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Recruitment and academic success at the Master of Science (MS) degree level is an oftenoverlooked line of inquiry. The Stellar Engineering Students Graduate Program Scholarship (SEnS GPS), a National Science Foundation S-STEM funded program at Boise State University, is beginning to bridge this gap in our knowledge of masters-level students. Boise State is a medium-sized, metropolitan, rural serving institution in the mountain west with a large population of typically underserved student groups. SEnS GPS is investigating the experiences of computer science and engineering MS students from pre-decision and recruitment to graduation. This project is working to determine if best practices in the areas of recruitment, retention, and persistence to degree at the undergraduate level translate successfully to the MS level, looking specifically at low-income, academically talented, first-generation, and generally underrepresented students in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. SEnS GPS is currently in its second year and has just graduated its first cohort of 10 students in May 2022. Sixteen students have participated in the program as scholars (scholars are defined as receiving NSF-sponsored scholarships) and 18 as general, non-scholar participants. All students received pre-decision and application mentoring, graduate program culture and expectations programming, cohort building activities, and staff support beyond the faculty advisor. Initial research has identified the pre-recruitment process as a critical juncture for college students when deciding to pursue an MS degree in a STEM discipline. This paper will discuss research-based pre-recruitment strategy development and initial qualitative data related to strategy successes and challenges encountered in the program over the last two years. An overview of significant self-reported education progression decision-making factors gathered from college seniors, and current graduate students will also be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major goal of the project is to contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of highachieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Baylor University. Over its five-year duration, this project will fund four-year scholarships to 22 students who are pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science. Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) Scholars will participate in activities which include an orientation, a seminar series and required faculty mentoring. Support services and activities for ECS Scholars build upon existing activities at Baylor and feature peer mentoring, study abroad opportunities, alumni mentoring, support and training for undergraduate research, professional development workshops, and tutoring support from the ECS Learning Resource Center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The higher education system can be nebulous - from entrance to graduation, processes involved with financial aid, work study, faculty office hours, forming student connections, career fairs, and more can be intimidating for many students. For first-generation students, whose family members have no or limited experience with the process, these hurdles can seem almost insurmountable. The SD-FIRST program will help fill in the gaps of first-generation students' home-to-college transition, provide a robust support system by connecting existing campus resources, and provide guidance for staff and faculty on interactions and unique challenges with this student population. Programmatic elements specific for first-generation students, driven by evidence-based resiliency research, aim to provide academic, social, and economic support. The expected outcome of the SD-FIRST program is to achieve a sustainable increased retention and graduation rate, and an increase in emotional intelligence for students participating in the program. The initial cohort of SD-FIRST scholars began in the fall 2021 semester, and the details of the program as well as initial implementation are included in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project-based course experiences enhance the student learning atmosphere through the application of lesson content and may prove as an advantageous educational technique in developing engineering students into trusted professionals, better prepared to serve the profession immediately after graduation. Applied action in Project-Based Learning (PBL) coursework extends lessons beyond the technical content of the course and creates professional skills development, ideally offering a more holistic training platform for junior engineers. Projects often require students to collaborate with one or more peers, therefore introducing applications of teamwork, leadership, project management, and communications components. Personal development in time management also tends to be introduced in project-based course assignments because of the duration and process of work required to satisfy the comprehensive series of tasks. The opportunity for professional skills development cannot come at the expense of technical skills development. Ideally, not only will the project enhance technical competency, but students completing project-based work should be more capable of solving ill-defined problems and complex problems. Considering project-based learning as an opportunity for the wholesome development of engineering students as trusted professionals, this study collects student perceptions of enhanced learning in professional and technical skills through PBL coursework. Students were surveyed across two distinctly different institutions so comparisons could be drawn between the unique populations. The U.S. West Point Academy was selected to include populations of students seeking professional military careers and supported by curriculum experiences formalizing learning in many professional skills such as teamwork and leadership. The University of Tennessee Knoxville population includes students pursuing civil engineering careers and experiencing fewer structured learning experiences in typical professional skills topics. The data collected