Movers, Shakers, & Everyone in Between: Faculty Personas Surrounding Active Learning in the Undergraduate STEM Classroom

This qualitative study explores the attitudes that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) faculty have about active learning (AL), the barriers that STEM faculty face when implementing AL, and what would encourage STEM faculty to use AL. Data was gathered using a modified Group- Level Assessment (GLA), a participatory method meant for large groups, in an online format. Thematic data analysis led to the development of four distinct faculty personas—“The Mover,” “The Shaker,” “The Planner,” and “The Feeler.” Each persona has individualized needs that will help them implement AL in the classroom. Future implications involve developing programs to help each type of faculty persona implement AL in the classroom. Administration and faculty members need to work together to develop ways to increase faculty use of AL

Participatory Approach to Program Evaluation: Learning from Students and Faculty to Improve Training in Biomedical Informatics

Participatory evaluation tools have shown to be effective for program development in various settings, including in higher education. Taking student perspectives into consideration is key for graduate program development, particularly in interdisciplinary programs.The current study utilizes Group Level Assessment (GLA),a participatory program evaluation tool, to evaluate the Biomedical Informatics (BMI) PhD Program at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). The study was conducted two years after the program was established, an appropriate timing to gauge the opinions of current doctoral students as the program grows and develops. The findings show the strengths and identify areas of improvement of the doctoral program, providing an evidence base for administrators and faculty to work collaboratively with students to capitalize on assets and address potential issues

Identity and Connection as Working Mothers during the Pandemic: An Autoethnographic Account

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected working professionals around the world, causing many to alter their identities to cope with their current realities. This article explores the effect the pandemic has had on the identity of two mothers, who are also working professionals/educators. Using a heartful autoethnography approach, the authors implement the listening guide method of analysis to authentically understand how these mothers experience identity and connection while working and parenting during this worldwide crisis. The listening guide approach involves the creation of “I-poems,” which are included and explored in the current article. The listening revealed four main themes: (1) mental load and exhaustion; (2) conflicting identities; (3) shame cycle; and (4) connection and reflection. The goal of this manuscript is to highlight the experiences of working mothers through an authentic and relational approach

Prison Bars & Bird Cages: Conducting an Arts-Based Participatory Research Project with Undergraduate Women in STEM

The ‘chilly’ STEM climate in undergraduate settings has been widely documented, as women in STEM majors frequently face discrimination, microaggressions, and implicit bias from their professors and peers. While undergraduate research opportunities can help women in STEM overcome some of the barriers they face, these opportunities are not always accessible and inclusive. Although there is a breadth of literature on this topic, many studies utilize traditional quantitative and qualitative methods and do not take the authentic, individualized voices of these women into account. The present study integrates two arts-based, participatory methodologies-- Photovoice and Collage Inquiry-- in order to explore the following questions: (1) What are the experiences of women in STEM majors at a large, midwestern, research-intensive university? And (2) How do these women experience conducting and/or seeking research opportunities? Four themes emerged as a result of analyzing the triangulated data: (1) Lack of Equity in STEM, (2) Lack of Awareness of Opportunities, (3) Confidence in STEM abilities, and (4) Passion for STEM. While the first two themes encompass barriers that women in STEM face, the second two themes demonstrate strengths of women in STEM

“I Am Not Alone”: Impact of Participating in a Group-Level Assessment for Undergraduate Women Engineering Students

Group Level Assessment (GLA) allows participants/co-researchers the opportunity to voice their opinion on a specific topic, while also developing action strategies for change. The purpose of the method is to empower participants and provide them an outlet to share their experiences, in addition to develop a salient action plan. In this article, we describe how the process of participating in a GLA impacted the undergraduate women engineering students that participated. We conclude that merely facilitating a GLA positively impacted participants, aside from the action steps. Women that participated in the GLA felt supported and that their voice was heard, as well as developed heightened awareness of other women’s experiences

“Please Stop Bringing up Family Life, We’re Here to Talk about Science”: Engaging Undergraduate Women and Women of Color in STEM through a Participatory Action Research Project

Stark underrepresentation exists of undergraduate women enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree programs. Although women have outnumbered men in undergraduate enrollment for over 30 years, these numbers do not apply to the sciences. Previous research shows that low self-efficacy is a barrier and high self-confidence is a strength for women in STEM. Participatory Action Research (PAR) addresses both sides of this issue by (1) answering the questions that exist about women in STEM and undergraduate research and (2) providing women in STEM with research experience. Thus, PAR not only helps solve the problem of self-efficacy that affects women in STEM, but also aids with self-esteem issues and other barriers they face daily. The current study is a PAR research project that uses group-level assessment, a participatory qualitative research method. In collaboration with female undergraduate coresearchers, the purpose of this PAR research project is to explore the experience of women conducting and/or seeking STEM undergraduate research experiences to inform program development at the university level

