Evaluating the entry level knowledge and skills of first year undergraduate engineering students: A comparative analysis over a decade

The last decade has brought significant change to the educational landscape in the UK, including changes in qualification content and delivery, and significant disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic since 2020. These changes prompted a review of the first-year curriculum at the authors’ institution, to ensure a smooth transition for students into their degree programmes. The initial phase of this aimed to determine whether there have been changes in entry-level skills and knowledge of students enrolling in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering undergraduate (UG) degrees in recent years, and whether this has influenced student outcomes. To this end, new UG students entering the School in 2021 and 2022 were asked to complete a transition survey to assess their baseline knowledge in key areas of engineering sciences and mathematics. These results were compared to results from the same survey administered to students in 2011 and 2012. The findings revealed that overall average scores in the transition survey were similar across all four years, however, there were some areas where consistent changes have occurred, for example, in areas relating to mechanics which may be reflective of changing A level choices and curricula. Further analysis was conducted on the performance of the students in core engineering and science modules at the end of 1st year. A notable decline in performance was noted in Mechanics. These results indicate that a curriculum review should be undertaken to address any gaps in student knowledge.