Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Title

American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)

First Page

1

Last Page

13

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

University of the Pacific has embarked on a university-wide endeavor to improve student success and retention. This effort involves academic coaches being placed in each unit, early grade reporting in the fifth week of the semester, follow-ups by faculty advisors and academic coaches for struggling students, and documentation of interactions with such students in the university CRM system. These follow-ups with students typically involve conversations to explore factors contributing to poor performance (e.g., health issues, excessive work hours, study skills), suggesting approaches to improve performance, and making referrals to care teams and supplemental instruction. Despite all these efforts, DFW rates in Electric Circuits, a gateway course for Electrical and Computer Engineering majors, have remained high. On learning that the DFW rate for this course was 32.1% in Fall 2024, the author, who was assigned to teach the course in Spring 2025, implemented two classroom interventions to improve student success. The author had already transitioned from three major exams in the course to six lower weight exams that occur more frequently, providing students with an incentive to keep up with the course material and avoid procrastination. This assessment method gave students the opportunity to receive early feedback on their performance, allowing poor performers to adjust their study habits and effort levels early in the semester. The lower weight of the more frequent exams gave students a chance to recover from a poor early grade. The second intervention employed by the instructor came in the form of weekly problem-solving sessions after the regularly scheduled class period. These sessions were attendance-optional and facilitated by the university’s 75- minute time blocks for 3-unit classes, which left 20 minutes of extra class time per period for the instructor to engage with students willing to stay awhile after class. The instructor gave students a problem to work on in collaboration with their peers, and moved around the class, talking to students, seeing where they were stuck, and helping them move past errors. This level of interaction between students and the instructor was not possible during a regular class period due to time constraints. The instructor found that this extra time helped improve the confidence and performance of students who attended. These two interventions bore fruit: the DFW rate for the Spring 2025 Electric Circuits course was 14.1%, significantly lower than the 32.1% in Fall 2024. The author taught Electric Circuits again in Fall 2025, continuing to use the low weight, high frequency exams and extra problem-solving sessions. The combined DFW rate for Spring and Fall 2025 was 14.9%.

Comments

©American Society for Engineering Education, 2026

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