A workshop to showcase the diversity of scientists to middle school students

Identity matters in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) because it can affect an individual's long-term sense of belonging, which may in turn affect their persistence in STEMM. Early K-12 science classes often teach students about the foundational discoveries of the field, which have been predominately made, or at least published, by White men. This homogeneity can leave underrepresented individuals in STEMM feeling isolated, and underrepresented K-12 students may feel as though they cannot enter STEMM fields. This study aimed to examine these feelings of inclusivity in STEMM through an interactive workshop that asked middle schoolers to identify scientists from images of individuals with various racial and gender identities. We found that a plurality of students had a positive experience discussing diversity in science and recognizing underrepresented individuals as scientists.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We observed positive sentiments from middle school students following a workshop that showcased diversity in science. This workshop uniquely encourages students to recognize that physiologists and scientists today are much more diverse than textbooks typically demonstrate and can be adapted for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students.

How syllabi relate to outcomes in higher education: A study of syllabi learner-centeredness and grade inequities in STEM

Fostering equity in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs can be accomplished by incorporating learner-centered pedagogies, resulting in the closing of opportunity gaps (defined here as the difference in grades earned by minoritized and non-minoritized students). We assessed STEM courses that exhibit small and large opportunity gaps at a minority-serving, research-intensive university, and evaluated the degree to which their syllabi are learner-centered, according to a previously validated rubric. We specifically chose syllabi as they are often the first interaction students have with a course, establish expectations for course policies and practices, and serve as a proxy for the course environment. We found STEM courses with more learner-centered syllabi had smaller opportunity gaps. The syllabus rubric factor that most correlated with smaller gaps was Power and Control, which reflects Student's Role, Outside Resources, and Syllabus Focus. This work highlights the importance of course syllabi as a tool for instructors to create more inclusive classroom environments.

Participation in Undergraduate Research Reduces Equity Gaps in STEM Graduation Rates

Many students who enroll in a public U.S. 4-y college will not graduate. The odds of completing a college degree are even lower for students who have been marginalized in higher education, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. Can undergraduate research increase a student's likelihood of graduating college and close educational equity gaps in college completion? To answer this question, we use data from six public U.S. universities (N = 120,308 students) and use Propensity Score Matching to generate a comparison group for analyses. We conducted logistic regressions on graduation rates and equity gaps in 4 and 6 y using the matched comparison group and undergraduate researchers in STEM (n = 2727). When being compared with like-peers and controlling for background characteristics and prior academic performance, students who participated in undergraduate research were twice as likely to graduate in 4 y and over 10 times as likely to graduate in 6 y. We also found that equity gaps in 4-y graduation rates for students of color, low-income, and first-generation students were cut in half for undergraduate researchers. At 6 y, these gaps were completely closed for undergraduate researchers. As we seek ways to close education gaps and increase graduation rates, undergraduate research can be a meaningful practice to improve student success.

Integrating Cardiovascular Engineering and Biofluid Mechanics in High School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education: An Experiential Approach

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education workshops and programs play a key role in promoting early exposure to scientific applications and questions. Such early engagement leads to growing not only passion and interest in science, but it also leads to skill development through hands-on learning and critical thinking activities. Integrating physiology and engineering together is necessary especially to promote health technology awareness and introduce the young generation to areas where innovation is needed and where there is no separation between health-related matters and engineering methods and applications. To achieve this, we created a workshop aimed at K-12 (grades 9-11) students as part of the Summer Youth Programs at Michigan Technological University. The aim of this workshop was to expose students to how engineering concepts and methods translate into health- and medicine-related applications and cases. The program consisted of a total of 15 h and was divided into three sections over a period of 2 weeks. It involved a combination of theoretical and hands-on guided activities that we developed. At the end of the workshop, the students were provided a lesson or activity-specific assessment sheet and a whole workshop-specific assessment sheet to complete. They rated the programs along a 1-5 Likert scale and provided comments and feedback on what can be improved in the future. Students rated hands-on activities the highest in comparison with case studies and individual independent research. Conclusively, this STEM summer-youth program was a successful experience with many opportunities that will contribute to the continued improvement of the workshop in the future.

