Developing an ecosystem for student success in engineering in Rio South Texas

The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) faces some unique regional challenges that hinder retention, success, persistence, and progression. These regional challenges include reduced college preparedness, a high incidence of poverty, low educational attainment, and a language barrier. In particular, first-year, first-term UTPA students are largely unprepared to take Calculus. This places an undue burden on the students, lengthens their time to graduation, and hinders their performance in many gatekeeper courses. The shortcomings that result in gatekeeper courses are especially acute and significantly hinder success in upper-division courses. To overcome these, the authors have identified four proven practices that will accelerate math-preparedness of incoming freshman, overcome misconceptions that hinder progression from lower to upper division, and enhance sustained student engagement throughout. Together these practices form a strategy intended to engender a sustainable ecosystem of student success in Engineering and Computer Science in the Rio South Texas Region.