shows positive student perceptions towards project-based learning courses which supports this pedagogy as applicable in training trusted professionals. Some variations were observed between the two populations, but general trends showed agreed positive value to professional skills and technical skills development through PBL experiences. This paper includes a brief contextual definition for PBL, a summary of student populations and course structures captured in this study, and a summary of survey responses. Conclusions identifying trends in student perceptions of their learning, competency, and confidence as influenced by PBL are shared and comparisons across the two institutions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper examined the factors influencing students' access to work-integrated learning experiences (WILs; i.e., internships and co-operative education). Several studies have examined how WILs enrich students' academic and career development. Yet, fewer studies examine the considerations associated with who participates in WILs and how these types of experiences shape students' beliefs about themselves as engineers or their career plans after participation. This study examines the narratives of 25 students who did and did not participate in WILs to understand why students choose to participate in WILs, the considerations and challenges to participating in WILs, and the impact of WILs on students' identity development. This research used an adapted framework of identity trajectory theory, which consists of three interlocking strands-institutional (i.e., programs, practices, procedures, etc.), networking (i.e., social networks, faculty interactions, etc.), and intellectual (i.e., field of study, learning progression, career trajectories, etc.). We used analysis of narratives to draw out key themes related to how institutional resources and students' networks facilitate their access to WIL experiences. Analysis also highlighted how WILs affect students' identity development as engineers during undergraduate education, including their career intentions upon graduation. We identified five big ideas that were expressed by the students to address the research questions. These ideas include: 1) Institutional structures and resources facilitate students' access to WILs; 2) Students utilize personal and professional networks to improve access to WILs; 3) Various commitments and responsibilities inhibited students' access and engagement with WILs; 4) WILs positively influence latently diverse students' identity development; 5) Individuals who did not engage in WILs identified supplemental opportunities to support their engineering identity. We highlight how these experiences, or lack thereof, influence students' perceptions of themselves as future professional engineers. These results have implications for practice and policies in engineering education, particularly enhancing students' access to WILs and constructing WILs that support students' identity development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This complete Evidence-based Practice paper describes the effects of hands-on multidisciplinary projects on the retention and graduation rates of engineering majors in California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), a public comprehensive university. The US national trend shows that undergraduate students in engineering majors have lower retention rates and take longer to graduate compared to other majors. Declaring an engineering major in the freshman year depends on the policies enforced at an academic institution. This case study is from CSUF, a public comprehensive university where the engineering programs have historically lower retention and 4-year, 5-year and 6-year graduation rates compared to the overall retention and graduation rate within the university. However, introduction of the hands-on project based "Introduction to Engineering" course resulted in a significant increase in 3-year retention and 4-year, 5-year and 6-year graduation rates compared to the students admitted to the programs prior to its introduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural engineering students are expected to have a very well developed understanding of structural design upon graduating. However, many students achieve only a low level of understanding with design abilities amounting to "plug-and-chug". This might be the product of the combination of two factors. First, commonly instructors only use traditional teacher-centered direct instructional practices (e.g. only lecturing and writing out equations/problems). Second, many instructors try to cover too many different topics and scenarios, necessitating a focus on process and on picking the correct design equations. Perhaps this is in an attempt to prepare students for practice where structures can take on any shape, and there a plethora of design items to check. However, this instructional style combined with an overemphasis on application of prescribed design equations sends students the wrong message - design is about knowing how to apply equations. Not only is this style disengaging but it misdirects study away from developing a strong conceptual understanding of the basic design equations, of their parts, and of design philosophy overall. A solid conceptual knowledge will ultimately allow students to navigate more complex problems and more intricate portions of design specifications later on in their professional careers. With this opinion in mind, this paper discusses and outlines an approach to teaching structural design courses rooted in methods that are well documented in education research. This includes changing the focus of lectures to the underlying physical concepts behind design specification equations, assigning homework problems which emphasize analyzing trends within and between structural behavior and specification equations, and adding concept-targeted lab experiments (or data analysis assignments to mimic experiments). Examples are provided for a course in steel design, but this approach is certainly applicable to design courses on other structural materials, like reinforced concrete or timber. Going beyond simply making course material