Enacting inclusive science: Culturally responsive higher education practices in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM)

Novel approaches in higher education are needed to reverse underrepresentation of racial/ethnic groups in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Building on theoretical frameworks for practice in diverse learning environments, this study provides evidence for Inclusive Science as a conceptual model that reflects initiatives intended to diversify biomedical research training for undergraduates. Using multiple case study design and cross-case analysis, we analyzed data from 10 higher education sites that were awarded the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) grant funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We identified the following dimensions of the Inclusive Science model: promoting participation of diverse researchers; introducing diversity innovations in science and research curriculum; improving campus climate for diversity; providing tangible institutional support; creating partnerships with diverse communities; and integrating students' social identities with science identity. We illustrate each dimension of the model with examples of campus practices across BUILD sites. While many may doubt that science can be responsive to diversity, the interventions developed by these campuses illustrate how colleges and universities can actively engage in culturally responsive practices in STEMM undergraduate training that integrate trainees' identities, knowledge of diverse communities, and create a greater awareness of the climate for diversity that affects student training and outcomes. Implications include culturally responsive strategies that many more higher education institutions can employ to support scientific career training for historically excluded groups.

Pedagogical Orientations and Evolving Responsibilities of Technological Universities: A Literature Review of the History of Engineering Education

Current societal changes and challenges demand a broader role of technological universities, thus opening the question of how their role evolved over time and how to frame their current responsibility. In response to urgent calls for debating and redefining the identity of contemporary technological universities, this paper has two aims. The first aim is to identify the key characteristics and orientations marking the development of technological universities, as recorded in the history of engineering education. The second aim is to articulate the responsibility of contemporary technological universities given their different orientations and characteristics. For this, we first provide a non-systematic literature review of the key pedagogical orientations of technological universities, grounded in the history of engineering education. The five major orientations of technological universities presented in the paper are technical, economic, social, political, and ecological. We then use this historical survey to articulate the responsibilities of contemporary technological universities reflecting the different orientations. Technological universities can promote and foster the development of scientific, professional, civic, legal, or intra- and inter- generational responsibility. We argue that responsibility is not specific to any particular orientation, such that the concept is broadened to complement each orientation or mix of orientations of a technological university. Our contribution thus serves as a call for technological universities to self-reflect on their mission and identity, by offering a lens for identifying the orientations they currently foster and making explicit the responsibility arising from their current orientation or the ones they strive to cultivate.

"Your Family is Always With You": Perceptions of Parental Relationships Among Hispanic/Latinx Young Adults Pursuing STEM Careers

Hispanic/Latinx young adults remain significantly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, yet the role families play in these young adults' trajectories in STEM is still underexamined. The purpose of this study was to examine the relational supports and constraints that Hispanic/Latinx college students in STEM majors experienced with their parents as they moved through college and transitioned into their first year of graduate school or full-time employment. Two rounds of interviews were conducted with 18 Hispanic/Latinx young adults who were part of an undergraduate STEM program at a Hispanic-majority university. Most of the study participants reported benefiting from immense emotional support from their parents; however, this emotional support was often simultaneously coupled with home-school value conflicts and a dynamic we call "conversational constraints." Results from this study point to important interventions involving family that might improve the rates of participation of Hispanic/Latinx students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds in STEM fields.

A workshop on mitochondria for students to improve understanding of science and hypothesis forming

There remains a clear deficiency in recruiting middle school students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine fields, especially for those students entering physiology from underrepresented backgrounds. A large part of this may be arising from a disconnect between how science is typically practiced at a collegiate and K-12 level. Here, we have envisioned mitochondria and their diverse subcellular structures as an involver for middle school students. We present the framework for a workshop that familiarizes students with mitochondria, employing three-dimensional visual-spatial learning and real-time critical thinking and hypothesis forming. This workshop had the goal of familiarizing middle school students with the unique challenges the field currently faces and better understanding the actuality of being a scientist through critical analysis including hypothesis forming. Findings show that middle school students responded positively to the program and felt as though they had a better understanding of mitochondria. Future implications for hands-on programs to involve underrepresented students in science are discussed, as well as potential considerations to adapt it for high school and undergraduate students.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here we employ a workshop that utilizes blended and tactile learning to teach middle schoolers about mitochondrial structure. By creating an approachable and fun workshop that can be utilized for middle school students, we seek to encourage them to join a career in physiology.