Conducting Participatory Research Methods Online: A How-To Guide

The pandemic challenged many of us as researchers, requiring that we reflect upon our methods and make modifications to allow for online facilitation. As researchers who traditionally use Participatory Research Methods (PRMs), we were significantly challenged, to reflect on our approach and the ways in which we may remain true to the spirit of PRMs. Through this article, we provide an overview of how we modified two PRMs, Group Level Assessment (GLA) and Photovoice. Additionally, we provide a debrief on the aspects of PRMs we intentionally reflected on as part of our modification process; in particular, how we upheld and honored the tenets of PRMs throughout these modified processes

“Oscillating Between Hope and Despair”: A Narrative Case Study of Culture and Coping for Women in Engineering in Higher Education and Industry

Women in engineering in all phases (students, faculty, and industry) are traditionally underrepresented, and have been underrepresented in the field for decades (Eaton et al., 2020). The United States government has invested in STEM disciplines to address the low presence of women in STEM fields and the STEM workforce (National Academy of Sciences, 2016). Lower representation can be attributed to numerous factors, including a lack of institutional commitment, lack of representation throughout students’ upbringing, inappropriate cultural recruitment/outreach efforts, educational discrepancies throughout PK-12, and social expectations among others (Seymour & Hewitt 1997; Geisinger & Raman, 2013; Camacho et al., 2010; Smith et al., 2012). Not only is there low representation in the field of engineering, but also low retention for students, faculty, and industry due to the same factors that impact representation. The current qualitative study is a narrative case study utilizing relational interviewing. Participants included three women in the engineering field-- an undergraduate student, a professional engineer, and a faculty member and administrator. The key themes we uncovered-- Impact of Dominant Culture; Lack of Belonging/Connection; Justification of Existence; Emotional Turmoil; Coping Strategies—are woven throughout and across the narratives. Actionable change that we hope will come from this narrative study include determining ways we can make the engineering field more inclusive at all levels– in the classroom, on co-op, at universities, in academia, and on the field in industry

“Difficult but worth it”: Exploring the Experiences of Women in Engineering during Co-op

Despite an extensive amount of research focusing on women in engineering, the gender disparity within the engineering workforce is the most significant amongst workforce disparities in the United States (National Science Foundation, 2018), with engineering being labeled the “last gender-equitable profession” (Pierrakos, Beam, Constantz, Johri, & Anderson, 2009, M4F-1). Although there is a substantial amount of literature on the experience of women in engineering, there has been little progress in regard to the recruitment and retention of women engineers in higher education and in the workforce over the past several decades. The current study implements a Participatory Action Research framework to better understand women engineering students’ experiences participating in cooperative education (co-op), with the goal to explore their experiences through a participatory process and support their development of action items. We employed a qualitative participatory method, Group Level Assessment (GLA), to explore the women\u27s experiences on co-op. The GLA method allowed for the women participants to be involved with the data generation, data analysis, and prioritization. Action items developed by participants would then be shared with appropriate stakeholders, such as Deans, administrators, and employer- in hopes of creating positive change. Themes were developed by participants through discussion during the GLAs. Themes include, (1) impact of relationships, (2) struggle for equality, and (3) growth through the co-op experience. In addition to the description of the themes, narratives accompany each of the themes, designed to illustrate the thematic ideas, topics, and tensions. The themes we discovered had significant overlap and crossover, helping to reiterate the complexity and uniqueness of each woman\u27s experience. The women agreed that co-op was an opportunity to learn, grow professionally, and gain exposure in their field of study, however, many women find it difficult to navigate the experience. Several of the women noted not feeling heard or seen during their co-op experience, recognizing they were highly visible as women but not as engineers. The ability to connect and feel supported while on co-op contributed to women’s confidence and influenced their overall growth during the experience, giving them a sense of belonging. Our study found that relationships are the key contributor to women’s learning, growth, and development during the co-op experience. This is a significant finding, acknowledging that if women are at a disadvantage in the growth and learning process during co-op, due to the contextual factors associated with building relationships, this will ultimately hamper their ability to contribute in the future and progress in the field. It can be hypothesized that until women have equal access to developing relationships with peers, colleagues, and supervisors, they will continue to be at a disadvantage in the engineering space