ACOMPARISON OF ACCESS AND DIRECT ENTRY STUDENT SUCCESS IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

This paper provides an overview of the Introduction to Electrical Engineering Technology program, analyzes its success, and provides observations for administrators considering a similar initiative.A barrier to access for Science Technology Engineering and Math-based careers is the requirement for high school math and physics courses. To address this shortcoming, an Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) program at a major Manitoba college implemented a one term Introduction to Electrical Engineering Technology (Introduction to EET) program to upgrade student mathematical abilities, reduce the first-year workload, and help them identify a career that interest and motivate them.Student success is evaluated by comparing the retention and relative performance of the Introduction to EET students who entered the regular EET program with the performance of direct entry students in the same classes. The grades were analyzed using an ANOVA approach to determine if the two groups were statistically different. In the first cohort, statistical differences were observed in three courses with the direct entry students performing lower. In the second cohort, the Introduction to EET students performed poorer in mathematics than their direct entry peers. As students continued through the program, performance differences became harder to detect.