Improving Underrepresented Minority Student Persistence in STEM.

Members of the Joint Working Group on Improving Underrepresented Minorities (URMs) Persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-convened by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute-review current data and propose deliberation about why the academic "pathways" leak more for URM than white or Asian STEM students. They suggest expanding to include a stronger focus on the institutional barriers that need to be removed and the types of interventions that "lift" students' interests, commitment, and ability to persist in STEM fields. Using Kurt Lewin's planned approach to change, the committee describes five recommendations to increase URM persistence in STEM at the undergraduate level. These recommendations capitalize on known successes, recognize the need for accountability, and are framed to facilitate greater progress in the future. The impact of these recommendations rests upon enacting the first recommendation: to track successes and failures at the institutional level and collect data that help explain the existing trends

The Transfer Playbook: Essential Practices For Two- And Four-year Colleges

Recognizing the critical need to help millions of community college students failed by current transfer practices and policies.  A new report provides a detailed guide for two- and four-year colleges on how to improve bachelor's degree outcomes for students who start at community college.Every year, millions of students aiming to attain a bachelor's degree attend community colleges because of their affordability and accessibility. Most will not realize their goals. While the vast majority of students report they want to earn a bachelor's degree, only 14 percent of degree-seeking students achieve that goal within six years, according to recent research from CCRC, Aspen, and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The odds are worse for low-income students, first-generation college students, and students of color—those most likely to start at a community college

BIOS: a one-week pre-freshman biology boot camp as a tool to increase student success and retention in the biological sciences major

The Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) Program was designed to assess the impact of a five-day intensive pre-freshman program on success and retention of biological science majors at a large research university. The program combined content lectures and examinations for the Introductory Biology course for Science Majors, as well as learning styles assessments and informational sessions to provide the students with a preview of the requirements of biology, and the pace of college. Students were tracked following their BIOS participation. In the pilot year of the program the BIOS participants performed significantly better on the first and second exams, had a higher course average, and had a higher final grade than the control group. These students also had higher success rates (grade of A, B or C) during both the Fall and Spring semesters and remained on track through the first semester of their sophomore year to graduate in four years at a significantly higher rate than the control group. As the students progress through their college careers BIOS participants show increased retention in the biology major and remained on track to graduate in four years than students who did not participate in BIOS. The BIOS program has been shown to be a very effective orientation for incoming freshman science majors at a large research university. This one-week “boot camp” was originally designed to ease the transition from high school to college, but has proven to have a positive effect on the long term success and retention of students in the biological science major. While summer-long bridge programs are difficult to fund and staff with large numbers of students, and first semester programs offer help too late for many students, a one-week “boot camp” can be feasible at large universities and provide help for students before they make their first semester mistakes. BIOS organizers have compiled useful information for college departments that wish to replicate a pre-freshman boot camp

An Engineering Learning Community To Promote Retention And Graduation Of At-Risk Engineering Students

Retention and graduation rates for engineering disciplines are significantly lower than desired, and research literature offers many possible causes. Engineering learning communities provide the opportunity to study relationships among specific causes and to develop and evaluate activities designed to lessen their impact. This paper details an engineering learning community created to combat three common threats to academic success of engineering students: financial difficulties, math deficiencies, and the lack of a supportive engineering culture. The project tracks participants in the learning community from first year through graduation to assess the effectiveness of its activities in improving retention and graduation rates. Scholarships were made available to address the financial difficulties; tutors, mentors, study groups, and a “freshman-to-sophomore bridge” summer program were provided to address math deficiencies; cohort engineering courses, active learning techniques, required group meetings, required group study sessions, dedicated study space, and dedicated faculty advisors were used to promote a sense of community. Quantitative retention and graduation rates for the cohort are compared to other engineering groups at the same institution. Qualitative results collected via student surveys and interviews, and lessons learned by project administrators are also presented. Retention and graduation rates of the cohort are better than those of comparable groups at the same institution. Graduation rates based upon freshman math placement are also higher than comparable groups.

Integrating Design Throughout The Mechanical Engineering Curriculum: A Focus On The Engineering Clinics

At Rowan University, we have infused design into the curriculum through an eight-semester course sequence called the Engineering Clinic. Through this experience students learn the art and science of design in a multidisciplinary team environment. While many engineering programs currently include a Capstone Design course taken near the end of the college career to meet the design needs, Engineering Clinic at Rowan allows students to hone their design skills throughout their four-year career. This paper will describe in further detail the objectives and execution of each year in the design sequence, types of projects and how the Clinics complement traditional core courses in the curriculum. Impacts and benefits of the Clinics on students and faculty are discussed, as well as comparative data of Rowan Mechanical Engineering students and their peers nationally

