Motivating and retaining engineering students by integrating real world engineering problems into the calculus courses

Many students who switch away from an engineering major cite math, specifically calculus, as one of the most influential factors in that decision. This paper presents a method to improve engineering student persistence and learning in calculus without any changes in the current calculus curriculum. The proposed method combines the integration of real world engineering problems into existing Calculus II courses and engineering mentors to help students to solve calculus problems. The implementation of this method was achieved through a pilot study administered to undergraduate engineering students enrolled in a Calculus II course at a mid-size research institution in the Midwest. The results of the pilot show that engineering problems helped the student participants to learn calculus. Students benefited from working closely with their peers and their mentors in the Calculus II course, and they felt more connected to other students in math and/or engineering.