The Effects of Students’ In- and Out-of-Class Experiences on their Analytical and Group Skills: A Study of Engineering Education

This study examined the unique and joint contributions of engineering students’ classroom and out-of-class experiences on the development of two sets of skills central to students’ successful performance as engineers: analytical and group skills. Although the study focuses on engineering, the conceptual underpinnings and criterion measures are relevant to studies of teaching and learning in other fields. Multiple regression analyses using data from 4198 graduating engineering students on 39 campuses nationwide indicate that, after controlling an array of students’ precollege characteristics, both students’ classroom and out-of-class experiences make statistically significant and independent contributions to student learning in both skill areas. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, June 2005, San Diego, CA. This study was supported by a grant from the Accrediting Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET, Inc.). The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of ABET, and no official endorsement should be inferred.