The department-level-reform planning grant is to address the needs of our students, their future employers, and the profession as a whole. The department keeps abreast of these needs through a variety of channels, including our department Advisory Council, ABET, and direct faculty contact with companies that hire the students. The two most important needs identified include: 1) more women and under-represented minority graduates and 2) graduates that are prepared to deal with rapidly changing technology and societal demands.
The focus of this planning proposal is to enable students to be more self-motivated, effective learners. Several approaches to significantly enhancing the learning environment are examined. The building of learning communities in freshman courses is the first step in achieving our goals. Another goal of this reform is to improve the recruitment and retention of students including women and under-represented minorities. Initial studies on improving the learning environment focus on the two most important transitions for student retention - the high school to first year college student and the freshman to sophomore transitions. The department will work with the Women in Science and Engineering Program and Multi-cultural Engineering Program to change the recruiting paradigm. This will involve emphasizing problem solving and societal contributions instead of the current emphasis on "being good at mathematics and science."
