An Evaluation of a Learning Community Program for Freshman Engineering Students

This paper discusses a pilot program for a freshman engineering learning community at Binghamton University. The engineering learning community program is an integration of three courses, an introduction to engineering course, a technical writing course, and a calculus course, for students who reside in the same campus residence hall. The main objectives of the program are to improve student retention, to increase faculty/teaching assistants/student/residential staff interaction, and to encourage student engagement and interest. This paper focuses on the Introduction to Engineering course portion of the program. In this paper, assessment tools, assignments, and examples of student work are described. Also an evaluation of the effectiveness of the methods used throughout the course is given; and the outcomes in terms of student retention, engagement, and learning are discussed. Another item addressed is the program’s success in increasing instructional time and fostering greater ties between the faculty, teaching assistants, students, and residential components of college life. The Introduction to Engineering course portion of the Learning Community was comprised of two sections, each consisting of twenty students. The paper includes a comparison of these two Learning Community sections with the traditional (non-learning community) sections in order to identify the potential benefits that the Learning Community environment provides. In addition, student-driven projects that were only carried out in the Learning Community sections are discussed.