In only a month or so, engineering faculty will be looking out over a sea of fresh faces in first and second year courses. Now’s the time to set the stage for their success in your fall courses!
Research indicates that the quality and extent of faculty-student interactions (FSIs) have a huge impact on students’ perception of their ability to succeed in engineering. Seemingly small actions by faculty that reduce intimidation and increase approachability can help increase student engagement, improve academic performance, and encourage persistence. And when faculty are more approachable, students give them higher ratings.
“Wait!” you may say. “I’m already too busy with a heavy teaching load, large classes, and competing priorities. I don’t have time for student hand-holding!”
Proactively managing faculty-student interaction is easy with ENGAGE Engineering’s Faculty-Student Interaction strategies. They are research-based, time-effective, and easy to implement. And the payoff in terms of student retention can be substantial.
Check out these FSI tips and build one or more into your upcoming classes this fall:
- 20 Minutes to Student Engagement
- Boost Persistence with Encouragement: Faculty Feedback Influences Student Persistence
- Make Office Hours More Productive with Small Groups
- A "One-Minute Message" Engages All Students
- Grading Rubric: Engage Students & Save Time
- Inspire Student Curiosity! Help Students Engage by Inviting Their Questions!
One particularly appealing – and tasty – approach under 20 Minutes to Student Engagement is the Connections Class (Cookies in the Classroom) that has been very successful at UT-Austin. Take a look at their results and download their toolkit.
So much has been invested in recruiting students into your program. Faculty-Student Interaction is an area where you can make a relatively small investment and realize a big return.
Tools for increasing student retention through:
Everyday Examples in Engineering
Faculty-Student Interaction
Spatial Visualization Skills