Improving Mechanical Engineering Technology degree completion at Delaware Technical Community College

Delaware Technical Community College (Delaware Tech) is a statewide institution of higher education, providing career, general and continuing education, and industrial training both on-site and through electronic media. The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) is granted upon successful completion of specific curriculum requirements, including general and technology-specific education. Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) department enrollment statistics from the last six years show that only twenty-seven (27) percent of students complete the MET degree in three years or less. Delaware Tech needs to increase this percentage because a low completion rate negatively impacts the school and the student's future.;The purpose of this study is to develop a recommendation for departmental and course changes in the MET program to increase the percentage of students completing the MET degree in three years or less without negatively impacting the quality of the curriculum and courses.;The key questions of this study are: 1. How are other educational institutions improving their completion rates? 2. How can students at risk of not finishing be identified earlier? 3. What do students believe are the major contributing factors affecting how long it takes them to complete the degree? 4. What do instructors believe are the major contributing factors keeping students from completing the degree in a timely fashion? 5. How do faculty believe they can help students complete their degree on time?;The literature reviewed the major contributing factors that research experts think will help improve student retention and persistence to graduation in a community college setting. The research indicates that there are important components to address at the community college to increase graduation rates; these components include quality instruction, peer mentoring, faculty student interaction and advisement, institution attributes, minority student success, part-time faculty, project based learning (PBL), and 21st century skills.;The investigator used interviews and surveys to learn the perceptions of students and faculty. The student survey contains 15 questions. Students were solicited from first year as well as advanced classes in the MET degree program. Faculties for those same courses were selected for participation.;There are several recommendations for Delaware Tech administration as a result of this investigation: • Create a more interactive advisement model. • Educate students on the pitfalls of working too many hours. • Offer more convenient classes and use alternate formats. • Create an analysis of the characteristics of students in the program. • Increase student support through learning communities. • Appoint a retention team leader for the department and/or the college. • Incorporate project based learning and 21st century skills. • Implement a peer mentoring program. • Increase the use of full-time vs part-time faculty in the department.;The number of Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) students completing their associate degree requirements in three years or less can be increased while not lowering the high standards of the program. The MET program graduation goal going forward should be forty percent (40%) for students completing the program in three years or less. The six-year average for 2009-2014 was twenty-seven percent (27%) for the MET program. This target goal represents an increase of 13%.