suggestions, this paper seeks interested collaborators to join the author in a larger research and dissemination effort. The goal is to have this group develop and distribute two nation-wide surveys to understand and document (i) what design skills are desired by the industry of newly graduated engineers, (ii) what and how instructors are teaching, and (iii) how these two align. Additionally, this group will collaborate on developing (i) concept-focused course materials and methods, (ii) a standardized structural design concept inventory for pre- and post-course assessment, and (iii) course assessment data collection over a wide range of institutions. The goal of all these efforts is to establish an effective and engaging concept-driven approach to teaching structural design which is backed up by convincing quantitative and qualitative evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a fact that even some engineering professors work in researches with the industry; it is interesting to note that the industry has little or no interest in investing in the training of engineers to work in the industries during under-graduation level. Their perception still does not show that it is an investment. The communications between engineering schools and industry has evolved however it is still very humble. Another fact is that university professors, who are often judged primarily by their performance as researchers, do not have time to develop relationships and resources beyond their teaching materials at their disposal. Likewise, they do not necessarily have the time to make the high levels of coordination that many university and industry engagement initiatives require. Industry engineers also have problems with the availability of time, especially during the workday - for example, it is difficult for many to devote half a day to an activity as a workshop for trainees. Often there is no money available to develop the types of initiatives that are likely to have the greatest impact. Even when funding is available to establish a new initiative, long-term financial sustainability remains problem. This paper intends to show a program that might work as a first step for engineering schools and industries to develop relations and work together in the formation of engineers ready for industrial work environment. It is the result of a research developed by the engineering research team of COPEC - Science and Education Research Council. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that the construction industry is a broad field with many different roles and responsibilities, the purpose of this research study was to examine construction students' rationale for their future construction career role preferences so that construction educators can better prepare them for these roles. This study draws from previous research work and theories associated with self-interests and career identities. Engaging construction students in well-designed academic work that contributes to their preferred career roles in construction industry could increase their motivation to excel, their career identity formation, their academic success, and their smooth transitions into their preferred career roles upon graduation. The main reason for these positive outcomes would be because their academic work would line up better with their self-interests. It is therefore very important that construction educators align their curricula content so that it better prepares students for their preferred career roles. The first step in this process would be to gain insights into the preferred roles of current students. Consequently, the objectives of this research were to identify students' career role preferences and the factors influencing their preferences; examine students' reasons for pursuing construction education; and discuss students' recommendations for construction education program improvements to better prepare them for their future roles in the construction industry. A self-reporting survey was administered to 42 students enrolled in the construction program at an HBCU. With a 1-10 rating structure, students indicated their preference for each role by assigning a number (rating) to that role. The Mean Preferred Career Role Score (MPCRS) for each listed role was calculated to determine students' most preferred career roles. With the open-ended survey items, students had the opportunity to discuss the underlying reasons for their career role preferences and recommend construction education program improvements. Informal discussions with some selected students provided additional insights. Key findings indicated that future construction career role preferences were: (a) Project Manager (MPCRS = 8); (b) Superintendent (MPCRS = 7); (c) Real Estate Developer and Graduate Student (MPCRS = 6); and (d) Estimator / Inspector (MPCRS = 5). The reasons construction students gave for preferring the project manager and superintendent roles included high salaries, opportunity to lead, love for authority, prior experiences, internships, role models, management skills, hands on work, and working outdoors. The study showed that key reasons for students' pursuit of a CM degree included hands-on work, prior experience in the construction field, and a genuine interest or love for construction. Through surveys and informal discussions, students agreed that to better prepare them for their preferred roles, undergraduate construction programs should endeavor to allocate more resources to enhancing the following: course availability and variety; challenging projects; hands-on activities, innovative teaching methods, well-designed mentoring programs, collaboration with industry partners, internships, field trips, workshops, residential construction knowledge and experiences, and extracurricular activities. Findings from this study provide insights that may be used to guide curriculum development, student advisement, and better preparation of construction students so that they can excel in their preferred roles in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of undergraduate research programs on retention, graduation, and intention for graduate studies has been well-documented. Most of the programs