Ensuring Students Have the Prerequisite Skills for a First Course in Engineering

摘要

A common problem in a first course in engineering is the variation in prerequisite skills of students. These skills might include manipulation of units, data analysis, interpolation, and curve fitting. If class time is dedicated to teaching these skills, students who already have them are not challenged while others may struggle to master them in the limited class time available. An attractive solution to this problem is to make students responsible for mastering these skills outside of class, employing self-paced, on-line resource materials and diagnostic tests to let students know when they have mastered the material. This approach allows the instructor to immediately begin covering new topics without using class time to cover this prerequisite material. It is also possible to schedule diagnostic quizzes throughout the course so that prerequisite skills are available when needed.