Academic excellence for minority engineering students

The goal of the Office of Minority Engineering Programs (OMEP) at Arizona State University (ASU) is to build a climate that develops not only academic excellence, but, also, provide experiences for students that will build self-esteem, competence, and flexible and marketable skills that will sustain them through the twenty-first century. Engineers have the potential of becoming obsolete within a few short years after they leave academia. Therefore, it is critical that a solid foundation for life-long learning be developed during the university preparation period. Comprehensive approaches to the development of engineering strategies are most often created not in isolation, but through collective minds. Today technical corporations are focused on collaborative, team building strategies that will keep pace with global competition. OMEP has the challenge of preparing students to meet the changing industry climate. Therefore, a program was called for that could reinforce engineering concepts in a team setting to improve academic excellence. Supported by the Foundation Coalition, the OMEP has now begun an Academic Excellence Program that clusters underrepresented minority (African American, Hispanic and Native American) students enrolled in ECE 100, a course designed to teach engineering concepts and computer skills. Non-minority students in the course are also invited to participate in these workshops. The students develop their own community of learners and collectively come to conclusions on how to process information. The Academic Excellence Workshops help to move away from traditional tutoring that is often a short term fix. Rather, these sessions enhance the mastery of engineering concepts as opposed to isolated problems. We feel this process prepares students for potential curriculum integration in the future, as well as for team participation in industry.