Supplemental instruction integrated into an introductory engineering course

Journal of Engineering Education, Oct 1998 by Webster, Thomas J, Dee, Kay C

ABSTRACT

In an effort to increase student comprehension of course material and to decrease engineering student attrition rate, Supplemental Instruction (SI) was integrated into a first-year engineering course (Introduction to Engineering Analysis; IEA) during the Fall 1996 semester through the combined efforts of the Advising and Learning Assistance Center and the Core Engineering Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. SI is a voluntarily-attended, interactive course review program that helps students master course material while they develop and integrate effective learning and study skill strategies. SI does not disrupt the normal lecture or recitation sections of a course. SI was successfully incorporated into IEA as indicated by two main results: 1) students who attended SI received higher course grades than did students who never attended SI and 2) students who attended SI were less likely to receive a final course grade of a D or F, and were thus less likely to withdraw from the engineering program. Since a majority (66%) of SI attendees was composed of at-risk students (who received a letter grade of"C" on at least one of the four course examinations) and high-risk students (who received a letter grade of"D" or "F" on at least one of the four course examinations), SI was helping those who had the most to gain from the experience. Furthermore, SI was embraced by the attendees, who rated the sessions 4.7 on a scale of 1 (not helpful) to 5 (very helpful) on SI end-of-the-term evaluations. The logistics of implementing SI into an engineering course is presented.

I. INTRODUCTION

Traditional, introductory engineering courses are taught in a large lecture format in conjunction with smaller recitations in which key lecture topics are enforced through exam, quiz, and homework exercises. One such course, Introduction to Engineering Analysis (IEA; course 20.100, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), is generally taken in the first semester of the freshman year and provides an integrated treatment of vector mechanics (statics) and linear algebra, also emphasizing computer-based matrix methods for solving engineering problems. The course format combines large (i.e., 80 - 100 students) lectures with weekly, smaller (40 - 50 students) recitations during which students work in teams to solve problems, assisted by the professor and/or the teaching assistant(s). IEA, therefore, incorporates active and peer-learning techniques with traditional lecture-based instructional methods.

Students and faculty have been pleased with the additional teamwork and problem-solving practice provided by the recitation sections. However, the recitations are not a panacea for the many special challenges inherent in teaching a first-semester, freshmanlevel course. For example, students who performed well in high school classes while exerting minimal effort, may not possess the necessary study skills appropriate for a rigorous college environment. Moreover, engineering problem solving is often a totally new mental exercise for college freshmen, even for students who excelled in high school math and science classes. The transition from secondary to collegiate learning environments has been researched for several fundamental science curricula,1,2 yielding positive results when study skills have been incorporated into the course material through supplemental sessions that do not disrupt the lecture or recitation.3-5 During the Fall 1996 semester, the Advising and Learning Assistance Center in conjunction with the Core Engineering Department, initiated a series of Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions for students enrolled in IEA: 1) to aid in the freshman learning transition, 2) not to disrupt the lecture or recitation, and 3) to involve learning skills specialists in the integration of study skills into each SI session.

II. SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION

SI, originally developed in 1973 by Deanna Martin at the University of Missouri-Kansas City,6 is a program designed to enhance student mastery of course materials and to encourage effective learning and study skill strategies.7 SI sessions provide students with the opportunity to attend voluntary, structured, interactive learning sessions centered around a course without disrupting or altering the lecture, recitation, and/or laboratory sessions for a course. While SI has been successfully integrated into college courses such as chemistry,4 5 biology,8 and mathematics,3 as well as medical school courses,9 the potential benefits associated with offering SI for engineering courses have not been examined in detail. Therefore, we modeled our SI program for IEA after successful SI programs for other courses.

A. SI Personnel Roles

Three key personnel were crucial to the success of our SI program: the SI leader, the SI supervisor, and the course instructor. The SI leader was an undergraduate student who had mastered course subject matter, completed SI training, and was considered acceptable by both the Advising and Learning Assistance Center and the course instructors. The SI leader attended all course lectures and conducted two to three one-hour SI sessions per week. The SI leader was viewed by the students as an ideal student, who was approachable, knowledgeable, and available to answer questions. The main goal of the SI leader in the program was to facilitate questions and answers from the SI group and, therefore, allow students to assist each other in problem solving.