Background: This national project builds on recent studies that have aimed to develop strategies to enhance enrolment, progression, and graduation rates in engineering programs. Implementing these strategies will help to address the critical skills shortages in the engineering profession in Australia. To ensure the outcomes have wide applicability, the project team has deliberately drawn students from five universities that cover the spectrum of Australian universities and engineering programs: the University of Southern Queensland, the University of Queensland, the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of Newcastle, and the University of New England. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on initial descriptive data of this longitudinal project which will examine the knowledge, motivation, personality, and learning approaches of first year engineering students and how well they each predict subsequent retention and academic performance. These outcomes are yet to be achieved and are beyond the scope of this paper. Design/Method: An online battery of self-assessment tests was developed for this project based on diagnostic pre-testing used by a number of the participating universities, and other standard measures. The battery measures cognitive abilities (e.g., spatial, maths, physics, and chemistry) and non-cognitive abilities and traits (e.g., personality traits, career interests, and approaches to learning) of first year engineering students. Retention and academic results at the end of first year will be used as outcome variables, and regression analyses will be used to ascertain which of these variables are reliable predictors of academic success. Focus group data will enable some qualitative amplification of these results. Results: Outcome variables for the project will not be available until the end of 2012, however, this paper reports on preliminary descriptive and cognitive data from 505 first-year students commencing engineering studies at the five partner universities in Semester 1, 2012. Overall, students reported that they found the self-assessments and personalised feedback helpful in preparing them for their studies. Half of those who completed the cognitive skills quiz scored better than 70% across the range of questions. Results in physics, chemistry and spatial abilities were consistent across programs and study modes. However, students in two-year and three-year programs did not perform as well in maths as those in four-year degree (or equivalent) programs, and external students did not score as well in maths as did students enrolled on-campus. The implications of these findings are discussed. Conclusions: First-year engineering students indicated that they enjoyed the opportunity to self-assess their readiness and to be linked with early support where needed. Data from the battery will inform the development of the Engineering Career Appraisal Tool (EngCAT), an online educational resource that will enable school students and mature-age people who might be considering engineering as a career option to self-assess their cognitive and non-cognitive capabilities and skills.

Background: In this study the implementation of screencasts (video of computer screen with voiceover) as a strategy to address the diversity in mathematical backgrounds of students undertaking a third year surveying unit in both on campus and in distance modes, was investigated. This cohort of students did not have strong mathematical backgrounds, either at high school or university level, a reflection of a national sector wide trend. Barrington (2009) reported between 1995 and 2007 the number of students in Australia studying the highest levels of mathematics in Year 12, Intermediate and Advanced mathematics, declined by 22% and 27%, respectively. Correspondingly, there was an increase of 30% in students studying Elementary mathematics, and this situation is often compounded by a lack of retention of mathematical concepts between high school and university (Jennings, 2009). Purpose: Identify the mathematical background of students enrolled in a third year surveying unit, then determine if screencasts are easy to use, help students understand mathematical concepts and are helpful for revision. Design/Method: To overcome the difficulty of teaching students with different levels of mathematical background screencasts were embedded into this unit from 2009. To determine the background mathematical level of the cohort and the effectiveness of this teaching strategy, each year students were asked to voluntarily participate in a questionnaire from 2009 to 2011, which included qualitative and four part Likert scale (strongly agree-disagree) questions. Results: Of the 53 students completing the questionnaire over three years, it was apparent the cohort included students with diverse educational background, as 25% had not completed the Higher School Certificate (or equivalent); 32% had studied mathematics at Year 12 Elementary level or School Certificate level; and 25% had studied mathematics at advanced Year 12 level. Screencasts were well received with 84% user rate; and of these students, 95% found screencasts easy to use, 98% found they made the steps in the calculation easy to follow and 93% found they were beneficial when studying for the quizzes and exam in the unit. Conclusions: Use of screencast in information literacy and computing has been previously investigated in the literature but it is poorly researched in mathematical concepts. In this case students found these resources easy to use and very helpful in assisting their understanding of mathematical concepts, especially for distance students.

Background: Results presented in this paper are part of a national project aimed to develop strategies to enhance enrolment, progression, and graduation rates in engineering programs. The implementation of these strategies is hoped to help the critical shortages of engineers in Australia. It is well documented that transition to university study can be difficult for students and with increasingly diverse cohorts it is vital that learning and teaching be aimed at a wide audience. In smaller institutions it is commonplace for engineering students to study the same subjects as students enrolled in other courses. It is important to document the similarities and/or differences in learning approaches and motivations of these different cohorts to determine whether accommodations via adaptive teaching strategies are needed. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the interests and motivations to study engineering of first year Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Civil and Environmental) students with those of applied science students. Design: The project team developed an online battery of self-assessment tests to measure non-cognitive abilities and motivations and interests in studying engineering. A total of 76 first year students at a regional university completed the self-tests. Comparisons between engineering and applied science student profiles allowed the similarities and differences in their respective approaches to learning and career interests to be documented. Results: Analysis of the data showed that engineering students were significantly less likely to be surface learners than their applied science peers (p < .05). Engineering students also showed significantly higher scores than applied science students on the total measure of interest and motivation for studying engineering (p < .01). Conclusions: The self-assessments enabled the first year engineering and applied science students to identify their motivations for studying engineering. They also received feedback on their learning approaches. A follow-up class discussion enabled the students to reflect on the benefits and potential limitations of each learning approach. The importance of conversing with students about how to self-manage their learning and being linked to support to address any identified gaps was discussed in the context of experiencing success in first year studies.