The Impact Of A Cohort Model Learning Community On First-Year Engineering Student Success

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of cohort participation in a learning community and collaborative learning techniques on the success of first-year engineering students. Student success was measured as gains in knowledge, skills, and attitudes, student engagement, and persistence in engineering. The study group was comprised of students registered in an engineering orientation course. Two sub-groups were compared: a) a test cohort and b) a control group. Students registered in the test cohort shared four courses. The control group shared only one course, an engineering orientation course. An exit survey was used to measure gains in skills and attitudes, student engagement, and student perceptions of collaborative learning techniques. Participation in the learning community test cohort was not found to improve student success. Participation in the learning community test cohort model was, however, linked to more positive student attitudes towards engineering and higher levels of student satisfaction with the collaborative learning techniques used in the course.