This document discusses Engineering Pathways, a program aimed at attracting and retaining a more diverse student body in engineering programs. It outlines obstacles such as a lack of shared culture and long math sequences before calculus. The program aims to get students through calculus and intro science in one year with support like math workshops and tutoring. It provides examples of partner colleges and funding sources for similar programs. Diagrams illustrate hands-on problem solving activities and workshops addressing topics like unit conversions and estimating areas/volumes. Passing rate data is also included.

1. Engineering'Pathways'
Dr.'Brandy'Wiegers,'San'Francisco'State'University'
With%Addie%Evans%and%Emiliano%Gomez%

2. !!
of!Engineering!Pathways!
Issue:!How'can'we'a<ract'and'
retain'a'more'diverse'student'body'
in'engineering'programs?'
'
Obstacles: !
Lack of Shared Culture!
No sense-making!
Anti-social!
Long math sequence before
calculus!
Antidotes: !
Collaboration among faculty!
Problem solving workshops!
Community of support!
Double up math classes!

3. !!
of!Engineering!Pathways!
• Goal:'Get'students'through'calculus'and'intro'
level'science.'
• Usual'ExpectaFon:'Two'year'process'to'get'
through'calculus.'
• Reality:'Usually'takes'much'longer,'adds'1K2'
years'to'a'“4'year”'degree.''
• SoluFon:'1'year'to'get'through'prerequisites'
for'calculus''
– with'support'via'math!workshops!and!tutoring!
'

4. Cañada College!
Veterans!
Veterans
Employment
Assistance!
Chabot College !
Displaced auto Alameda WIB!
workers, low
SES students!
City College of SF!
diverse, low
SES students!
S.D. Bechtel Jr
Foundation!
Saddleback College!
diverse, low
SES students!
Department of
Labor H1B Visa
grant!
Santa Ana College!
diverse, low
SES students!
Department of
Labor H1B Visa
grant!

5. Hands!on!Problem!Solving!

6. Students'have'to'match'
the'bo<le'to'the'graph'
using'math.'

7. Area'K'BP'Oil'Spill''
Real'World'Problem'Solving'
Ten'days'ago,'a'big'underwater'oil'well'from'DBD'Petroleum'
Company'ruptured'near'the'coast'of'Paradise'Island.'They'
reported'to'the'public'an'esFmate'of'8000'barrels'per'day'
being'discharged'into'the'ocean.'
'
Prepare'a'report'for'the'Paradise'Island'officials.''It'should'
contain:'
1. An'esFmate'the'oil'discharge'of'the'DBD'well'into'the'ocean,'
in'units'of'barrels'of'oil'per'day.''
2. An'explanaFon'of'the'calculaFons'and'informaFon'that'leads'
to'your'esFmate.'
3. An'evaluaFon'of'the'DBD'esFmate.'Is'it'reasonably'close'to'
your'esFmate?'Is'it'too'low?'Too'high?''

8. Real!World!Problem!Solving
Estimating areas!
!
Rates of change!
Finding relevant
information!
!
Calculating volume!
Unit conversion - to
m3 to barrels!

9. Gaps!in!Knowledge!
Unit%Conversions%
A'certain'island'has'no'currency,'
'instead'it'has'the'following'exchange'rate:''
'
'5'bananas'='2'coconuts' '10'coconuts'='3'seashells''
'5'bananas'='4'mangos ' '2'mangos='1'coconut''
'5'coconuts'='2'fish ' '15'seashells'='2'snakeskins''
'
'100'fish'='1'hammock' '10'snakeskins'='1'hammock'
!
How!many!bananas!does!it!take!to!!
trade!for!a!hammock?!!!

10. Unit!Conversions:'
SoluFons''
''
How!many!bananas!does!it!take!to!!
trade!for!a!hammock?!!!
10 snakeskins 15 seashells 10 cococnuts 5 bananas
1hammock ×
×
×
×
= 625 bananas
1hammock 2 snakeskins 3 seashells 2 coconuts
€

11. SoluFon'–'Units'&'Big'Numbers'
• Fermi'CalculaFons:''
– EsFmate'the'total'number'of'sheets'of'8.5'x'
11'inch'paper'used'by'all'the'students'at'
Chabot'in'one'semester.''
– If'the'land'area'of'the'earth'were'divided'up'
equally'for'each'person'on'the'planet,'about'
how'much'would'you'get?''
– Sea'O<ers'have'about'1'million'hairs'per'
square'inch'on'their'body.'How'many'hairs'
does'a'Sea'O<er'have'on'its'enFre'body?''

12. SoluFon'–'Units'&'Big'Numbers'
UNIT'RELAY'RACE'
(1)!Liquid!Volume'
Given'a'1.76'liquid'Cup'measuring'container,'
pour'1.25'L'of'water'to'within'±0.1'L.''
(2)!Length'
Given!7.2'inches'of'string,'find'length''.92'
x102cm'±'10'cm''
(3)!Area'
Given'7.2'inches'of'string,'find'a'square'space'
with'area''='334'x'10K4m2'±'1'cm2'

13. Area'K'BP'Oil'Spill''
Real'World'Problem'Solving'
'
'
What!is!area?!

14. Area'K'BP'Oil'Spill''
Real'World'Problem'Solving'
What'is'area?'
• A=Length'*'width'
• is'the'space'of'an'object,'without'the'width'
of'it'(base'of'object)'
• A'quanFty'that'expresses'the'extent'of'a'
2D'surface'or'shape'in'the'place.'
• Measurement'of'the'amount'of'space'
inside'or'used'in'the'object'

15. Area'K'BP'Oil'Spill''
Real'World'Problem'Solving'
How'is'"area"'related'to'"volume"?'
A'x'height'='width'
2D'and'3D'difference'
Area'*'h'='volume'
area'has'surface'space,'volume,'includes'
depth'
• A'*'(x'any'or'2)'='volume'
• volume'has'depth'while'area'is'space'but'they'
both'tell'you'nor'much'space'something'takes'
•
•
•
•

16. Area'K'BP'Oil'Spill''
Real'World'Problem'Solving'
Ten'days'ago,'a'big'underwater'oil'well'from'DBD'Petroleum'
Company'ruptured'near'the'coast'of'Paradise'Island.'They'
reported'to'the'public'an'esFmate'of'8000'barrels'per'day'
being'discharged'into'the'ocean.'
'
Prepare'a'report'for'the'Paradise'Island'officials.''It'should'
contain:'
1. An'esFmate'the'oil'discharge'of'the'DBD'well'into'the'ocean,'
in'units'of'barrels'of'oil'per'day.''
2. An'explanaFon'of'the'calculaFons'and'informaFon'that'leads'
to'your'esFmate.'
3. An'evaluaFon'of'the'DBD'esFmate.'Is'it'reasonably'close'to'
your'esFmate?'Is'it'too'low?'Too'high?''

17. 2012K2013'Passing'Rates,'pt'1'

18. 2012O2013!Passing!Rates,!pt!2!

19. THANK'YOU!'
SFSU'Bridge'to'Engineering'Problem'
Solving'Workshops'
Brandy'Wiegers,'bwiegers@sfsu.edu'
Addie'Evans,'adde@sfsu.edu''
'
h<p://www.csmesf.org/educators/
engineeringKpathways'
'