DocumentCode :
1802616
Title :
Work in progress — Retention and FIGS: Institutional versus engineering major efficacy
Author :
Virnoche, Mary ; Cashman, Eileen ; Eschenbach, Elizabeth ; Hughes, Rees
fYear :
2010
fDate :
27-30 Oct. 2010
Abstract :
In an attempt to retain students, institutions have implemented programs focused on “the first year experience”. Many institutions link their first-year programs to specific disciplines, calling these programs freshmen interest groups or “FIGs.” In this research we explore the extent to which this FIG model, found in other research to be effective for improving general institutional retention, can be extended to improve major specific retention in Environmental Resources Engineering (ERE) at Humboldt State University. Analysis from institutional and departmental sources on three cohorts of freshmen ERE majors in FIG (n=29) and Non-FIG (n=15) groups, as well as other non-ERE FIGS groups indicates that ERE freshmen enrolled in FIGs continued to their sophomore year at HSU at the same average rate as students in other FIGs (76%) and at a significantly higher rate than all Non-FIG freshmen (72%). However, FIG participation did not affect retention in the engineering major itself. Our study suggests that the FIG model best addresses the instabilities of transition into college and that major retention in science and engineering is a more complex phenomenon that the current FIGs model does not address. Data for two additional cohorts of freshmen (n=65) will be added to this analysis and the combined results will be reported at the conference.
Keywords :
educational courses; educational institutions; engineering education; environmental engineering; Humboldt state university; college; departmental sources; environmental resources engineering; first-year programs; freshmen interest groups; general institutional retention; institutional sources; science and engineering; Book reviews; Conferences; Educational institutions; Energy resources; Medical services; Seminars; Switches; Environmental Engineering; Freshman Interest Groups; Retention;
fLanguage :
English
Publisher :
ieee
Conference_Titel :
Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2010 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Washington, DC
ISSN :
0190-5848
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-6261-2
Electronic_ISBN :
0190-5848
Type :
conf
DOI :
10.1109/FIE.2010.5673136
Filename :
5673136
Link To Document :
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