"So, We Found a Way:" How Changing Modalities Affected a Year-Long Mentored Research Experience for Associate's Degree Students

The CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP) has provided year-long mentored research experiences for 1678 associate's degree STEM students since 2014. The pluralities (32%) of mentors, all of whom are full-time faculty, have been biologists. Other represented disciplines include, but are not limited to, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, environmental science, linguistics, and psychology. The research experiences take place at all 10 associate's degree-granting colleges within the City University of New York system. Our previous assessment demonstrated that CRSP students are significantly more likely than their counterparts in a matched sample to remain in STEM programs, graduate, transfer to research intensive institutions, and report a stronger sense of belonging in college. The Covid-19 pandemic challenged the program, as colleges shuttered laboratories and other facilities. Some mentors worried that lab-based research experiences would not be possible under such conditions. The first full-year pandemic cohort, however, demonstrated the resilience of the program and its participants. To assess the ongoing impact of CRSP and how it adapted using new modalities, we interviewed college-based directors, surveyed students and mentors, and held focus groups with mentors. Directors described how their colleges adapted to preserve all prepandemic components of the program. Mentors detailed their strategies for engaging students in authentic research experiences in virtual and other formats. Students reported that, along with scientific and technical skills, the program deepened their self-confidence and prepared them for transfer to baccalaureate programs. Our findings show how virtual platforms can be utilized to preserve the most beneficial aspects of undergraduate research experiences for associate's degree students.

A prosocial value intervention in gateway STEM courses

Many college students, especially first-generation and underrepresented racial/ethnic minority students, desire courses and careers that emphasize helping people and society. Can instructors of introductory science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses promote motivation, performance, and equity in STEM fields by emphasizing the prosocial relevance of course material? We developed, implemented, and evaluated a prosocial utility-value intervention (UVI): A course assignment in which students were asked to reflect on the prosocial value of biology or chemistry course content; our focus was on reducing performance gaps between first-generation and continuing generation college students. In Studies 1a and 1b, we piloted two versions of a prosocial UVI in introductory biology (N = 282) and chemistry classes (N = 1,705) to test whether we could encourage students to write about the prosocial value of course content. In Study 2, we tested a version of the UVI that combines personal and prosocial values, relative to a standard UVI, which emphasizes personal values, using a randomized controlled trial in an introductory chemistry course (N = 2,505), and examined effects on performance and motivation in the course. In Study 3, we tested the prosocial UVI against a standard UVI in an introductory biology course (N = 712). Results suggest that the prosocial UVI may be particularly effective in promoting motivation and performance for first-generation college students, especially those who are more confident that they can perform well in the class, reflecting a classic expectancy-value interaction. Mediation analyses suggest that this intervention worked by promoting interest in chemistry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Spatial alignment supports comparison of life science images

Visual comparisons are pervasive in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction and practice. In previous work, adults' visual comparisons of simple stimuli were faster and more accurate when the layout of a display facilitated alignment of corresponding elements-the spatial alignment principle (Matlen et al., 2020). Here, we asked whether the spatial alignment principle extends to rich, educationally relevant stimuli, and how prior experience and spatial skill relate to spatial alignment effects. Participants were asked to find an incorrect bone within a skeleton, presented individually or paired with a correct skeleton in a layout that did (direct placement) or did not (impeded placement) support alignment (Kurtz & Gentner, 2013). Consistent with the spatial alignment principle, undergraduates (Study 1) showed an advantage of direct over impeded placement. Middle schoolers (Study 2) showed a direct advantage on items presented in atypical orientations. That atypical items showed the strongest effects suggests that direct placement may help most when materials are less familiar. However, neither individual differences in undergraduates' STEM course history, nor undergraduates' or middle schoolers' spatial skills moderated spatial alignment effects. Thus, applying the spatial alignment principle in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics has potential to improve visual comparisons, especially those that are challenging, for students of all spatial skill levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Ten simple rules for students navigating summer research experiences for undergraduates (REU) programs: From application to program completion

