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The Engineers of Tomorrow Program designed to attract and retain qualified
Appalachian students, particularly women and underrepresented minority high
school students, to engineering and science-oriented careers, and encourage
improvement in math scores for all students.
Engineering graduate student
Braxton Lewis works on a problem with freshman Emily H. as part of Engineers
of Tomorrow's "early intervention" effort in freshman
physics.
This program leverages the strengths of several non-profit entities
including: the WVU Colleges of Engineering and Mineral Resources (CEMR),
Human Resources and Education (HR&E), Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
(ECAS); The EdVenture Group (a non-profit educational outreach organization);
and the Governor's Minority Students Strategies Council. Engineers of Tomorrow
will be executed through four tightly coordinated strategies for outreach to
high school students and for retention of college freshmen, each tied to West Virginia
curriculum standards, for specific desired outcomes:
1. Tools for Integrating Math and Engineering (TIME) Kits are designed to
reach a broad audience of high school students (G9 - 12). Developed by WVU
faculty from engineering, mathematics, math education, physics and master
mathematics teachers, TIME Kits are authentic problem-based engineering
lessons designed to increase student achievement in math and interest in
science and engineering. Math concepts will be tied to the curriculum
requirements of the West Virginia Department of Education Content Standards
and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards.
Beginning fall 2005, this program will engage 125 teachers in cohort groups
of 25 each year who will impact 12,500 students annually.
2. Summer Experience Program is designed to encourage qualified Appalachian
area high school students to participate in a science or engineering field
and to provide mentorship to students without a support system at home. This
program provides intensive instruction for 80 -100 Appalachian area high school
students, especially girls and minorities. Students attend in cohort groups
of 20 for one week and will maintain contact with the program year-round
through WVU engineering student mentors. The curriculum consists of
introductory engineering training; basic math, science and technology skills;
ACT/SAT preparation; and study skills necessary to survive on a large college
campus.
3. College Credit for High-School is designed to encourage the exceptional
regional high school student to pursue college credit in engineering prior to
graduation. WVU will implement an on-line course for college credit drawn
from existing Engineering-101 and Engineering-199 curricula. This will
encourage capable high school students to better understand engineering
career options before entering a college program and gain college credit that
will reduce the time needed to complete their degree.
4. Freshman Engineering Retention Program is designed to increase retention
for all engineering students. With an emphasis on mentorship and coaching,
the WVU College of Engineering has initiated a freshman retention program
that has demonstrable success raising retention rates of 10 percentage points
in three years without raising admission standards. Additional funding for
student coaches will enable CEMR to expand upon this success.
Through this grant from the National Science Foundation and the C. W. Benedum
Foundation, it is anticipated that engineering enrollment and graduation will
grow by four percent annually during the five year grant period, with
improvements expected in all STEM programs at WVU.
This information is based upon work supported by the National Science
Foundation under Grant No. 0525484. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions
or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. In
addition, Engineers of Tomorrow is co-sponsored by the West Virginia Space
Grant Consortium, and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundations.
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