scholarly journals The establishment of a program to act against dropout and retention rates on Biochemical Engineering

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Geraldo Gabriel Araujo Silva ◽  
Michele Da Rosa Andrade Zimmermann de Souza ◽  
Ana Priscila Centeno da Rosa ◽  
Elisangela Martha Radmann ◽  
Thaisa Duarte Santos
Keyword(s):  
Student Development ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Traditional Learning ◽  
Biochemical Engineering ◽  
School Year ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
The University ◽  
Interest And Motivation

The highest rates of evasion and dropout on the Biochemical Engineering major at Federal University of Rio Grande are observed during the first semesters of the undergraduate degree, in which are offered the courses that compose the basic cycle of Engineering and are the foundation for the advanced courses. Literature confirms that entering the university can be a very stressful and life changing process, reinforcing the need of special institutional attention to the freshmen. As an alternative to fight this negative scenario and promote integration among the students, a series of activities were proposed through the Program of Incentive to Academic Activities of Biochemical Engineering Students (PAIEB), supported by the Institutional Program of Student Development (PDE-FURG). During the school year of 2016, PAIEB offered a series of testimonies of juniors and seniors about their experiences on college (primary action), in addition to motivational speeches, and time management workshops (secondary action). To evaluate the activities and identify punctual problems to take directed actions, opinion and reflection surveys were conducted to all students that participated in the program activities. It was found that difficulty on time management and demotivation were key problems among the freshmen. In addition, the evasion level in 2016 remained stable when compared to the 2015 level (about 17%) and decreased roughly 3% when compared to 2014, and the retention level within the freshmen year did not show significant decrease. Therefore, the answers to the surveys applied showed that the program is helping on freshman interest and motivation and helped identifying actual problems representing that PAIEB could be working, in this case, as a complementation the recurrent traditional learning and education. Moreover, data collected from the university database implied that the program needs to be amplified and intensified to help decreasing evasion and retention among the Biochemical Engineering students.  

scholarly journals Entrepreneurship and Saudi Engineering Students: Intentions and Competencies

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-50
Author(s):  
Hemaid Alsulami Hemaid Alsulami
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Analytical Thinking ◽  
Financial Expertise ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Business Acumen ◽  
The University

In recent years, entrepreneurship has opened many doors and opportunities for individuals and societies alike. In the case of Saudi Arabia, it could reduce the reliance on oil and contribute to the economy diversification. This research paper aims to investigating students’ entrepreneurial intentions such as their level of interest, the time preference of starting their venture and preferences regarding a partnership. Further, it assesses the students' attainment level of skills that are deemed necessary for an entrepreneur to be successful. The research is also evaluating whether a university has any role in providing the students with the necessary skills and in which ways it does that. A survey was used to find answers to the research questions and was distributed to students in different regions of Saudi Arabia. The study found that about 80% of engineering students are interested in having an entrepreneurial career and the primary motivator behind this decision is to make more money than what is provide by a traditional job. Additionally, the majority of students prefer working for a few years before venturing on their own. The results show that skills and competencies such as decision making, effective communication, strategic and analytical thinking, flexibility and leadership were acquired at a better level than skills and competencies such as business acumen, risk taking, financial expertise and time management. Moreover, only 47% of participants believe that higher education schools have a role in equipping the students with the required skills, and the majority of those believe the university has helped them in attaining skills, such as project management skills through business administration courses.

scholarly journals Evaluation on Study Skills and Academic Stress on University Engineering Students' Academic Achievement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustefa Jibril
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Study Skills ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Academic Stress ◽  
Performance Study ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Bachelor's Degrees ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
The University

This study aimed to examine the influence it is to study skills and academic-related stress in the academic performance of the students of the university. A descriptive research project was used. The study was carried out among students of engineering at the University of Dire Dawa. The study involved 400 students of the engineering bachelor's degrees, one hundred and, from the second to the fifth year, which has been evaluated for the academic stress and to study skills. A random sample is used to select objects for the study of the system. Three tools were used: Tool I: Socio-demographic Profile Sheet, Tool II: Study Skills Assessment Questionnaire, Tool III: Perceived Stress Scale. The results of this study showed that the students performed well in all the subjects, except for the time-management method and writing skills. More than two-thirds of the surveyed students have a low level of stress. Academic stress is higher in senior and female students. There was a negative correlation between the students ' stress and their study skills. Statistically significant relationships were found between academic performance, study skills, and the stress level of the students surveyed.

scholarly journals A FRAMEWORK FOR EXPLORING ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN A FIRST YEAR ENGINEERING COURSE

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol P. Jaeger ◽  
Peter M. Ostafichuk
Keyword(s):  
Student Development ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
First Year ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Profession ◽  
Graduate Attributes ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
The University

Abstract A module on professionalism and ethics was developed and introduced in a recent redesign of the first year engineering curriculum at The University of British Columbia (UBC). Motivating factors for including this content in first year included providing students with a fuller understanding of the engineering profession, introducing content to support student development in multiple Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) graduate attributes, and providing education and support for students in the responsible use of peer review.  Additionally, feedback from senior engineering students indicated that students would benefit from inclusion of professionalism and ethics content earlier in the curriculum. In this paper, the structure and content of the module specifically related to ethics will be described, student feedback for the module will be presented, and key learnings will be discussed.

scholarly journals Educational strategy to favor attitudes towards statistics in engineering students

