This Work in Progress will describe a pilot program designed to integrate and streamline existing coursework and resources at Clemson University to improve the engineering graduation rate and enhance the educational and social experiences of students who begin unprepared for Calculus I. Initial mathematics placement is a strong indicator of engineering matriculation beyond the first year. Students who begin at the Clemson University in Calculus I have a historic 68% six-year graduation rate within an engineering major. In contrast, students who begin in "Year-Long Calculus," an extended two-semester sequence for Calculus I, have a historic six-year graduation rate within an engineering major of 40%. First-year engineering students in Year-Long Calculus also fail the introductory engineering and chemistry courses at a higher rate than their Calculus I counterparts. This paper will describe a pilot program designed to surround Year-Long Calculus students with intentional, targeted support within a community of learners. The program features co-enrollment in a two-credit course, developed by the engineering faculty and Academic Success Center (ASC) personnel. The overall course goal is to help students develop metacognitive awareness of their development in the domain of becoming successful STEM students. The program uses Entangled Learning as its pedagogical philosophy. Developed at Clemson University, Entangled Learning is a heuristic that empowers individuals to direct their own learning through intentional peer- to-peer collaborations and rigorous documentation, particularly in areas of narrating, self-regulating, critically reflecting, integrating, and collaborating. Students are introduced to and encouraged to utilize existing support resources housed within the ASC, creating a single point of contact, eliminating the overload of choices for students, and maximizing collective impact. The ASC provides programs such as professional academic coaching, Peer-Assisted Learning, and content tutoring services, all of which are proven effective in enhancing retention, scholarship retention, and graduation rates. The pilot program began in August 2017. Preliminary results during the fall semester are encouraging and suggest this may be an effective model for supporting first year, at-risk students in engineering. The paper will include a description of the new course and additional support efforts. Academic data for the Year-Long Calculus student group in comparison with the Calculus I student population are presented for historical data and for the pilot program. Preliminary qualitative data will be included to illustrate the experience of these students. Finally, we will suggest considerations for future implementations.
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