ABSTRACT
The four- and six-year graduation rates (~17.7% and ~64.5% respectively) of engineering (ENGR), are below the University's average graduation rates (~ 33.1% and 67.4%). The goal of this study is to seek solutions towards increasing the graduation rates and ultimately decreasing the time-to-graduation. There are several steps that could be taken to help the engineering students graduate earlier. Examples are summer bridge programs that focus on strengthening mathematical skills of students, encouraging students to attend tutoring sessions and practice problem-solving. One of the factors that add to the time-to-graduation of students is not being able to pass the lower division courses that serve as the prerequisite to other discipline courses. The result will be high DFW rate courses which students repeat several times before they can pass them and pursue other courses that rely on these high DFW courses. This can adversely affect the student's sense of belonging and decrease the retention rate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all courses, including some of the high DFW courses, were taught in various modalities. This has created different results and perceptions by students. The Linear Circuits I is a high DFW rate course in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of CSU Chico. In this study, the author, who has taught this course in four different modalities, looks closely at the results of this class and compares the effect of different teaching modalities on the DFW rates. The author will also reflect on the effectiveness of each of the teaching modes, student engagement, and student feedback on each mode. The results could be used for the recommendation of teaching modalities if the course is offered online again due to a pandemic or other need. Additionally, the lessons learned and the technology related features of online instruction can be integrated with in-person instruction to increase the effectiveness of teaching. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.
ABSTRACT
Multiple chronic medical conditions are common to patients served by the community mental health (CMH) system. Medical diseases are present in at least 50% of all patients with psychiatric conditions, and severe mental disorders are associated with significant physical comorbidity and mortality. Early data show that individuals with preexisting multiple chronic conditions have a higher mortality risk when they are symptomatic with COVID-19. Although mitigation guidelines and recommendations are constantly being reviewed and updated, we found no specific recommendations targeting the vulnerable population who use CMH systems or the publicly funded and managed behavioral health entities which serve them. We reviewed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines regarding infection control in health care facilities that provide ambulatory care, including behavioral health clinics, as well as reviewed recent population outcomes data. We posit that the population served by the CMH systems is a higher-risk cohort than the general population and offer recommendations for effective infection prevention strategies specific to this population.