructional Systems from Penn State, a Master's of Education in Computing in Education from Rosemont College, and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education from Penn State. Her research centers on the sustainability of teaching and learning innovations in education.
Dhushy Sathianathan California State University, Long Beach
Dr. Sathianathan is the Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College of Engineering. He has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University, and BS in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Sathianathan has been actively involved in engineering education initiatives since 1994. He led several NSF funded initiative to enhance engineering education, especially focused on retention. He is a Boeing Welliver Faculty Fellow. He has received the Boeing Outstanding Educator Award, and DOW Outstanding Faculty Award for his work in engineering education.
Renata S. Engel P.E. Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Renata Engel is Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College of Engineering at Penn State. A member of the Penn State faculty since 1990, she is Professor of Engineering Design and Engineering Science and Mechanics she has served as Executive Director of the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. She has provided leadership to Penn State’s efforts to assess student learning outcomes assessment, to integrate inquiry and discovery into undergraduate courses, and to develop programs to promote inclusive classroom environments. Engel’s discipline specific research couples her interest in design and manufacturing with advanced materials, with a focus on computational modeling. She serves as the education director for Penn State’s participation in the ASSIST Engineering Research Center led by North Carolina State University. For her individual and collaborative contributions to engineering education, she has received several university and national awards. She is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education. She has held several leadership positions in the American Society for Engineering Education, including president in 2010-2011.
Abstract
Toys and Mathematical Options for Retention in Engineering (Toys’n MORE) Final Outcomes for Engineering Students Who Participated in Math Tutoring, a Toy-Based Freshman Design Course, or a Summer Bridge ProgramThis paper presents final project outcome data based on the implementation of the Toys andMathematical Options for Retention in Engineering (Toys’n MORE) project funded by theNational Science Foundation (NSF). The goal is to increase the number of Science, Technology,Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors by 10%, with a focus on engineering students.This project is being conducted by the College of Engineering at _____ through an NSF-sponsored Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program grant(STEP grant #0756992). The project involves the College of Engineering and 13 regionalcampuses in the _____ system. These campuses are feeder schools for the main campus andoffer associate and bachelor degrees in STEM majors. The project is based on four strategies,including three interventions plus one assessment and evaluation component. The threeinterventions include: (a) tutoring programs that serve foundational mathematics courses(Algebra II, Trigonometry); (b) a freshman toy-based design course (called Toy FUN-damentals)in which dissection and re-design of toys are used to engage students in a positive environment;and (c) summer bridge programs at three regional campuses to facilitate the transition from highschool to college among incoming underrepresented engineering students. The strength of thisproject lies in the comprehensive scope of the interventions as well as its large sample size.Following the completion of the interventions and data collection from fall 2009 through spring2013, we assessed the interventions in terms of the increase in percentage of students retained inengineering majors at _____. Covering eight semesters of data collection, this paper presentsannual retention data for students exposed to the interventions. We examined the number ofengineering students retained in engineering as well as the number who switched to other STEMmajors, non-STEM majors, or withdrew from the university altogether. Retention in engineeringin the third year of an undergraduate education is particularly important because it indicatesthose students who successfully completed the entrance-to-major criteria and were able to enrollin their intended engineering major. We examined retention in engineering among studentsexposed to the interventions and compared those students to a sample of students not exposed tothe interventions. In addition to retention data, we will also present intermediate outcomes foreach of the three interventions, such as math course grades and grade point averages.
Cohan, C. L., & Yin, A. C., & Freeman, A. L., & Gomez-Calderon, J., & Margle, J. M., & Lane, J. L., & Sathianathan, D., & Engel, R. S. (2014, June), Toys and Mathematical Options for Retention in Engineering (Toys’n MORE): Final Outcomes for Engineering Students Who Participated in Math Tutoring, a Toy-Based Freshman Design Course, or a Summer Bridge Program Paper presented at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--23202
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