Factors Contributing to Success in an Introductory Mechanical Engineering Course: A Data-Driven Case Study

Abstract

Recent studies have paid attention to the success and performance of students in higher education, concerned finding significant contributing factors. This paper attempts to examine and investigate the effect of a number of factors on students’ success in engineering courses. The data was collected from an introductory course, the Engineering Graphics and Practice, in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) during fall 2018 semester. The level of students in the class is mixed. Although this course is primarily designed for freshmen, there are upper-division students (juniors and seniors). The study finds that attendance and homework have the most significant effects on the overall performance of students in the course. Surprisingly, a counterintuitive finding is that the effect of a student’s class level is insignificant. The upper-division students did not outperform those in a lower division. Ultimately, the finding of this paper proves that active learning has a greater impact on a student’s overall performance than a number of earned credits.