Communicating the impact of an introduction to engineering course to engineering departments

Abstract

The Introduction to Engineering and Science course at Clemson has many objectives-for those that stay in the College, it is their first point of contact and helps them select a major; for many who will not major in engineering or science, the authors aim for students to discover this as early as possible. While responses to traditional survey questions are used within Clemson's General Engineering program to assess the value of the course to the students, this study focuses on the message department representatives want to hear. The departments this course serves generally set aside survey results from the general population of students taking the course, because the value of those results is clouded by the presence of many students who will never major in engineering because they do not pass prerequisite courses. This study therefore focuses on the major-changing behaviors of students who were eligible for majors in engineering. Combining the results of pre- and post-survey instruments with an analysis of student records, the study quantifies multiple ways that the course affects departments.