Promoting STEM Student Success through Engagement: A Collaborative Approach Tim ChampionBritt KernDawn McNairThanh-Thuy Nguyen

June 27, 2014

The Cycle of LearningOffice Hour RhetoricTestClassroom

Unable todemonstratecompetence When will Iever use this?

The Net GenerationAlso known as MillennialsBorn between 1982-2004Never known life without the internet.

FACTS--Driven to SucceedDriven by CompassionDriven by Hope

In the Classroom Need for interaction should be capitalized. Encourage interaction both within and outside the classroom.Desire to learn about subjects through exploration. Lessons last longer in our minds if we understand the relevant steps to get there.

In the ClassroomRelevancy of the degree. Applying lessons learned to real-life problems, institutions, or organizations in the community. Every part of their life is presented in a multimedia format.Instruction in how to do research.

Lets Take a Closer LookDans Dilemma Part One

Our Response--In 2012, JCSU implemented Increasing Excellence in Science and MathematicsThe IESM is designed around the following four goals: Major Components

Why Engagement?

Limited studies on student engagement in Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics One of the more popular studies found that collaborative learning was shown to make a significant impact on achievement, persistence and attitude in undergraduate Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology courses. (Springer, Stanne, and Donovan )

Lets Take a Closer LookDans Dilemma Part Two

NSSE Results 2013 Student Engagement has a compen- satory effecton grades and students likelihood of returning for a second year of college.

Higher levels of reflective and integrative learning were associated with students feeling challenged to do their best academic work in the classroom.

George Kuh, Founder of NSSE says--When institutions use effective educational practices, they provide a small boost to students who are lower achieving when they start college. The more engaged they become, the better their grades are, and they start catching up to students who started college with a higher level of achievement.

Lets Take a Closer LookDans Dilemma Part Three

as teachers we cannot transfer our knowledge into our students minds. Instead students must do the work of learning by actively making connections and organizing learning into meaningful concepts.

(Barkley, Cross, and Major, pg. 11)

Increasing ExcellenceIn 2012, the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics implemented a new problem-based approach to teaching in targeted courses. Initiative included leveraging existing student support initiatives to create a comprehensive approach to STEM education.

More on Increasing Excellence

Problem Based LearningModel that began in medical schools.Students see relevant steps to get to solution.Students decide what they know and what they need to know.Improves content literacy skills.Understand the Problem, Explore the Curriculum, and Resolve the problem.

How Tall is Biddle Hall?

Take out your cell phone:)

ABBEY GRANGE CASE STUDY Problem Based Learning Activity where students had to use critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative learning to solve the commission of a crime.

More on Increasing Excellence

Mathematics Center Utilization

More on Increasing Excellence

Mathematics Center Satisfaction Survey

Results thus Far

Did enrollment in the Natural Science and Mathematics degrees increase?

Biology Enrollment

Chemistry Enrollment

Mathematics Enrollment

Results

Did persistence and graduation rates increase in the Department?

Retention for STEM Students

Biology Degree

Chemistry Degree

Mathematics Degree

Results

Did the D/F drop rate decrease in gateway courses?

Biology Success Rate

Chemistry Success Rate

Mathematics Success Rate

Challenges with MathematicsService CoursesIn 2012, most sections were taught by adjuncts.Creating Buy-In among Senior Faculty.

PBL versus Control% of students with C or higher

WritingCritical ThinkingQuantitative ReasoningPBL78%83%86%Non-PBL39.5%54%68%

Changing the filter to a pipeline

Questions?

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**--traditional cycle of learning--share content in the classroom with our students --spectacular lessons--???? Nod--to find after grading tests that things did not go as we planned nor did they go as our students planned--introduce the office hour discussion***As educators we want our students to persist, persevere, and be successful in the workplace.

Therefore we must not only focus on teaching but how students learn. Performance assessment requires students perform a task to demonstrate their knowledge of course information Addresses some of the different learning styles. Require students to actively demonstrate what they know Especially in STEM disciplines more often than not professionals are working in lab groups

*There are many studies on student engagement Googleover 5 million hitsResearch is limited on STEM Measuring the Success of Small-Group Learning in College Level STEM Teaching

Five Criteria determined a research report would be included:STEM undergraduates at accredited post-secondary institutions incorporated small-group work inside or outside the classroom study was conducted in a classroom as oppose to controlled laboratory conditions.Published or reported in 1980 or later (current global context in which students learn)Research reports enough statistical information Of the 383 reports, 39 (10.2%) met the criteria to be included in the study. *Students who worked in small groups demonstrated greater achievement than those who did not (effect size=0.51)Similar impact was shown with persistence and attitude towards the curriculum.also found that minority students in his study achieved more than white students while working in groups Effect size of .51 is considered to be moderate. No significant positive difference in achievement for pre-dom female groups as opposed to mix gender but attitudes showed a greater positive impact. Studies that identified the investigator as the instructor reported significantly greater effect sizes than the studies that did not report the investigator as directly tied to instruction. Greater effect on exams and grades as opposed to standardized testing.Higher effect for supplemental instruction than in class instruction but reversed for attitudinal.***Students must connect learning to experiences.More likely to transfer into long-term memory and it means something. Time and energy a student devotes to studies and other educational purposeful activities translates into higher achievement NSSE Kuh NSSE provides information on how undergraduates spend their time in learning and personal development activities provided by the institution*Do activity*Approximately 25% of cohort reporting2006-2007 saw increase in reporting number (approximately 33%)*Data gathered by Program Analyst coincides with student responses to survey.**Data gathered by Program Analyst coincides with student responses to survey.**