Building community and retention among first-year students: engineering First-Year Interest Groups (eFIGSs)

During the fall semesters of 2005 and 2006, two sections of a basic communication course for first-year engineering students were part of a First-year Interest Group (FIG); that is, forty students in two sections of EPD155 Basic Communication course were also in two other courses: an engineering design course and a math or chemistry course. While FIGs had proven to help students make smooth transitions from high school to college in other settings, this was the first time engineering faculty at UW-Madison had participated. Research from other institutions and departments showed that FIGs were learning communities that provided (1) students with opportunities to integrate learning through intense intellectual and social coherence and engagement (2) curricular and environmental experiences that enhance students' ability to connect socially and academically with the university (3) intentional and substantive interaction among peers and faculty. Nationally, results of students' participation in FIGs experiences showed higher retention rates, higher grade point averages, higher levels of academic integration and institutional commitment, more informal interaction with faculty outside of class, higher levels of interaction with peers, higher levels of integration of course information, greater gains in communication skills, and high student satisfaction, especially out-of-state students and students of color. Engineering faculty recognized eFIGs as opportunities to address retention in engineering, a concern nationally; at UW-Madison, the retention rate is 60% for first-year students who start in engineering according to the most recent data available. The faculty hypothesized that students in an eFIG would have a unique opportunity to create an effective learning community and, therefore, they further hypothesized that they would make informed decisions about engineering and persist at the university at a higher rate that those students who did not participate in an eFIG. Designing learning experiences for students in the linked courses provided a creative opportunity described in this paper. Authentic assessments included an introductory essay at the beginning of the semester, a reflective essay at the end of the semester, a real-world design project and presentation, an online survey using the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG), the traditional course evaluation, and a focus group discussion a semester later. Preliminary results show that students were satisfied with their first-year experience and were still pursuing engineering career plans; the retention rate is 80%. A longitudinal study continues.