First mathematics course in college and graduating in engineering: Dispelling the myth that beginning in higher-level mathematics courses is always a good thing

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dc.contributor.authorWilkins, Jesse L. M.en
dc.contributor.authorBowen, Bradley D.en
dc.contributor.authorMullins, Sara Brookeen
dc.date.accessioned2022-01-12T03:15:15Zen
dc.date.available2022-01-12T03:15:15Zen
dc.date.issued2021-07-03en
dc.date.updated2022-01-12T03:15:12Zen
dc.description.abstractBackground: Graduation rates in engineering programs continue to be a concern in higher education. Prior research has documented an association between students' experiences in first-year mathematics courses and graduation rates, but the influences of the mathematics courses completed and the grades earned are not fully understood. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among the first undergraduate mathematics course a student completes, the grade they earn in this course, and the likelihood of graduating with a degree in engineering within six years. Method: The study involved 1504 students from five consecutive cohorts of first-year students enrolled in an engineering degree program at a medium-sized Midwestern public university. Logistic regression was used to model the interrelationship between course and grade in predicting the relative likelihood of graduation for students enrolled in 16 different mathematics courses. Results: Overall, students who take Calculus I or a more advanced mathematics course as their first mathematic course and who are more successful in their first mathematics course are more likely to graduate with a degree in engineering. However, considering grade and course together, some groups of students who are more successful in lower-level mathematics courses are as likely to graduate as students who are less successful in upper-level mathematics courses. Conclusions: Evidence from this study helps to dispel the myth that beginning with higher-level mathematics courses is the optimal course-taking strategy when pursuing an engineering degree. Findings have implications for student advising, curriculum and instruction, high school course-taking, and broadening participation in engineering.en
dc.description.versionAccepted versionen
dc.format.extentPages 616-635en
dc.format.extent20 page(s)en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20411en
dc.identifier.eissn2168-9830en
dc.identifier.issn1069-4730en
dc.identifier.issue3en
dc.identifier.orcidWilkins, Jesse [0000-0001-9362-6309]en
dc.identifier.orcidBowen, Bradley [0000-0003-3987-308X]en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/107550en
dc.identifier.volume110en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherASEEen
dc.relation.urihttp://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000669260100001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=930d57c9ac61a043676db62af60056c1en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectEducation & Educational Researchen
dc.subjectEducation, Scientific Disciplinesen
dc.subjectEngineering, Multidisciplinaryen
dc.subjectEngineeringen
dc.subjectCalculusen
dc.subjectengineering graduation ratesen
dc.subjectfirst-year experienceen
dc.subjectmathematicsen
dc.subjectregressionen
dc.subjectMOTIVATIONAL BELIEFSen
dc.subjectSTUDENTSen
dc.subjectIDENTIFICATIONen
dc.subjectPERCEPTIONSen
dc.subject09 Engineeringen
dc.subject13 Educationen
dc.subjectEducationen
dc.titleFirst mathematics course in college and graduating in engineering: Dispelling the myth that beginning in higher-level mathematics courses is always a good thingen
dc.title.serialJournal of Engineering Educationen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.otherArticleen
dc.type.otherJournalen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Techen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/All T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Liberal Arts and Human Sciencesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Liberal Arts and Human Sciences/School of Educationen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Liberal Arts and Human Sciences/CLAHS T&R Facultyen

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