On Wednesday, the College of Engineering announced a change in their coursework, breaking up a previously three-credit CE 2740 class into a one-credit CE 2710 and a two-credit class across two semesters.
Christian Schwartz, the Assistant Dean of Student Services at the College of Engineering, elaborated on why this change was implemented.
“A lot of our data shows that a number of issues involved with students struggling can be tied back to what happens in the first third of the course… students are coming in without a good mastery of some of these early course concepts,” Schwartz said. “We have a lot of data to show that they just can not be successful downstream.”
Schwartz spoke on why this change was deemed important now rather than in previous years, specifically why statics has gained a new reputation of being undesirable.
“A few years removed, statics was generally not the biggest drama for most students, but now that is one of the main courses they always hear about being high drama,” Schwartz said. “There is no doubt about it, these are tough classes.”
He also alleviated concerns that suggested new additions to the course, clarifying that no new material has been added.
“We are not adding any content to the course,” Schwartz said. “We are just spacing it out to give a chance to get where they (students) need to be with the fundamentals before we dive into the last two credits of the course in the second semester.”
Schwartz mentioned that the reputation of statics has changed in recent years, largely due to the change in coursework for previous classes.
“If we look at the first or second years of an engineering degree now, it looks different than it may have been back when these courses were first conceived,” Schwartz said. “There are some skills that we assume students have that we realized we don’t cover them like we used to.”
Schwartz also highlighted the main objectives of the change, namely what students can expect when it comes to the new coursework.
“This is an indication of how committed the College of Engineering is in terms of helping students be successful, no matter where they are coming from,” Schwartz said. “Technically, it is going to be slowed down a little bit, and so there might be more of a chance for people to get on top of these topics.”
Schwartz explained the thought behind the change, describing it as an opportunity to refine the course and help students who are struggling early on.
“The model also gives us some time to really identify students from the get-go that are struggling and figure out what we can do as instructors, TAs, SI leaders to get in there and support these students,” Schwartz said.
In an email sent out to engineering students Wednesday, it was mentioned that offerings for summer 2026 and fall 2026 have not yet been decided. Schwartz clarified why there is no certainty yet.
“The intent is for this to be a permanent change,” Schwartz said. “We will be continuing to take data to see if there is any tweaking. We have a kind of phase-out period… ‘What would be the unique needs of students?’ That is why nothing is fully determined.”
Describing the sentiments behind the change, Schwartz shared the excitement at the College of Engineering when ushering in the change.
“It is an exciting time because it is something new,” Schwartz said. “We want them, when they are done with the second class, to be walking out and just say ‘Yeah, I think I know statics, I feel good about it.’”
Santiago Lopez, a junior in mechanical engineering who had taken statics previously, shared his thoughts on the change.
“I feel like it is not the most necessary change… it could set people back, especially if they repeat one of the statics classes,” Santiago said. “Statics was not terrible, and I just feel like it is completely unnecessary.”
Santiago also shared what he believes would help students more in improving their performances in statics as opposed to the new change.
“I think having more practice is something people really benefit from, versus splitting the course into two separate semesters. I feel like the basics of statics, such as vectors and equilibrium, should be taught in physics I,” Santiago said.
