Student success: On the need for a new standard

Engineering programs of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana have adopted the CDIO philosophy as a guideline of their curricula. The institution has made significant progress in the application of the 12 CDIO standards. However, analysis of student performance has shown weakness that are derived not only in the academic dimension, but also in other areas such as socioeconomic status and the personal features. These facts have motivated the institution to formalize a process of continuous risk monitoring and design strategies of support and accompaniment. The preliminary results show a significant impact on the students and their performance. Based on the experience of this project, a standard is proposed that guides the CDIO programs. It looks forward to articulate processes for dropout prevention and the learning assurance. This paper shows in its first section the current status of the CDIO curricula at Pontificia Javeriana University. The particular case of academic performance in first year is also analyzed. Then it is shown a dropout behavior in the school of engineering and the mechanisms for its prevention, following the STARS network guidelines. Finally, preliminary results of those strategies and the proposal of the new standard are presented.