Summer Industrial Projects Program (SiPP) Drives Engineering Technology Student Retention

Abstract

Engineering Technology education is experiential learning. It serves the hands-on engineering profession that combines knowledge of mathematics and science with the practical application of technology. Typical Engineering Technology (ET) programs prepare graduates to implement technology; evidenced by the nearly 60% of classes that include laboratory content. These laboratory exercises are constructed to simulate manufacturing process and product design problems. While labs are critical to gaining technology experience, they are not engineering projects. The first comprehensive engineering project a student attempts is the program’s capstone course; the Senior Design. The under-served component of Engineering Technology education is engineering projects. This paper describes a three-year NSF-funded summer program designed to improve student retention in Engineering Technology by exposing students to an industrial setting to gain practical engineering experience. Sophomore and Junior-level students were organized into teams and assigned to small or medium-sized manufacturing firms close to the university. Each team conceived and/or implemented a two-month manufacturing project that solved a design or process problem.