This was a special pilot course intended to provide an experimental context to
explore the feasibility of using the ESCAPE system
and other emerging technology to support the career-planning process.
It was offered for six semesters to 10-25 first year undergraduate
engineering students at Purdue who were undecided regarding a field
of engineering or engineering as a career.
The students represented a wide range of academic backgrounds including honors
students as well as students in the regular program and a few high risk students.
Formative survey forms were used during the course to provide "on the spot"
insight into the success of special activities. A comprehensive 250 item survey,
administered at the end of the course, covered the areas of lectures, course assignments,
lab exercises, and the overall course. Results of these surveys show the overall course,
personal interviews and a Microsoft Word Autobiography exercise received the highest
ratings of personal value to the students, followed closely by a Resume activity and ESCAPE.