Gaining Retention and Achievement for Students Program (GRASP) A Professional Development Program for Engineering Faculty To Increase Student Success

Faculty are often frustrated by students' poor academic performance and experience high student withdrawal and low student retention. Faculty present good lectures, assign appropriate homework, answer students' questions, and believe students understand the material. In spite of the time and effort faculty spend in preparation, faculty are often surprised to see students' poor performance on assignments and exams. After the excitement of getting to know a new group of promising students, faculty are disappointed when students drop their classes. Faculty blame poor performance on students' lack of academic preparedness and often believe they can do little about student success. The reality is, faculty are able to take actions to improve student academic performance and increase student retention. Teaching is more enjoyable when faculty see student success. This paper discusses how making small changes in faculty teaching can make big differences in student retention and academic performance.