focus on the undergraduate research experience among upper level college students. In this work in progress report, we focus on an undergraduate research program focusing primarily on first and second year students. Participants' attitude towards study in STEM, career options, and STEM awareness is measured, together with a one-year tracking in progress and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This NSF Grantee Poster explores the selection process for Rice University's Emerging Scholar Program (RESP). Developed in June 2012, RESP is a comprehensive summer bridge and termtime advising program aimed at increasing STEM retention, graduation, and achievement in promising students who attended under-resourced high schools. RESP is not a remedial program, nor even an 'early college course' program. Rather, RESP aims to target deficits in K-12 preparation that may create undue obstructions for the program's participants (named Scholars in the program and this paper) compared to their peers. The objective of the non-credit summer bridge portion of the program is to prepare Scholars for the pace, rigor, and depth of the STEM curriculum at Rice University. This is achieved through exposure to the most challenging portions of freshman calculus, chemistry, and physics with special focus on complex word problems. During subsequent years, Scholars receive intensive and intrusive term-time advising from staff devoted to the program. RESP Scholars are admitted to Rice through the regular admissions process. After accepting a spot in the entering class, these students are invited to attend the bridge program in the summer before their freshman year. Scholar admittance occurs independent of consideration for, or participation in, RESP. Scholars are selected through partnerships with Rice's Office of Admissions and other groups on campus. RESP partners with the Office of Admissions to review student admission information including SAT/ACT test scores, SAT subject test scores, first-generation status, academic ambitions and high school competitiveness ranking. A separate principal selection mechanism for RESP is a novel diagnostic exam created in conjunction with the Schools of Natural Sciences and Engineering. The 11-question exam covers conceptual knowledge and tests skills in mathematics, chemistry, and physics with quantitative word problems that students are expected to know prior to arrival at Rice University. By focusing on applied problems and conceptual knowledge, the exam demonstrates a student's academic preparation, not their intellectual ability. The current study examines the validity of the RESP diagnostic exam and its predictive validity relative to standardized tests with a sample of students (N = 976) who matriculated into Rice University from 2012 to 2014. The RESP diagnostic exam was related to grades, and we found that the correlation between the RESP diagnostic exam and grades was greater for STEM grades than non-STEM grades. We found that the diagnostic exam accounted for an incremental 9% of variance in STEM grades above SAT performance, but only 1% of incremental variance above SAT in non-STEM grades. Moreover, we found evidence of range restriction for both SAT and RESP diagnostic exam performance for Rice University matriculants, further suggesting the utility of the diagnostic exam is at the lower end of the distribution. In summary, our results suggest that an additional diagnostic exam written by schools to specifically measure STEM preparation for their program can be a useful addition to procedures for selecting students for special experiences such as summer bridge programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Research Experience for Teachers program (RET) has been found to be effective in exposing teachers to research and engineering principles with the objective of bringing their experience and new knowledge back to their classrooms. For the last ten years, New Jersey Institute of Technology, a university in the northeast has hosted an RET program in pharmaceutical engineering, with up to fourteen high school mathematics and science teachers each year. Several of the teachers have participated for multiple years, servings as coaches for the new teachers. One teacher, who participated all ten years, began to bring two to four of her students each year each who were supported by a stipend from the American Chemical Society Project SEED Program. In later years, other teachers also brought students so that in a given summer six to eight high school students worked as partners in research teams with teachers, graduate students and faculty. The proposed paper tells the story of how their participation in our RET program made a difference for the students of the teacher who participated in the RET program for ten years, including choice of subsequent courses in high school and extra-curricular activities. There were between two to four students each year for 9 years for a total of 26 students. Almost of all of them used their research to form competitive science fair projects working in the research and engineering classes at their high school established by the RET teacher as a result of participation in the RET program. Many of the students won awards and all of them went on to attend four year colleges majoring in STEM or STEM related fields. As the high school these students attended is in an urban area with a high-proportion of underrepresented and economically-disadvantaged students of which only an average of 51% go on to attend a four year college after graduation (in any major not necessarily STEM) this is remarkable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years pressure has increased on public universities to improve their four and six year graduation rates. There are some obvious factors influencing these graduation rates. Many students attending urban universities are non-traditional students who work in order to pay for their education. Some entering freshmen are not prepared for college courses and begin with remedial courses. In a structured degree program such as engineering, students are required to satisfy prerequisites in order to proceed through the curriculum. Lack of course