Open Pathway Quality Initiative Report

Completed in accordance with HLC requirements, this report concerns the Quality Initiative undertook by the university from 2014 to 2018, choosing to follow through and extend an overhaul of the first year experience. Originating from a 2013 action plan created in consultation with the Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, the program, entitled “The First Year in High Gear,” aimed to revitalize first year experience along six areas (pg. 3)

Recruitment, Preparation, Retention: A case study of computing culture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Computer science is seeing a decline in enrollment at all levels of education, including undergraduate and graduate study. This paper reports on the results of a study conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign which evaluated students attitudes regarding three areas which can contribute to improved enrollment in the Department of Computer Science: Recruitment, preparation and retention. The results of our study saw two themes. First, the department's tight research focus appears to draw significant attention from other activities -- such as teaching, service, and other community-building activities -- that are necessary for a department's excellence. Yet, as demonstrated by our second theme, one partial solution is to better promote such activities already employed by the department to its students and faculty. Based on our results, we make recommendations for improvements and enhancements based on the current state of practice at peer institutions.Comment: 37 pages, 13 figures. For better quality figures, please download the .pdf from http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/research/techreports.php?report=UIUCDCS-R-2007-281

Pedagogical Effects on Student Learning, Attitude, and Retention of Physics Majors

This dissertation aims to improve physics education by evaluating instructional interventions in introductory physics courses and retention decisions of physics majors. Physics Education Research Group at Georgia State University (GSU) has implemented two instructional interventions in introductory physics courses: SCALE-UP implementation in algebra-based courses and lab reform in calculus-based courses. Half of the algebra-based courses at GSU has converted as SCALE-UP in Fall 2008. The effects of implementation on student learning, retention, and learning attitudes are investigated. It has been found that student learning and retention are improved in SCALE-UP, but Traditional courses have caught up this improvement over the years. Since the same instructors teach both courses, instructors started to use research-based interactive methods in both classes and may result in these improvements in both of them over the years. However, only SCALE-UP is effective in improving students’ attitudes and beliefs in Conceptual Understanding and Problem-Solving categories. We suggest that instructor involvement in all aspects of the course results in a more coherent expert-like framework presented in SCALE-UP classrooms resulting in the development of a more integrated expert-like view of Conceptual Understanding and Problem Solving. Three-hour traditional labs converted into one-hour tutorials with learning assistants, and two-hour inquiry-based experiments with lab reform. The effects of lab reform on student learning, persistence, and learning attitudes are investigated. We report lab reform improved student learning and retention rates but fail to improve learning attitudes. Even though lab reform is successful in increasing students’ conceptual understanding and result in improvements in learning and retention, students report they do not see tutorials as a practical use of time and energy may be resulting in negative learning attitudes. Moreover, to improve physics education, we have investigated the characteristics of students who stayed in physics by interviewing with undergraduate physics majors from first-year students to seniors. Their experiences, physics identity development, and integration into the physics department are probed. We have found that Gateway to Physics Courses, upper-level physics courses, and doing research are significant milestones that influence students’ persistence decisions by influencing physics majors’ identity and academic integration

A Case Study the Effects of Student Engagement on Academic Achievement in African American Women: Comparing Undergraduate STEM Majors to Non-STEM Majors from a Historically Black College and University

The nation is at a critical juncture in history as it seeks to increase the number of students who enter the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. The national push to have a properly trained STEM workforce was at the forefront of the past administration’s top priority list. The higher education community has a unique opportunity to contribute to the creation of a sustainable U.S. STEM workforce. Although significant progress has been made in STEM fields, some argue that movement has been too slow in certain cases, as shown in degrees earned by women in engineering (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2020; Armstrong and Jovanovic, 2015; Nassar-McMillan et al., 2011; NSF, 2002; NSF, 2017). Advancing towards degree attainment in STEM dwindles even further when race is considered. In efforts to include women, sustainable measures are needed, such as retention and academic/non-academic support throughout all levels of education, which serve as a roadmap to the inclusion of underrepresented minorities in STEM. This study sought to investigate the relationship between student engagement and academic achievement of African American female, full-time undergraduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors to African American female, full-time undergraduate students in non-STEM majors who matriculate at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The National Survey of Student Engagement and Demographic Variables from institutional effectiveness were used for data collection tools. The researcher used descriptive statistics, ANOVA and ANCOVA statistical tests to conduct this study. The results indicated that the learning with peers student engagement indicator influence on academic achievement was significant within and between study groups. The remaining student engagement indicators (experiences with faulty, supportive campus environment, and academic challenge), which served as independent variables, were not significant. This study contributes to emerging research related to student engagement and academic achievement of undergraduate African American females in STEM fields. As the nation strives to increase the number of STEM degrees, transformational best practices that support underrepresented minorities, are topics of investigation. Feedback from this population assesses factors that influence degree completion and provide recommendations to increase program retention at higher education institutions across the country