Engineering-Other (59) This project is a collaborative effort between McNeese State University (MSU, Lake Charles, LA), and Louisiana State University at Eunice (LSUE, Eunice, LA) to enhance introductory core engineering courses at MSU and establish introductory engineering courses on the LSUE campus. Specifically, this work concentrates on the topic areas of thermodynamics, circuits, and engineering statics. The project uses educational methods of Just in Time Teaching (JiTT), the Instructional Design Model by the National Center for Manufacturing Education (NCME), and eCourses to a) increase the retention rate of engineering majors between the freshman and sophomore years at MSU, b) increase the understanding of engineering course concepts, c) increase student processing skills required for engineering problem solving, and d) improve student attitudes about engineering as a field of study and a profession. The course design uses an activity-based, hybrid approach, with three components, a) face-to-face (live and virtual), b) web-based, and c) on site support. The on-site support component includes a) holding office hours and assisting students with homework and other class assignments, b) proctoring quizzes and exams, c) serving as the faculty sponsor of an engineering club focused on the core introductory concepts, and d) promoting engineering to LSUE students at large and the community served by LSUE.
is a collaborative effort between McNeese State University (MSU, Lake Charles, LA), and Louisiana State University at Eunice (LSUE, Eunice, LA) to enhance the pre-engineering curriculum at MSU, establish a pre-engineering program on the LSUE campus and organize outreach activities. Its mission is to implement innovative but proven educational methods, materials and strategies, deliver an exemplary pre-engineering program to students at MSU and LSUE, and assess their competencies. The following statements outline key project outcomes and their achievement level: 1) By the end of this program increase the additional engineering majors between the freshman and sophomore years at MSU by a minimum of 10%. In the fall of 2010, 96 students were classified as engineering sophomores out of the 176 engineering freshman in the fall of 2009. In the fall of 2013, 129 students were classified as engineering sophomores out of the 192 engineering freshman in the fall of 2002. Since the fall of 2010, McNeese State University has 33 more sophomores which represents 34% increase in the sophomore engineering class since the fall of 2010. 2) Successful distance learning pre-engineering program for LSUE students is developed and implemented. In the fall of 2009, 3 students transferred from LSUE to the College of Engineering at McNeese. In the fall of 2013, 30 students transferred from LSUE to the College of Engineering at McNeese. This increase in transfer students is evidence that the distance learning pre-engineering program at LSUE has been working well. 3) Students in the rural central Louisiana area become more knowledgeable about engineering as a career (Immediate Outcome). Based on the increased number of students who transfer from LSUE to McNeese, it is evident that students in rural central Louisiana area have become more knowledgeable about engineering as a career.