offerings can delay progress towards graduation. This study expands on a previous study conducted on a single engineering program in one public university. In this study several engineering programs in two large public universities in Texas were included. Senior engineering students were surveyed to determine the causes delaying their graduation. In responding to a survey questionnaire, students provided such information as whether they started at a 4-year university, if they had changed their major, if they started their college math below calculus, if they attended school full-time or part-time, the total number of years of college study needed to complete their engineering degree, the factors that caused delay in their graduation, and other questions related to length of study for the degrees being offered. Engineering students studying a variety of engineering programs participated in this survey. The results presented in this paper provide useful information to guide the development of programs and plans for improving graduation rates for students enrolled in engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the connection between the use of supplemental instruction (SI) by engineering students and their performance in a required first year general chemistry course. SI includes group and one-on-one peer tutoring as well as instructor and teaching assistant office hours. Previous research has shown that participation in SI correlates with higher course grades, more confidence in course material, greater material retention, higher overall GPA, and greater student retention and graduation rates. [¹] Engaging students in SI, however, has been a persistent challenge. For example, a previous study found only 40% of students enrolled in historically difficult classes (including general chemistry) took advantage of the SI provided. This study found participants in SI were more likely to have a final course grade of B or better and less likely to withdraw from the class. [²] Last year we conducted a study comparing the performance of students who did and did not use available forms of SI and correlated performance outcomes with factors deterring students from using the offered forms of SI. Our focus this year is to identify statistically significant trends in our data from this year's and last year's classes and assess the impact of level of participation in SI on student self-efficacy and attitude towards SI for freshmen enrolled in a required general chemistry course. To understand a student's choice to participate in SI and to determine correlations with course assessments and grades, students enrolled in a required general chemistry course were surveyed at the beginning and at the end of the semester. This year (fall 2014) 524 students participated in the pre-survey, a response rate of 89%. Last year (fall 2013) 417 students participated in the pre- survey, a response rate of 88%. The gender distribution was 28% females (fall 2014) and 32% females (fall 2013), which has a slightly higher percentage of females than the distribution of first year students in the College of Engineering (COE) at Northeastern University. Our previous studies suggested female students had a higher "trigger point" (i.e., grade at which they decided to seek out SI) than males upon entering college. These studies also examined the benefits of class attendance and the correlation between use of SI and increased course grade. Based on statistical analysis of this year's data, these hypotheses remain robust, with a generally increased confidence level in these hypotheses. Our current study builds on our previous ones by collecting another year of data (which coincides with increased enrollment of over 100 students). This study also applies more rigorous statistical methods to distinguish trends in both the current year's data (fall 2014) and last year's data (fall 2013). Our ultimate goal is to use this study focused on a general chemistry class as a model for identifying how to improve the engagement and efficacy of SI for freshman engineering students and to address any issues related to gender differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers tips to engineering students on writing a professional technical paper and class presentation. It examines the impact of instructional interventions on early engineering students. Technical writing is an important skill for students to develop by the time of graduation as the industry demand for skilled technical writers is increasing.

Upon graduation, engineers entering the workforce are not always trained to work in a collaborative environment where a detailed understanding of common business, project management, and leadership skills may be required. In order to create a paradigm shift in engineering education, where students' capacities are pushed beyond their limits in order to redefine what an engineer is and develop these skill sets, Engineering Leadership (E-Lead) students at The University of Texas at El Paso have taken ownership of not only their own education, but the education of future students. In order to develop students as leaders, the current Introduction to Engineering Leadership course has been developed and taught by second year Engineering Leadership students. Second year students were placed in educator/mentor positions in order to develop their leadership skills. The purpose of the course was not only to give second year students a leadership opportunity and an understanding of the importance of guiding people, but also to introduce a unique culture being created in the Engineering Leadership program and provide leadership models for incoming students to learn from second year students. These second year students, also called Mavericks, worked closely with Engineering Leadership faculty, as well as faculty from Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Needham, MA), throughout the summer in order to develop curriculum for the incoming cohort of students in the fall of 2014. The goal of the course was to create an immersive learning environment that was also social, relatable, and inspiring to the instructors and the students. In order to achieve that goal, the Mavericks were given the