Collaborative Learning as a Tool for Retention of EngineeringStudents: An Update on the Success of Engineering ‘Redshirt’Camps and Collaborative Learning Workshops at the Universityof Houston Cullen College of Engineering

摘要

Our experience at the University of Houston is similar to that of many engineering schoolsaround the country: far too often, engineering students who thrive during their freshmanexperience do not pass essential sophomore engineering courses. In our Department of Electricaland Computer Engineering (ECE), the pass rates of courses such as Circuits andElectromagnetics have traditionally hovered between approximately 50 and 60%. These rigorouscourses, which are the foundation for further work in the ECE curriculum, can be difficult evenfor the well-prepared student.To better prepare eligible students for the challenging sophomore engineering curriculum,ECE faculty created Redshirt Camp, a weeklong interactive camp that uses collaborativelearning pedagogy to teach critical engineering concepts. During the following semester,students continue to practice techniques learned at Redshirt Camp through weekly, coursespecificCollaborative Learning Workshops.Now in its fifth semester, this program has proven to be a valuable retention tool in our ECEcurriculum. Since its inception in the summer of 2002, pass rates for the Circuits course havevaried between 40 and 61% for students who did not complete the program. In contrast, studentswho completed both Redshirt Camp and the subsequent Collaborative Learning Workshops hadpass rates between 62 and 75%. Success has been even greater in the Electromagnetics course:non-participant participation pass rates varied between 46 and 59%, while 78 to 91% of programparticipants successfully completed the course. As the popularity of the program with both ECEstudents and faculty has grown, college-wide support has increased. The programs have beenexpanded to include critical courses in Civil and Chemical Engineering.