SMET 101: Setting the Stage for Transfer – An AMP Sponsored Course for Science Math, Engineering and Technology Students

Michele Buntain and Carolina Aguirre, New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation

Terry Cook, NMSU Center for Learning Assistance

New Mexico State University

Las Cruces, New Mexico

Caaguirr@nmsu.edu

In the Spring of 1997, the New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation (New Mexico AMP) first piloted a distance learning course, SMET 101 "Introduction to Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology." Fifty-three students from five institutions in New Mexico participated in the pilot. The three credit, graded course was taught by a primary instructor at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, and on-site instructors at three NMSU Branch Community Colleges (Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Grants, and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque). The course was again offered in the Fall of 1997 and Fall 1998 semesters. Each semester, 4 community colleges have participated in the program.

The primary objective of SMET 101 was to contribute to the overall goal of the Alliance to increase the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities in the SMET disciplines.

New Mexico AMP has placed considerable emphasis on recruiting SMET students from the 2-year community based college sector. Therefore, the course was designed to promote the interest and enthusiasm of AMP students in transferring to one of New Mexico's six public four-year universities. SMET 101 focuses on four themes: 1) Student self assessment, 2) Collaboration and teamwork, 3) Creativity in problem solving, and 4) College major and career exploration. A topic related to one of these themes is presented each class period. In addition, an effort is made to include an experimental/interactive element following each class lecture to communicate an emphasis on active versus passive learning. Students are also presented with information regarding the support services available on the university campus (e.g. computing & networking, financial aid, cooperative opportunities, library, and student employment). Faculty from the Colleges of Agriculture & Home Economics, Arts & Sciences, and Engineering collaborating with the AMP Program, made creative presentations that described SMET majors within their respective colleges. These presentations were videotaped in the Spring of 1997 and are presented each semester.

All activities and projects for the course culminate in each students' completion of an "Academic Achievement Plan" (AAP). Designed to help students chart a reasonable and realistic path toward completion of a four-year degree, the AAP includes a calendar breakdown of course work for the academic majors each student is considering or has declared; an individualized financial plan for funding a college education; and an assessment of ways to deal with the challenges the student might encounter while completing his/her college degree.

Overview

SMET 101, “Introduction to Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology,” is a distance learning course developed by the New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation. SMET 101 was developed to contribute to the overall goal of the Alliance to increase the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities in the SMET disciplines. . Flexible learning strategies and creative problem-solving are emphasized in the course. The course incorporates the concepts of collaborative learning,, writing across the curriculum, portfolio assessment, and student development. The course was designed to promote a model of transfer from the two-year institutions to the four-year institutions.

One objective of the course is to improve student retention. This is accomplished by providing students with appropriate information about available disciplinary studies and the important academic skills that will allow them to effectively and efficiently pursue their goals. SMET 101 is an important retention tool that provides the students with a solid foundation for pursuing their four-year degrees; they become well-informed and well-prepared for further studies. SMET 101 contributes to the model of transfer from the two-year institutions to the four-year institutions and to the overall goal of New Mexico AMP––to increase the number of underrepresented minority students receiving BS degrees in the SMET disciplines.

A second objective of the course is to provide students with the information and tools necessary to become successful students regardless of discipline. Throughout the course, students progress from the position of "passive recipients" to "active learners". SMET 101 provides incoming freshman at NMSU and students at two-year community college campuses with important information about:

· Degree programs in SMET

· Problem-solving strategies

· Undergraduate research, co-ops, and internships

· Contacting faculty and other students in their chosen field of study

· Career opportunities

· Graduate studies

Students are given ample opportunity and assistance to practice teaming skills, participate in a peer and/or faculty mentoring program, attend local professional events, and develop a personal Academic Achievement Plan (AAP).

Course Audience and Structure

Students receiving New Mexico AMP assistance are the primary audience for this course. Enrollment in SMET 101 (or, where unavailable, an equivalent college skills course) is strongly suggested, and in some cases required, for all New Mexico AMP students. SMET 101 is, of course, open to all interested students. On some campuses, local high school students have also participated.

SMET 101 is partially based on the past success of The Freshman Year Experience program at the University of South Carolina and the approach to engineering curriculum described by Raymond Landis, Dean of Engineering at California State University, Los Angeles. SMET 101 incorporates proven methods contributing to student retention strives to increase student motivation, provide more interesting and relevant coursework, promote collaborative learning, and contribute to student development.

