Pilot Strategy to Enhance Mechanical Engineering Student Retention Through Active Academic Advising and Early Engagement

Student retention and recruitment represent persistent challenges in mechanical engineering education.Retention is closely linked to the appropriate placement of students in foundational first-year courses such as mathematics, chemistry, and physics-subjects that heavily influence academic persistence and success.Standardized test scores and placement exams are frequently employed to allocate students into these courses.However, these traditional systems are often plagued by limitations, including biases inherent to standardized tests, delays in transcript processing, and insufficient communication regarding the importance of placement assessments.Underrepresented student groups often encounter these challenges more acutely, receiving critical placement test information while still completing high school, a time when competing priorities can obscure the significance of these assessments.As a result, students may be misplaced into courses that do not align with their academic preparedness, compromising their ability to succeed and progress.This study introduces a new strategy to enhance retention by implementing a structured, proactive advising model that emphasizes early, personalized engagement between students and faculty advisors.This advising framework prioritizes frequent and clear communication regarding placement and academic progress through personalized emails, one-on-one Zoom meetings, and in-person advising sessions.Mathematics placement, given its foundational role in engineering curricula, serves as the centerpiece of this advising model.The framework provides students with academic planning support, fosters meaningful student-faculty interactions, and cultivates student ownership of their educational pathways.Additionally, the model encourages early research engagement to strengthen student retention.Faculty advisors actively guide students to explore research opportunities within their first two years, recognizing that research participation enhances critical thinking, fosters academic networks, and deepens students' commitment to their discipline.Through early academic involvement, students are offered a customized path toward long-term academic success and professional growth.Our pilot implementation demonstrated substantial improvements in both initial course placements and four-year retention rates, particularly among students who initially struggled with mathematics.By addressing placement challenges and promoting early academic involvement, this strategy fosters an inclusive, supportive educational environment designed to retain diverse talent in mechanical engineering.