Factors affecting student motivation for STEM study

Background The decrease in student participation in STEM at a tertiary level has been acknowledged across Australia and is most marked in rural and regional areas. One way to attempt to understand this trend is to explore the motivations of students who have chosen to study science and engineering at a tertiary level. Aims This project aims to determine what factors influenced student choice to undertake science or engineering in a small regional university. The outcomes from this study will help regional universities to design targeted outreach activities and to identify who to target in these interventions (students/parents/teachers). Design and methods Students enrolled in science and engineering courses at the Gippsland campus of Federation University Australia took part in a study to explore what influenced their choice to study science or engineering. 80 undergraduate and post-graduate students were surveyed during semester 2, 2014 about the importance of specific experiences and people in influencing their choice of study STEM, both within the school environment, at home and cultural factors. Student experiences in school and how they impacted on their perceptions of science and likelihood to continue studying in a STEM discipline were further explored in focus groups. Results Students identified a number of key factors which influenced their choice to study science or engineering at FedUni Gippsland campus, including the geographic location, their interest in science, success in science subjects at school, and influence of others including teachers and parents. Parents had the greatest influence on students’ choices, and interest in science and future employment were also very important factors in their choice to continue studying STEM disciplines. Students identified factors such as inspirational teachers, university open days, outreach activities and work experience as positive influences on their choice to study STEM at university. Conclusions This presentation will give an overview of the results of this study and highlight the role of school, family and cultural factors in students choices to study STEM at university. Recommendations will be made regarding the focus of university outreach

Recorded lectures don’t replace the ‘real thing’: What the students say

Many face-to-face lecture programs are supplemented by recorded lectures. In this study on-campus students were surveyed regarding their experiences of face-to-face and recorded lectures. The majority of students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, due to the ability to rewind, pause and review

Providing a flexible learning environment: Are on-line lectures the answer?

As universities embrace new technologies to enhance students’ learning experiences and increase flexibility for student learning, tertiary students are increasingly presented with a wider range of learning resources to support their studies. This study investigates ways in which a diverse group of undergraduate science students use the resources that are provided to them. The majority of these students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, largely because they can be paused and rewound, facilitating review of difficult material. Text-based resources such as study guides remain highly valued and highly used, especially for students working in off-campus mode. On-line discussion forums are not seen as a substitute for face to face interaction; a need for active facilitation of such forums is highlighted

Search for intermediate-mass black hole binaries in the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo

International audienceIntermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) span the approximate mass range 100−105 M⊙, between black holes (BHs) that formed by stellar collapse and the supermassive BHs at the centers of galaxies. Mergers of IMBH binaries are the most energetic gravitational-wave sources accessible by the terrestrial detector network. Searches of the first two observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo did not yield any significant IMBH binary signals. In the third observing run (O3), the increased network sensitivity enabled the detection of GW190521, a signal consistent with a binary merger of mass ∼150 M⊙ providing direct evidence of IMBH formation. Here, we report on a dedicated search of O3 data for further IMBH binary mergers, combining both modeled (matched filter) and model-independent search methods. We find some marginal candidates, but none are sufficiently significant to indicate detection of further IMBH mergers. We quantify the sensitivity of the individual search methods and of the combined search using a suite of IMBH binary signals obtained via numerical relativity, including the effects of spins misaligned with the binary orbital axis, and present the resulting upper limits on astrophysical merger rates. Our most stringent limit is for equal mass and aligned spin BH binary of total mass 200 M⊙ and effective aligned spin 0.8 at 0.056 Gpc−3 yr−1 (90% confidence), a factor of 3.5 more constraining than previous LIGO-Virgo limits. We also update the estimated rate of mergers similar to GW190521 to 0.08 Gpc−3 yr−1.Key words: gravitational waves / stars: black holes / black hole physicsCorresponding author: W. Del Pozzo, e-mail: [email protected]† Deceased, August 2020