Interdisciplinary Summer Math Bridge Program for At-Risk Transition Students

Abstract This Complete Research paper details XXX University's summer math bridge program designed to support at-risk students transitioning into engineering and technology programs. We present two years of longitudinal data on the outcomes of these students. Math bridge programs are becoming more common as higher education institutions are adapting to changing student demographics, including an increase in minority and non-traditional student enrollments. The changing demographics of college students offer both promising opportunities and unique challenges for educators as they strive to connect with these underserved populations. Shifting demographics are compounded by declining ACT scores, exacerbated by the pandemic, and financial constraints, particularly among underrepresented groups. XXX engineering college has seen a rise in students needing math remediation. In the 2020 incoming engineering freshman class of XXX University, 42% required at least one math remediation course, of which 43% were Hispanic, 26% were Caucasian, 13% were African American, 13% were Asian, and 17% were female. Underrepresented groups, oftentimes carrying a larger debt burden and financial constraints, comprise a majority of students needing remedial math courses in their degree programs. These challenges place underserved students at high risk of dropping out of their degree programs or even from college altogether, as remedial math courses often prolong graduation timelines. We aim to address this issue through a 1-week math bridge program, offering one session in 2021 and two consecutive sessions in 2022, with a total of 48 students served. The program targets public high school transition students, and non-traditional students (veterans and returning learners) with over a year gap in the last math course they have taken. This bridge program provides individualized math plans, rigorous math review, and hands-on project-based learning with math faculty, engineering faculty and tutors with engineering or mathematics post-secondary degrees. An online math platform was used to assess each student's current mathematical ability, diagnose weaknesses, and provide guided practice to address those areas of weakness. There were five tests covering basic geometry, standard high school algebra, advanced algebra, and trigonometry. Students would take a test, work the study plan generated if performance was below 80%, retake that test and then move on to the next section of material. A university math professor and two tutors were always available for help. The math faculty would dedicate time daily to a group review session for a target objective followed by a hands-on activity reinforcing that objective. Target objectives included factoring, the relationship between a factor and a zero of a polynomial and developing a deep understanding of sine and cosine functions. Engineering PBLs were designed in an interdisciplinary approach leveraging the unique XXX University engineering missions program. Engineering mission programs have been shown to engage a larger percentage of underrepresented students in engineering and provide unique opportunities to engage students with engineering problems. We've used the strengths of the engineering missions program to create project-based learning (PBL) activities in Electrical, Civil, and Mechanical engineering. These PBLs centered around providing clean water access and involve students in addressing the needs of a fictional global partner with a remote clinic. Students explore technical and social challenges and work on solutions while learning fundamental concepts in Electrical, Civil, and Mechanical engineering, including algebra, trigonometry, and precalculus. At the end of the week a culminating final pump prototype system was designed. Results show that over 80% of students placed at least one math course higher after the program. We also compare retention rates and math performance with their peers. At-risk students in the program show significant persistence and better math performance. The data reveals a substantial increase in first-semester math course success for program participants. Students placed into College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, or Trigonometry through the program outperform historical data for engineering students in these courses. Those who continue to Calculus 1 earn about 0.8 higher letter grades than the control group. Ongoing data collection will help assess progress in higher-level math courses like Calculus III and Differential Equations.