For many emerging scientists, research experiences for undergraduates (REU) programs are an important gateway to graduate school and a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). REUs provide guided mentorship and learning experiences in a summer-long program where students develop research skills, build scientific knowledge, and strengthen their scientific identity. While the benefits of REUs are abundant, the process is not always easy to navigate, especially for students who come from first-generation and/or low-income (FLI) backgrounds. This paper provides two-fold guidance for undergraduate students interested in participating in REUs. Rules 1 to 5 focus on demystifying the application process from beginning to end, and Rules 6 to 10 guide students who are on the other side of the application process. Thus, this paper will be most helpful for undergraduate students who are either considering applying for an REU or have been accepted into one and want to learn more about what to expect. It can also be a shareable resource for faculty, staff, and mentors who work directly with STEM undergraduates.

High school science fair: School location trends in student participation and experience

The findings reported in this paper are based on surveys of U.S. high school students who registered and managed their science and engineering fair (SEF) projects through the online Scienteer website over the three years 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22. Almost 2500 students completed surveys after finishing all their SEF competitions. We added a new question in 2019/20 to our on-going surveys asking the students whether their high school location was urban, suburban, or rural. We learned that overall, 74% of students participating in SEFs indicated that they were from suburban schools. Unexpectedly, very few SEF participants, less than 4%, indicated that they were from rural schools, even though national data show that more than 20% of high school students attend rural schools. Consistent with previous findings, Asian and Hispanic students indicated more successful SEF outcomes than Black and White students. However, whereas Asian students had the highest percentage of SEF participants from suburban vs. urban schools- 81% vs. 18%, Hispanic students had the most balanced representation of participants from suburban vs. urban schools- 55% vs. 39%. Differences in students' SEF experiences based on gender and ethnicity showed the same patterns regardless of school location. In the few items where we observed statistically significant (probability < .05) differences based on school location, students from suburban schools were marginally favored by only a few percentage points compared to students from urban schools. In conclusion, based on our surveys results most students participating in SEFs come from suburban schools, but students participating in SEFs and coming from urban schools have equivalent SEF experiences, and very few students participating in SEFs come from rural schools.

Reading Primary Scientific Literature: Approaches for Teaching Students in the Undergraduate STEM Classroom

Teaching undergraduate students to read primary scientific literature (PSL) is cited as an important goal for many science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classes, given a range of cognitive and affective benefits for students who read PSL. Consequently, there are a number of approaches and curricular interventions published in the STEM education literature on how to teach students to read PSL. These approaches vary widely in their instructional methods, target student demographic, required class time, and level of assessment demonstrating the method's efficacy. In this Essay, we conduct a systematic search to compile these approaches in an easily accessible manner for instructors, using a framework to sort the identified approaches by target level, time required, assessment population, and more. We also provide a brief review of the literature surrounding the reading of PSL in undergraduate STEM classrooms and conclude with some general recommendations for both instructors and education researchers on future areas of investigation.