opportunity to teach the course. The curriculum developed by the students was created to focus on three major disciplines: leadership identity development, innovative thinking, and hands on skills. These disciplines were taught in a studio environment through group discussions and interactive individual and group projects. This redesign effort by students not only resulted in a refined curriculum for the E-Lead program, but also improved the course by increasing the feeling of community for incoming students and thereby increased retention in the course from 60% to 92% (measured by the ratio of students that completed the course to those enrolled as of census day). More importantly, this experience of being placed in the curriculum development driver seat, also served to help the Mavericks redefine leadership, gain a better understanding of leadership, and increase their leadership skills (4.5, STDV 0.55; 4.67, STDV 0.52; 4.67, STDV 0.52; based on an ordinal scale with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree). The experience also helped them increase their Character, Competence, and Capacity (4.67, STDV 0.52; 4.33, STDV 0.82; 4.92, STDV 0.20). The Mavericks also agreed that the experience helped them increase their innovative problem solving and thinking skills (4.17, STD 0.41) and develop their identity (4.25, STDV 0.76). Overall, this research demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of allowing students to develop their leadership skills through taking on the role of instructor in an introductory engineering course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study conducted to analyze professional performances of 65 students from computer engineering who graduated in 2010-11 from one of the best engineering colleges in a tier 3 city of India. It is noted that the faculty mentor scheme at the college helped to assess their career journey to measure employability and on-job performance to investigate the reasons for the success by studying explanatory variables such as academic performance and non-academic performance.

Our state, like many, is currently under pressure to reduce time to graduation of college students to satisfy various local, city and state stakeholders. As a consequence, we seek to develop a systematic method to take into account both good reasons for delaying graduation (such as spending a semester in a co-op or internship) and negative reasons (such as failing classes). We also want to quantify an estimate for the delay based on each experience. The hope is that this model helps inform the discussions in our institution's upper administration and state legislature regarding time to graduation. This study looks at retention and graduation patterns in engineering by gender, seeking specifically to understand why students tend to take longer than the advertised 4 years to graduate, and focusing on one institution only. While much attention has been given in the past to the issues of retention of women and under-represented minorities in engineering, most analyses use data collected at multiple institutions (thus blending together results coming from vastly different campus cultures) and tend to focus on the experiences of those who graduate versus those who don't. In this work, we focus on why the students who do graduate usually take much longer than the four (4) years that are routinely advertised. This study follows in the footsteps of previous work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address needs for accreditation and our university's requirements for graduation, we have implemented a sophomore-level course on problem solving and experimental design. This course reinforces problem-solving strategies from material and energy balances and requires students to establish their own experiment designs to explore chemical and physical phenomena related to junior-level thermodynamics and transport courses. Concepts in statistics and numerical methods, technical writing, engineering ethics, and laboratory and industrial safety are all introduced in the scope of this course. This course serves as the first in our curriculum where students are responsible for the creation of laboratory procedures, in contrast to their typical chemistry labs where experimental methods are provided. Given a brief (1/2-1 page) prompt explaining the principle of interest and a list of available laboratory equipment, students are required to explicitly outline the objective, hypothesis, and methods of their experiment, followed by statistical analysis of their data and consideration of relevant theory. The course is structured in such a way that students must determine which statistical techniques are appropriate for processing their experimental data. The course is also designed to meet the Writing Intensive requirements of our university, through a combination of individual lab reports, reflections on their ability to write in a technical context, and brief essays on engineering ethics and laboratory safety. Specific course logistics, including the sequence of activities, learning objectives, and connections to student outcomes in junior- and senior-level courses, are considered here. Direct assessment of student performance against specific learning objectives from the past three years is shown here as an example of how the course is continuously improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qatar's development by educating engineers to contribute to the Qatar National Vision 2030. This paper highlights the success stories from this program as per the experience of our students and alumni who are working in several sectors in Qatar, the region and the world, since the graduation of the inaugural class in 2008. Furthermore, this paper highlights the potentials of this new program to become a unique model for the future engineering education programs in the region and worldwide. Also, the paper briefly lists few of the challenges that face the implementation of this program. Number of activities in this vision have been implemented during the past 5-6 years and have shown significant success while others are still in their first phases of testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]