FOSTERING OPPORTUNITIES FOR TOMORROW’S ENGINEERS (FORTE) PI: John Reisel Co-PIs: Ethan Munson, Ed Beimborn, Hossein Hosseini, George Hanson, Beverly Pickering-Reyna College of Engineering & Applied Science

FORTE Project Goals Improve retention rate and graduation rate of students in Engineering and Computer Science. –Increase 1-year retention rates from ~58% to 80%. –Increase overall graduation rate of new freshmen from ~31% to 58%. –Increase overall graduation rate of new transfer students from ~46% to 70%

FORTE Project Goals Increase enrollment, retention, and graduation of female and under- represented minority students. Foster partnerships with local high schools Contribute research to the effectiveness of specific strategies on improving retention and graduation rates.

FORTE Project Components Summer Bridge Program Peer Mentoring Living-Learning Community Student Recruitment Faculty Mentoring Evaluation

Summer Bridge Program The “Summer Enrichment Program” will begin in June, Program Size: ~60 students Primary Purpose: Improve Math placement for incoming freshmen Secondary Purpose: Provide simple engineering opportunities for the students to excite them about engineering and computer science.

Summer Bridge: Need Data based on Freshmen Large Majority (~70%) place below Calculus Level Those placed further from Calculus have lower 1-year retention and graduation rates in CEAS. Precalc placement students tend to leave due to academics more than Calculus placement students

Summer Bridge: Plan/Progress Plan: 4-week program of intensive math study to improve placement scores for Precalculus and some Int. Algebra students (focus: URM) Retake placement test at end of program –Should lead to better preparation and higher retention and graduation. Currently: ~110 students admitted into program (50% acceptance expected.)

Peer Mentoring Goal: Have all incoming freshmen and transfer students teamed with upper classmen for mentoring. (Placed in groups of 6.) Mentoring primarily focused on study sessions, with some social activities planned. Will help incoming students with academic and social transition to college.

Peer Mentoring: Progress Began in Fall 2008 semester as an optional program for students. Very low participation by incoming students, with better results for mentors: –~20 students participated in program as mentees Participation was at varying levels –8 students were mentors

Calculus-Placement Students Retention rate and graduation rate for Calculus-placement students is lower than desired. This is less often an academic issue, and more often due to non-academic support structures. Retention plan: Opportunity to become mentors to younger students, LLC, faculty mentoring, etc.

Living-Learning Community “Innovation House” will begin in Fall 2009, with plans for 72 CEAS freshmen residents. On-Campus dedicated dorm space.

Living-Learning Community Students will take at least one course with other students in LLC. Peer mentors will come into the LLC for study sessions. Resident Assistants will help plan social functions.

Recruitment Targeted Mailings Tapped into campus publicity for LLC High-School visits by faculty to local schools with large URM / Female populations and with Project Lead The Way programs. Admission to the college of some students contingent upon participating in Summer Bridge.

Faculty Mentoring Recruiting faculty to be mentors for the students, through the peer mentoring structure. –Several peer mentors will be assigned to one faculty member, who will oversee their efforts as well as participate in a few large-scale activities. Extent of faculty activity will depend on the number of faculty willing to participate.

Evaluation Teamed up with our evaluators: Dr. Cindy Walker, Ms. Tamara Miller (Graduate student) in the UWM School of Education. They are building a database to track incoming freshmen and transfer students, considering their math placement, grades, and components of the program in which they participate. They are also developing surveys for the formative evaluation of the ongoing program.

Future Challenges Participation in Mentoring program Revisions for : –Make program “mandatory”, more rigorous –Encourage participation through Bridge program –Will be integral part of LLC Recruitment of Female / URM Students –Unable to judge success of this year’s efforts (as of now) –Need to continue to build better connections with high schools –Improve follow-up communications from college