|
The traditional approach to engineering mathematics education begins with one
year of freshman calculus as a prerequisite to subsequent core engineering
courses. However, the inability of incoming students to successfully advance
through the traditional freshman calculus sequence is a primary cause of
attrition in engineering programs across the country.
As a result, the WSU
model seeks to redefine the way in which engineering mathematics is taught,
with the goal of increasing student retention, motivation and success in
engineering.
The WSU approach begins with the development of a novel
freshman-level engineering mathematics course, EGR 101 "Introductory
Mathematics for Engineering Applications." Taught by engineering faculty, the
course includes lecture, laboratory and recitation components.
Using an
application-oriented, hands-on approach, the course addresses only the salient
math topics actually used in core engineering courses. These include the
traditional physics, engineering mechanics, electric circuits and computer
programming sequences.
The EGR 101 course replaces traditional math
prerequisite requirements for the above core courses, so that students can
advance in the engineering curriculum without having completed a traditional
freshman calculus sequence.
This has enabled a significant restructuring of the
engineering curriculum, including the placement of formerly sophomore-level
engineering courses within the freshman year. The WSU model concludes with
the development of a revised engineering math sequence, taught by the math
department later in the curriculum, in concert with College and ABET
requirements.
The result has shifted the traditional emphasis on math
prerequisite requirements to an emphasis on engineering motivation for math,
with a "just-in-time" structuring of the new math sequence.
|