Fast Track to Achievement II: Increasing Academic Performance and Retention of Engineering Freshmen by Promoting Achievement Behaviors

摘要

In making the transition from high school to college, engineering freshmen can benefit from guidance by upperclassmen on how to meet the challenges of engineering and how to negotiate the college environment. Upperclassmen, particularly those with a proven track record of academic achievement and leadership, are credible sources and powerful role models for engineering freshmen. This assumption formed the basis for development of a freshman retention program, "Fast Track to Achievement." The primary strategy of Fast Track is to engage teams of upperclassmen in dialogue with groups of freshmen in a series of workshops focusing on three themes -"Mastering Mathematics," "Making It in Engineering," and "Planning to Graduate." The goal of the program is to expose the greatest number of freshmen to successful engineering undergraduates who can speak from experience on how to adjust to the rigors of the engineering curriculum, earn the best grades, and make the freshman year a good foundation for achievement in engineering. This paper describes the training, implementation, and evaluation of the Fast Track to Achievement Programs and its effect on freshman academic performance and retention.