Enhancing Curriculum in a First-Year Introduction to Engineering Course to Assist Students in Choice of Major

This research paper describes a series of activities that were implemented in a first-year Introduction to Engineering course to assist students in their choice of major. Many students switch engineering majors after their first year causing possible delays in graduation, excessive credits that end up not being used towards any degree, and wasted time and money associated with the class, book fees, and energy. We want students to make the best decision possible during their first year to avoid the unnecessary headache from having to switch majors in the middle of their degree program. In order to help students make an informed choice about their major, the various engineering disciplines are discussed as part of the Introduction to Engineering course, a required course for all first-year engineering students. This has typically been accomplished through department presentations or seminars in which faculty from the various engineering departments give presentations to students. Our department is currently restructuring the course and sought to provide additional opportunities for students to interact with engineers in the various disciplines. Thus in Fall 2015, a series of company panels introducing students to engineering employers was added to the course (in addition to the department presentations). The goal of this research was to determine the impact of course activities (department presentations and company panels) on students’ decisions regarding choice of major. Two surveys were given to students: one following the department presentations and the other following the company panels. Results indicate that both activities, department presentations and company panels, were viewed positively by a majority of students. The department presentations (given early in the semester) particularly helped students make a decision about their major. Though company panels appeared less effective (a lower percentage of students felt these helped them decide on a major), the decrease could simply be due to the fact that these came later in the semester and a majority of students had already made up their mind about which major to pursue. Additionally, students’ confidence increased in their choice of major suggesting that the company panels were effective. Survey comments provided specific feedback regarding which aspects of the activities students found most helpful and insight into changes that might improve the activities in future semesters.