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LINDI MUJUGIRA, PH.D.; CHRISTINA SCIABARRA; AND MICHAEL REESE
BELLEVUE COLLEGE
STEM TO STERNSUCCEEDING IN STEM RECRUITMENT &RETENTION VIA A COHORT MODEL AT
BELLEVUE COLLEGE
AGENDA
KEY TAKEAWAYS
WHO WE ARE
Bellevue College is located in Washington State
WHO WE ARE
Bellevue College Quick Facts:
•Largest community college in the state; 3rd largest academic institution
•Now offers 4-year baccalaureate degrees
•Annual enrollment: 38,000 students
•Student FTE: about 15,000
•Academic transfer: 55% prof/tech and baccalaureate: 45%
CRITICAL NEED: WASHINGTON STATE
CRITICAL NEED: THE NATIONAL PICTURE
•Consistently high field-switching rates (40 - 60%) out of STEM majors, especially in the first year of college1,2
WHAT IS STEM TO STERN?CURRENT STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM
A Six-Quarter Cohort Series:
• Freshman Year: a 2-
• Sophomore Year:
. . . with lots of support elements outside of class
PROJECT INITIATION
Started with NSF funding in 2007 with a view to:
• Increasing persistence and success in STEM, particularly among underserved populations
•Creating a community in the form of a cohort linking students to each other and to STEM professionals
PROJECT EVOLUTION
• Three years of NSF support, 2007-10
• Second-year series of courses added, 2011-14. . . one quarter at a time
CORE PIECES & KEY ELEMENTS
Become aStellar
Student
Network w/ STEM
Professionals & Students
Engage in STEM
Opportunities
Acquire Professional
SkillsPlan A Career
Path
Develop “STEM
Smarts”
CORE PIECES: ACQUIRE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
• Students taught to represent themselves professionally
• Identify their skills, develop a resume and participate in mock interviews, etc.
• This is a vehicle for helping students work with professionals in the field
• They also learn communication skills
CORE PIECES: PLAN A CAREER PATH
• Exposure to professionals helps students understand what the various STEM professions entail
• Students encouraged to do informational interviews
• Career assessments available for students
• Case management of students involves quarterly advising
CORE PIECES: NETWORKING WITH STEM PROFESSIONALS
• Panels, guest speakers, mentor clusters
• In 2014-15 we had 57 STEM professionals visit
• Impactful!
• Faculty and alumni panels
CORE PIECES:NETWORKING WITH STEM STUDENTS
• Work in teams to see each other as a resource
• Form study groups
• Connect to campus clubs
CORE PIECES:ENGAGE IN STEM OPPORTUNITIES
Built into the curriculum: students must apply
2011-2013: 55% of freshmen (25 of 45) who expressed interest in summer STEM opportunities participated in one
Recent numbers are even better, esp. for STEM scholars
STEM OPPORTUNITIES: CS INTERNSHIPS
STEM OPPORTUNITIES:SCIENCE & ENGINEERING INTERNSHIPS
STEM OPPORTUNITIES: “YOU NEED A PROJECT”
STEM OPPORTUNITIES:PROJECT SPLASH
STEM OPPORTUNITIES: WIKISPEED
STEM OPPORTUNITIES:B3: BUILDING BRIDGES TO BIOENGINEERING
STEM OPPORTUNITIES:PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
Select team-based projects
Connect with faculty mentors
Learn Agile project management &apply for funding
Complete projects & present outcomes
Fall Qtr.
Winter Qtr.
SpringQtr.
Arduino-controlled prosthetic hand
Computerized plant care system
Biochemical fuel cells powered by bacteria
STEM OPPORTUNITIES: ON-CAMPUS PROJECTS
Projects on campus include:
CORE PIECES: DEVELOP STEM SMARTS
• How to learn . . . strategies for success
• Seizing STEM opportunities
• Learning from each other
RECENT NEW COMPONENTS
• Bridge Program
• NSF S-STEM Scholarship
•Math Enrichment
MATH ENRICHMENT CLASSES
•2-credit courses linked to pre-calculus & calculus
•Classes meet twice/week
•Math faculty facilitate small-group work for all skill levels, not remedial
•Students solve challenging math problems to deepen understanding
RECRUITMENT
DIVERSITY: GENDER
Male n=208
72%
Femalen=8128%
TOTAL ENROLLMENT BY GENDER, 2007-15
DIVERSITY: RACEHispanic
10% Black5%
Native2%
Multiracial2%
Did not answer
2%
Asian 26%
White53%
TOTAL ENROLLMENTBY RACE, 2007-15
RESULTS: GROWTH OF PROGRAM
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
TOTAL ENROLLMENT IN FIRST-YEAR STEM COHORT
RESULTS: PERSISTENCE
•So far, 221 students have completed the first year
•91% were still enrolled as STEM majors at the start of their second year
STUDENT COMMENT
“It was nice to be able to see a person actually occupy the position I imagined myself to be in one day. It’s one thing to be able to think about it or dream about it, but when you see the person in the role that you envision yourself being in, the steps to achieve that goal become concrete. You are able to execute the necessary actions needed to achieve that goal.”
- Jarius Lewis, October 2015
SUSTAINABILITY
• Grant funding not essential
• Credit classes
• Faculty participation and buy-in
• Existing college resources and partnerships
• Supports added gradually
• Word of mouth makes recruiting easier over time
GROUP DISCUSSION
GROUP DISCUSSION
Who is your population?
What can you implement by the end of the academic year?
What partnerships do you have and/or what do you need?
What obstacles do you expect to encounter?
REFERENCES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CONTACT INFORMATION
QUESTIONS?
