Alfred Stiller-Chemical Engineering
Wallace Venable-Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Robert McConnell-Electrical Engineering
West Virginia University
Address Correspondence to: Alfred Stiller, Chemical Engineering, Box 6102,
West Virginia University, Morgantown WV 26506-6102
Phone (304) 293-2111 x 408 FAX (304) 293-4139
e-mail stiller@cemr.wvu.edu
A poll was taken of seniors, asking how much time they had spent on freshman courses. The same survey was given to the freshmen. The results were presented to the freshmen.
Students wrote a schedule of classes and amusement time, and the remaining time was discussed. We tried to help students decide how to use time efficiently. We reviewed the study habits of successful people, and note taking and home work exercises were discussed. Teaching styles, the utility of ``old tests,'' preparation for tests, and test taking skills were reviewed.
The engineering reliance on team work was discussed. Students were organized into study groups, and group study sessions were planned. The group concept as reinforced by the faculty throughout the course. Math homework was assigned to be done by the groups. Quizzes were given where the grade depends upon the group score.
At this point, the results are primarily anecdotal. They appear to show the value of group study. Simple instruction in study skills by itself did not produce the same success which was accomplished by the group activities
We conclude that teaching ``how to study'' is not as effective as teaching group study. Thus the focus should not be on simply teaching study skill but rather in teaching group study habits and enforcing this group activity.
For the past several years the faculty at the College of Engineering of West Virginia University have been reviewing the Freshman engineering program. Although it was generally agreed that the existing program, based on Charles Wales work [1,2], was for the most part satisfactory, two experimental sections were to be taught which integrated more computer usage, math tutorials and design projects so students were given a more rigorous introduction to engineering. This was to be done in a manner which significantly increased retention and motivation.
Three faculty, the authors of this paper, were assigned the task of planning and implementing the course. The program was to continue for two semesters. The first semester was to to introduce engineering design principles through a series of increasingly sophisticated projects. Simultaneously with the problems, computer skills such as word processing and spreadsheeting were taught as these skills were required to complete the projects. Three class periods a week were spent on these skills and one separate day was devoted to mathematics. Presentations on the math and projects are included in this meeting. [3,4]
The second semester began with the continuation of the last project of the first semester and proceeded with more sophisticated projects. FORTRAN as a computer language was taught in this semester and required for the solution of the last project of the semester.
As the faculty began planning this course the challenge of student retention became a recurrent issue. Students entering the college of engineering must have demonstrated a level of competence by the ACT or SAT examinations and grade point average in their high school years. Still, the retention of good students is a problem for the college and this problem is manifested as students progress to the sophomore year. Although this might be due to the lack of uniformity between the secondary schools, it was believed that this was more a consequence of improper expectations of the college experience. Students are not prepared to meet the rigors of college.
The first week and half of the new course was designated to the preparation of the students for this new experience. The majority of that time was devoted to time management and study skills.
For a student to succeed he must have some idea as to what is required for success. In this case students entering the senior year of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department were considered successes, they have completed all the prerequisites and should complete their degrees at the end of that year. They were asked to complete a questionaire concerning time spent studying for the freshmen courses. The same questionaire was completed by the freshman students in these experimental sessions. A comparison of these two groups (See Table 1) shows that freshmen as a group generally expect to spend less time than successful students felt they spent studying for courses. The results of the upper class surveys were shown to the freshmen after they had completed their questionairs. Their main concern was how does one get the time?
The second part of the exercise was to have the students account for all their time through the day. They were to apportion that time they felt would be required for study and that required for amusement. Twenty four hour daily calendars were prepared. Students generally found that they had a significant number of free hours which they could easily use to meet the difference between the questionaire results. Each student was then required to purchase a daily planner and develop a schedule for their academic activities. The daily planners were to include the examination dates for all math and chemistry exams. Warnings to increase study times in these weeks were included. The value of daily planning exercises were discussed as necessity for time management. The usage of the daily planner was reviewed throughout the semester.
Most students, at the time of their arrival at the university, do not know how to effectively study. It was felt that one key to retention might be to teach study skills. This effort began by having the successful student group complete a questionaire concerning study methods and having the freshmen also complete the same questioner. (See Table 2) It appears that freshmen believe that the textbook is the heart of the course and that studying alone will produce success. When this is contrasted with the upperclassmen, it is seen that they rarely study alone and seem to believe that the textbook is supplemental to the course work and lectures.
Study skill preparation can be divided into two parts: individual effort and group approaches. To fortify individual skills, note taking techniques were reviewed. Examination study techniques and preparation were discussed. Particular emphasis was given to ``old'' exams and their value. Techniques to reduce test anxiety were reviewed. Most emphasis was given to group study techniques. The engineering reliance on team work was discussed. High school activities were discussed to show that more was sometimes obtained from group activity than individual activity. Two people working together do more than two people working as individuals. With these concepts it was not only suggested that students work as groups but the students were organized into study groups. This grouping was based on geographic placement of the students with respect to their housing and the mathematics courses which the students were taking. The groups gathered at common meeting place and common meeting time were established. Group study sessions were planned.
The group concept was reinforced throughout the course. Faculty assigned math homework to be done by the groups. Quizzes were given where the grades depended upon the group rather than on the individual score. The class was divided upon group boundaries and group challanges were issued. Group completions were encouraged, but the resulting grades were based on group achievement rather than intergroup ranking.
We should clearly state that these experiments were not conducted as ``educational research'' with all appropriate controls. Instead, the programs operated as ``instructional improvement'' projects. Results are based on observations and conversations with students by the instructors. The results appear to show the value of group study. Groups which met regularly had higher grades than those which were irregular in activity. Those groups which did not meet had large percentages who failed numerous courses. Students who cooperated with the group activity program had higher attendance and higher homework completion rates. Simple instruction in study skills by itself did not appear to produce the same success which was accomplished by the group activities but the groups themselves were helpful to the individuals.
This is evidenced by comments from the students in the groups. When individual students were asked about their success they responded in the following manner: (1) the strong members in the group helped the weak members in the group, (2) the group could compare notes for completeness, (3) when one member of the group did not know something another member of the group knew it and this helped to maximize the efficiency of getting the knowledge for the ones that did not know the material, (4) the strong members of the group could teach the weaker members so that the more completely learned the material-discussing the material with someone else always helped to increase your understanding of the material.
As a result of the study skill exercise it is concluded that simply teaching ``how to study'' is not as effective as teaching the concepts of group study. All students were individually instructed on study skills but it was primarily those who learned group skills who succeeded in getting high performance ratings. Thus the focus should not be on simply teaching study skill but rather in teaching group study habits and enforcing this group activity.