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. e26
Author(s):  
Raul León Báez Olazábal ◽  
Doris Vivian Prieto Valdés ◽  
Alexia Esther Nardin Anarela ◽  
Raidel Báez Prieto
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Educational Strategy ◽  
School Year ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
New Research ◽  
The University ◽  
Engineering Career

The increase in the need of teaching and learning of statistics leads to new research in this area. An exploratory study is presented, during the 2018-2019 school year, to analyze the attitudes towards the statistics, that students of the civil engineering career have at the University of Camagüey, Cuba. Based on experiences validated by the experts Estrada (2002, 2007) and Auzmendi (1992), the application of an educational strategy with three stages is proposed. It is based, applied and evaluated in the characterization of the second-year students of Civil Engineering and the diagnosis of their attitudes towards Statistics. The results show, that the implementation of this methodology, allowed to increase the positive attitude towards statistics and encourage better learning of the teaching process. 

Hope and Positive Development in the Third Decade of Life. A Theoretical Perspective on Tertiary Education Students in Cameroon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariha Azalea
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Education Students ◽  
The Third ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
Transition Into Adulthood ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The University

University is relatively considered a stressful moment in the life of students due to numerous academic workloads and academic activities. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that some university students are in emerging adulthood, a developmental period which is psychologically fraught with uncertainty, instability and identity issues among others. Added to these, the context of most universities like Cameroon which is marred with political, economic and social turbulence common to other developing societies in the sub Saharan region makes life unbearable. Looking at the challenges that confront tertiary education students in the third decade of life, increases possibilities of fears that they will founder thus narrowing the route to a blossomed transition into adulthood and through the university from home into the world of work. However, observations reveal that some have remained hopeful as they continuously believe in themselves and their worth. As such, they have resiliently shrugged off the vast burden placed on them by the adult society as they struggle intentionally with continuous efforts to succeed. Being hopeful and self-efficacy beliefs are observed to be some of the effective drivers that pull emerging adults through the storms of university transition thus facilitating positive development into subsequent life stages. Unfortunately just a paucity of literature albeit theoretically actually narrates via scholarly corridors the monumental successes recorded by students as they sail flourishingly through university in the midst of storms an in the third decade of life. This paper examines and addresses the foregoing through the lenses of some theories.

Engineering for good: A case of community driven engineering innovation

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chinweike Eseonu ◽  
Martin A Cortes
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Technology Innovation ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
First Year ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
The World ◽  
The University ◽  
Social Consideration

There is a culture of disengagement from social consideration in engineering disciplines. This means that first year engineering students, who arrive planning to change the world through engineering, lose this passion as they progress through the engineering curriculum. The community driven technology innovation and investment program described in this paper is an attempt to reverse this trend by fusing community engagement with the normal engineering design process. This approach differs from existing project or trip based approaches – outreach – because the focus is on local communities with which the university team forms a long-term partnership through weekly in-person meetings and community driven problem statements – engagement.

A Long-Term Study of What Best Predicts Graduating From University Versus Leaving Prior to Graduation

2021 ◽  
pp. 152102512098799
Author(s):  
Teena Willoughby ◽  
Victoria W. Dykstra ◽  
Taylor Heffer ◽  
Joelle Braccio ◽  
Hamnah Shahid
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
First Year ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Enrollment Status ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
University Degree ◽  
The University

Despite the importance of obtaining a university degree, retention rates remain a concern for many universities. This longitudinal study provides a multi-domain examination of first-year student characteristics and behaviors that best predict which students graduate. Graduation status was assessed seven years after students entered university. Participants (N = 1017; 71% female; mean age in Year 1 was 19 years) enrolled in a Canadian mid-sized university completed a survey, provided their enrollment status over the next 6 years (regardless of whether they left university), and consented to have their grades and status provided by the Registrar. Overall, 79% of students graduated by Year 7 (44% in 4 years). The strongest predictor of graduation was first-year grades. Social engagement in the university also predicted graduation. Surprisingly, mental health was not a significant predictor of graduation. Only a minority of students may experience mental health difficulties to such an extent that it affects their ability to succeed at university.

scholarly journals Compartmental Learning versus Joint Learning in Engineering Education

Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 662
Author(s):  
María Jesús Santos ◽  
Alejandro Medina ◽  
José Miguel Mateos Roco ◽  
Araceli Queiruga-Dios
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Linear Equations ◽  
Mathematical Software ◽  
Mathematical Concepts ◽  
Joint Learning ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Non Linear Equations ◽  
Mathematics And Physics

Sophomore students from the Chemical Engineering undergraduate Degree at the University of Salamanca are involved in a Mathematics course during the third semester and in an Engineering Thermodynamics course during the fourth one. When they participate in the latter they are already familiar with mathematical software and mathematical concepts about numerical methods, including non-linear equations, interpolation or differential equations. We have focused this study on the way engineering students learn Mathematics and Engineering Thermodynamics. As students use to learn each matter separately and do not associate Mathematics and Physics, they separate each matter into different and independent compartments. We have proposed an experience to increase the interrelationship between different subjects, to promote transversal skills, and to make the subjects closer to real work. The satisfactory results of the experience are exposed in this work. Moreover, we have analyzed the results obtained in both courses during the academic year 2018–2019. We found that there is a relation between both courses and student’s final marks do not depend on the course.

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