Supplemental instruction benefits students in an introductory engineering course

Introduction to Engineering Analysis (IEA; course 20.100, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) is generally taken in the first semester of the freshman year and provides an integrated treatment of vector mechanics (statics) and linear algebra, also emphasizing computer-based matrix methods for solving engineering problems. The course format combines large (i.e., 80-100 students) lectures with weekly, smaller (40-50 students) recitations during which students work as teams to solve problems, assisted by the professor and/or the teaching assistant(s). IEA, therefore, incorporates active and peer-learning techniques with traditional lecture-based instructional methods. Students and faculty have been pleased with the additional teamwork and problem-solving practice provided by recitation sections; however, the recitations are a panacea for the many special challenges inherent in teaching a first-semester, freshman-level course. For example, students who performed well in high school classes, while exerting minimal effort, may not possess study skills which are appropriate for a rigorous college environment. Moreover, engineering problem solving is often a totally new mental exercise for college freshmen, even for students who excelled in high school math and science classes. Therefore, the Learning Center at Rensselaer initiated a series of Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions for IEA students in the Fall of 1996. The authors describe the nature of these sessions and their evaluation