An integrated first-year curriculum-the Foundation Coalition and the University of Alabama

It is a common perception that integrated first-year curricula involving engineering, math, chemistry, and physics faculty can be established only at small, selective engineering schools such as Rose-Hulman or Drexel. As a member of the NSF Foundation Coalition, The University of Alabama (a large state university in the USA) has established such a curriculum and offered it for the first time in the fall of 1994. The University of Alabama Coalition Team (UACT) is currently made up of 18 faculty from mathematics, chemistry, physics and various engineering disciplines. Their vision of the new first year is that it will produce students who have the competency and desire to continue their study; who understand the fundamentals of engineering; and who have a sense of belonging to a community of learners and scholars. Using the Rose-Hulman and Drexel curricula as models, UACT designed and implemented a first-year engineering curriculum that focuses on: (1) integrating engineering and design with math and the sciences; (2) on active student participation in the learning process; and (3) on using technology to enhance the educational experience.