Ramping up an integrated engineering curriculum to full implementation

The College of Engineering and Science at Louisiana Tech University piloted an integrated freshman-engineering program with 40 students for the 1997-98 academic year. The pilot program was continued for these students with an integrated sophomore curriculum in 1998-99 while the freshman program was expanded to 120 students. Full implementation of the integrated freshman and sophomore curricula is planned for the 1999-2000 academic year. The new curriculum integrates engineering, math, chemistry, and physics and incorporates an engineering design project during the freshman year. Engineering, math, and physics are integrated in the sophomore year. All classes rely heavily on cooperative learning techniques. Assessment of the program to date indicates significant improvement in student performance over the traditional program, as measured by grades in all courses and by retention. This paper addresses the issues and challenges related to making such a dramatic curriculum change in three years and our approaches to resolving these challenges.