A longitudinal study of alternative approaches to engineering education: survey of assessment results

In the fall of 1990, the authors began a longitudinal study of a cohort of students enrolled in the introductory engineering course. These students were taught in a sequence of five engineering courses in five consecutive semesters, using a variety of instructional methods including extensive collaborative (team-based) learning, routine assignment of open-ended problems and problem formulation exercises, and other techniques designed to address the spectrum of learning styles found in all engineering classes. The students enrolled in the introductory course in the fall 1992 semester were designated as a comparison group. Academic performance and retention data were collected and attitudes and self-confidence levels were assessed for both groups throughout their second, third, and fourth years of college. This paper provides a mostly qualitative summary of the assessment data analyzed so far.