Session 6E5 ADDDING ADVISING AND MENTORING TO AN INTEGRATED

Abstract — The transition from high school to college can be very difficult for many students. At the University of Pittsburgh, we have a system of courses and academic counseling that is designed to address these issues and help the student in this trans

ADDDING ADVISING AND MENTORING TO AN INTEGRATED FRESHMEN

CURRICULUM

DAN D. BUDNY1

Abstract — The transition from high school to college can be very difficult for many students. At the University of Pittsburgh, we have a system of courses and academic counseling that is designed to address these issues and help the student in this transition. One major component is a series of mentoring courses that the entering student can select for the first semester. These courses are designed to help the freshman make this major transition. The student must also enroll in a Freshman Problem Solving course that details the use of various computer tools. This paper will discuss how these courses are integrated and describe the interaction of counseling with the first semester engineering problem solving course. The paper will also discuss the mentor selection process, the mentor-training program, and the topics covered in the mentoring sessions.

University of Pittsburgh. Thus, the ENGR0081 course uses existing upper class students as instructors to discuss with the entering students, issues involving the transition between high school and college. In addition to the seminar course each student is enrolled in a Freshman Problem Solving course ENGR0011, that has as a goal to introduce problem-solving skills to the student. The retention method employed to help with the student transition is we integrate the ENGR0011 and ENGR0081 courses.

ENGR0011

Engineering 0011 is a three credit course that meets twice a week for 2-hours in a computer-equipped classroom. It is an integrative course that has three overall goals:

4) To teach the basic skills that are used by all engineers.

These skills include analytical skills, programming design skills, graphical skills, problem solving skills, teamwork skills and communication skills.

5) To introduce the role of the computers in engineering

problem solving.

6) To begin the understanding of how material in the basic

sciences and mathematics is used by engineers to solve practical problems of interest to society.

Roughly half the course is taught interactively in a cooperative learning environment where the students work in teams to solve the course requirements. The remainder of the course is taught in a lecture environment, where our emphasis is on the relationship between the engineering sciences and engineering design. The classes are taught by faculty members from various departments within the School of Engineering. The course is concerned with material that appears to fall within the realm of specific topics in engineering, our emphasis is on using various computer tools to solve engineering problems. The course also illustrates how engineering differs from science and mathematics. During these sessions we introduce and coach the student in the following topics:

1) Working in Teams 2) Web page design,

a. Introduction to University Computing system, b. Internet Fundamentals, c. Basic UNIX Commands, d. HTML Programming 3) Review of Mathematics,

INTRODUCTION

Numerous studies document the importance of interaction with the freshman students during their first semester [1 - 9]. This concept is nothing new, as reflected in the fact that most colleges have an orientation program for entering students. One component we use at the University of Pittsburgh is getting the involvement of parents and other family members in the processes and transitions [10]. This student/parent summer orientation program includes the following:

1) Raising the level of awareness of parents and students

relative to changes involved in moving to a campus environment and relative to the services offered by the university to help adjust to these changes.

2) Expanding parents' and new students' knowledge

through discussion and materials regarding changes in status, residence, failure, relationships, and authority. 3) Helping parents and students develop a positive attitude

toward their first year at the university.

We use this summer orientation program to help students become aware of the changes that are taking place in their lives. We then make a transition in the student's immediate family structure by introducing professional counselors and advisors in the seminar course ENGR0081 that explain the new university policies and procedures to the students, and act as the parent figure. It is also important to involve peer mentors in the process and offer student success tips as well as survival tips that are used at the

1Dan D. Budny, University of Pittsburgh, Engineering Student Services, B-74A Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, 412-624-6474, ,

International Conference on Engineering Education

August 6 – 10, 2001 Oslo, Norway

Abstract — The transition from high school to college can be very difficult for many students. At the University of Pittsburgh, we have a system of courses and academic counseling that is designed to address these issues and help the student in this trans

a. Linear Algebra b. Matrix Operations

4) Use of spreadsheets (EXCEL) in problem solving,

a. Introduction to Engineering Problem Solving b. Mathematical Operations c. Graphing data d. Matrix Operations e. Curve Fitting data f. Equation Solving g. Data Analysis

5) Use of software packages (MATLAB) in problem

solving,

a. Mathematical Operations b. Matrix Operations c. Curve Fitting d. Plotting

e. Input/Output f. Scripting g. Branching h. Looping

6) Use of software packages (WORD, POWERPOINT) in

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