Developing and Implementing an Innovative First Year Program for 1000 Students

In the past decade, learning experiences for first year engineering students at Ohio State have evolved. This article provides an overview of that evolution with emphasis on the student experience in 2000. It will cover course topics, teaching staff, facilities, faculty development, assessment and feedback methodologies, and results to date. Two important factors in bringing about change were Ohio State’s participation in the NSF-funded Gateway Engineering Education Coalition and substantial support from the Dean’s office. Many subjects briefly discussed in this paper will be covered in more detail in separate papers presented at this and other conferences.