Studies have shown that high school students select a college major based on her/his prior knowledge of a career associated with that knowledge. Studies also indicate that high school teachers and counselors who help guide students toward a college major have a limited view of the engineering profession and often only guide students who are “good in math and science” toward an engineering major. After exposing the student to advanced engineering application coursework (i.e.. college courses), her/his understanding of the wide-range of careers that engineers expands, and her/his interest in an engineering profession increases. This paper will discuss the use of the concept behind a “farming subdivision” as a mean to change first-year first-semester college students’ perception of engineering. The paper discusses if the farming subdivision theme helped first-year first-semester non-engineering majors understand that engineering is a liberal education, not one that is solely a mathematics and science education. This investigation was conducted during the fall semester of 2016.
The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 24, 2017, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 28, 2018
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