The course is taught by a primary instructor at NMSU and by an on-site instructor at each campus. Videoconferences are hosted by, and up-linked from, NMSU. SMET 101 is offered as a three -credit graded course. The course format successfully combines the best of both traditional classroom approaches and distance learning technologies. The course format includes:

· 4 videoconferences

· 19 required videotapes

· 7 optional videotapes

· Internet component

· On-site sessions locally coordinated

On-site course sessions are scheduled around the videoconference dates, which are set well in advance. Sets of videotape sessions common to all sites are viewed between videoconferences. Resources are also available on the SMET 101 Home Page http://www.nmsu.edu/~nmamp . Each semester, there are a number of “open” sessions to allow on-site instructors to tailor the course to the needs of their students; several optional videotapes are available to assist instructors in planning these sessions. Common course assignments include the Academic Achievement Plan, exercises associated with the videotapes, a final exam, and a course evaluation.

The SMET 101 course has been offered at nine different New Mexico sites in the past two years, facilitated by on-site instructors specifically trained to teach the course. The primary instructor at NMSU and the SMET 101 Coordinator are available for questions throughout the semester. Each time the course is offered, the site instructor is asked to provide the SMET 101 Coordinator with information and evaluation materials about their class. In the past four semesters of SMET 101 the course has been modified slightly to improve the amount of interaction that site students have with the host campus. SMET 101 departs from the standard distance learning course in four key areas:

1) On-site facilitator coordination and support. Materials and training are provided through the New Mexico AMP administrative office. Student evaluation and grading are the responsibility of the on-site instructor. The training and orientation that site instructors receive provides the site instructor with a support network that serves as an important tool in assisting the transferring student. The training also increases the consistency of the materials that are covered across the state at each site, thus allowing for articulation of the course.

2) Student development model of instruction.

All students develop an Academic Achievement Plan (AAP). The AAP is a semester-long portfolio project designed to help students chart a reasonable and realistic path toward completion of a four-year degree program. All course activities are used to develop the portfolio, which represents up to 75% of a student's grade. While this seems overwhelming at first glance, the various components of the project are assigned value using a point system. Instructors are encouraged to assign individual due dates to the various components to make the project more manageable. The AAP begins with a detailed self-evaluation exercise using Dr. John Holland's "Self-Directed Search Assessment Booklet" (1994). Following the assessment portion of the AAP, students begin researching one to three academic/career paths in which they are interested. At a minimum, research activities include interviewing faculty and/or professionals, attending professional events or meetings, an Internet search, at least three-email exchanges with a peer and/or faculty mentor at NMSU (or another four-year institution), and an undergraduate catalog search for the institution(s) and program(s) of interest. As they conduct their research and gather information, students are asked to define and commit to paper a set of specific, concrete goals. Each event or task is followed up with a reaction essay, weekly journal entries and further research. The assigned essays and research are primarily graded for content. As students progress through this portion of the AAP, they should begin to identify the disciplinary majors appropriate to their career goals.

3) Provides for "collaboration at a distance" in its approach to curriculum development and delivery. Live interaction is made possible through an eight-line toll-free number which allows students to call in questions to the instructor and presenters during live broadcasts. Immediate feedback promotes greater understanding of the material being presented. Peer mentoring from students on the four-year campus allows the students at the two-year campus yet another avenue for gaining information, support, and collaboration in their transfer decisions.

4) Contributes to successful transfer and retention by offering SMET-specific coursework that can be articulated to a four-year university upon transfer. SMET 101 is accepted by New Mexico State University for credit in lieu of other introductory courses in the SMET disciplines (ENGR 101, or AS 100). It is anticipated that the remaining four-year universities will allow for similar substitution. Application of credit at the two-year college will be determined by each institution.

Assessment and student tracking is an on-going process. Evaluation data is currently being compiled to determine the best use and timing for the course. Currently, anecdotal and preliminary tracking data suggests that the course is impacting the success of students who transfer from a two-year to a four-year campus. Once formal assessment of the course is completed, the course will be modified to meet the needs of more students.

SMET 101 is an important recruitment and retention tool for the four-year institution. SMET 101 is a powerful tool for students, and has become standard practice for science, math engineering and technology students involved in New Mexico AMP. It has the capability of being offered in many different mediums and with some alteration to a broader audience. For example, the course has been identified by the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Engineering as a cluster element for entering NMSU freshmen majoring in (or contemplating) a SMET major. In the Fall of 1999 it will be offered as a co-enrollment course for a community college and it has been used successfully as part of abridge program curriculum.