Improving first-year engineering education

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMD) began a successful, thirty-one credit, integrated first-year engineering curriculum in September 1998. The program was modeled after many of the most effective and innovative programs in the NSF-sponsored Foundation Coalition as well as from other universities and colleges. The new program at UMD includes; integrating the introductory sequences in physics, calculus, chemistry, English and engineering, teaching and using teamwork among students and faculty, using a specially designed technology oriented classroom, using active and cooperative learning methods encouraging formation of a community of students by block-scheduling classes and grouping students in the dorms, reducing the cost of delivering courses by making more efficient use of instructional time, using careful assessment to evaluate performance. This paper describes the new curriculum, some of the practical considerations in its design, and the way it has functioned. It also gives a detailed snapshot of assessment results after one semester of operation.