Engage program goes full scale

Over 470 students enroll in freshman engineering fundamentals

Dr. Roger Parsons looked tired but happy as he sat in his half-furnished office in Estabrook Hall. Parsons and his staff had just wrapped up the first week of enrolling the entire freshman engineering class into the Engage freshman engineering fundamentals program.

"It's been a really, really exciting time," Parsons said. "Overall it has been a very positive experience."

Parsons and the Engage faculty and staff have a lot to feel good about these days. The innovative program has grown from a pilot group of 60 freshmen in the fall of 1997, to 150 students in 1998, to over 470 first-year engineering students this fall.

Engage students participate in the annual bridge building project.

"We've seen amazing progress with Engage," said Dr. Fred Gilliam, College of Engineering Associate Dean. "When we began our efforts to redesign the freshman engineering program, we would not have believed how far we would come in only three years."

Gilliam was the chair of the original Basic Engineering Renovation Team (BERT). BERT was commissioned by College of Engineering Dean Jerry Stoneking three years ago in response to recommendations from students, faculty and the COE's Board of Advisors for improvements in the freshman engineering curriculum. Innovative and creative thinking were the first order of the day for the BERT members.

"When we had our initial meeting," Gilliam recalled, "I told the group that I had a hand-out for them. I gave out a blank sheet of paper. This was the starting point--that we were to take all existing conditions away and look at what a freshman engineering program should be--and not let any preconceived notions stand in our way."

Plans were implemented for a pilot program with 60 randomly selected students to begin in August of 1997. Parsons was chosen as the program's first director.

The "freshman village"

Estabrook Hall, a historic engineering building on UTK's campus, was selected as the site for the "freshman village." The village concept incorporated all freshman engineering classes and activities in one location, including classrooms, study lounges, research and computer laboratories and faculty offices. This fall, the COE's three research centers moved out of Estabrook into Stadium Hall in order to provide more space for Engage.

"This year, we are really on the way to making Estabrook a true "freshman village," Gilliam commented. "We offer space for study groups and social interaction. In a way, the transformation of Estabrook has paralleled the transformation of the program."

The Engage difference

How is the Engage program different from other freshman engineering programs, and why has it been so successful? Both faculty and students attribute the support-based aspects of the program and the ongoing efforts to help students develop teaming, communication and problem-solving skills.

Dr. Chris Pionke assists a student in a computer-aided graphics class.

Engage incorporates project-oriented, hands-on activities. Freshman engineering topics--such as graphics, computer programming, statics and dynamics--are integrated into two six-hour courses. The integration of material is focused around several "design, build and test" projects which range from egg-launching catapults to rubber-band powered vehicles. These activities provide realistic, mind-engaging problems, which introduce students to engineering design and allow them to experience the same decision-making processes as practicing engineers.

The program also emphasizes teamwork, with the students working in modules. Each module is assigned a mentor, an upperclassman enrolled in a team facilitation course. In addition, teams of professors working with graduate student assistants conduct all of the instruction in the Engage program.

Dr. Elaine Seat was a member of BERT. A licensed engineer with 20 years of industrial experience, Seat has a Ph.D. in education, specializing in the psychology of performance. She is a visiting professor with Engage and helps students develop the abilities to work with others.