Examining the Effectiveness of Scholars Assisting Scholars Program Among Undergraduate Engineering Students

Abstract

Retaining engineering students is a critical issue in engineering education, especially in the first two years of college when the attrition rate in engineering has been stubbornly high. Peer tutoring and supplemental instruction are widely used techniques in order to help freshmen and juniors succeed in challenging courses in universities. Peer tutoring has shown to improve academic outcomes such as achieving higher GPAs, higher retention rates, and improving student connectedness. In this study, we are focusing on the effectiveness of a peer tutoring and supplemental instruction program implemented in a college of engineering at a large land grant research institution.