I am a scientist: Overcoming biased assumptions around diversity in science through explicit representation of scientists in lectures

The lack of diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is a significant issue for the sector. Many organisations and educators have identified lack of representation of historically marginalised groups within teaching materials as a potential barrier to students feeling that a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) career is something that they can aspire to. A key barrier to addressing the issue is providing accessible and effective evidence-based approaches for educators to implement. In this study, we explore the potential for adapting presentation slides within lectures to 'humanise' the scientists involved, presenting their full names and photographs alongside a Harvard style reference. The intervention stems from an initial assumption that many formal scientific referencing systems are demographic-neutral and exacerbate prevailing perceptions that STEM is not diverse. We adopt a questionnaire based methodology surveying 161 bioscience undergraduates and postgraduates at a UK civic university. We first establish that students project assumptions about the gender, location, and ethnicity of the author of a hypothetical reference, with over 50% of students assuming they are male and Western. We then explore what students think of the humanised slide design, concluding that many students see it as good pedagogical practice with some students positively changing their perceptions about diversity in science. We were unable to compare responses by participant ethnic group, but find preliminary evidence that female and non-binary students are more likely to see this as good pedagogical practice, perhaps reflecting white male fragility in being exposed to initiatives designed to highlight diversity. We conclude that humanised powerpoint slides are a potentially effective tool to highlight diversity of scientists within existing research-led teaching, but highlight that this is only a small intervention that needs to sit alongside more substantive work to address the lack of diversity in STEM.

Formative evaluation of a STEAM and nutrition education summer program for low-income youth

In-depth formative evaluations are vital for curriculum development and program planning but are often not conducted before a program pilots. A formative evaluation of Project stRIde was conducted to gain insight from experts and identify revisions to the curriculum. Project stRIde is a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and nutrition-based curriculum developed for 4th and 5th grade students from low-income and diverse families. Nine experts spanning the fields of nutrition education, cultural competency, elementary education, summer programs, and STEAM outreach were recruited to participate in an expert content review (ECR) survey and virtual interviews. Seven core themes were identified: effectively promoting student engagement, increased guidance or support needed, activity too difficult for age, time, confidence in teaching lessons, cultural appropriateness, and strengths of curriculum in promoting STEAM education and innovation. Across the lessons, all reviewers agreed that the lessons were accurate, incorporated STEAM concepts, and were culturally appropriate for this population. Future major edits to the curriculum include creating supplemental videos, modifying some activities for age level, and incorporating more opportunities for participant engagement. Overall, an ECR is an effective way to examine a program's strengths and limitations and should be included in the beginning stages of program planning.

A Call to Assess the Impacts of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences for Career and Technical Education, Allied Health, and Underrepresented Students at Community Colleges

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have the potential to impact student success and reduce barriers for students to participate in undergraduate research. Literature review has revealed that, while CUREs are being implemented at both community colleges (CCs) and bachelor's degree-granting institutions, there are limited published studies on the differential impacts CUREs may have on CC students in allied health programs, career and technical education, and nursing pathways (termed "workforce" in this essay). This essay summarizes proposed outcomes of CURE instruction and explores possible reasons for limited reporting on outcomes for CC and workforce students. It also provides recommendations to guide action and effect change regarding CURE implementation and assessment at CCs. This essay is a call to action to expand the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career development pathway to include workforce students, implement CUREs designed for workforce students, and assess the differential impacts CUREs may have on workforce student populations at CCs.

A CURE on the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Improves Student Conceptual Understanding

We developed labs on the evolution of antibiotic resistance to assess the costs and benefits of replacing traditional laboratory exercises in an introductory biology course for majors with a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). To assess whether participating in the CURE imposed a cost in terms of exam performance, we implemented a quasi-experiment in which four lab sections in the same term of the same course did the CURE labs, while all other students did traditional labs. To assess whether participating in the CURE impacted other aspects of student learning, we implemented a second quasi-experiment in which all students either did traditional labs over a two-quarter sequence or did CURE labs over a two-quarter sequence. Data from the first experiment showed minimal impact on CURE students' exam scores, while data from the second experiment showed that CURE students demonstrated a better understanding of the culture of scientific research and a more expert-like understanding of evolution by natural selection. We did not find disproportionate costs or benefits for CURE students from groups that are minoritized in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Co-teaching in Undergraduate STEM Education: A Lever for Pedagogical Change toward Evidence-Based Teaching?

Could co-teaching be a mechanism to support the adoption of evidence-based teaching strategies? Co-teaching has been proposed as a lever for fostering pedagogical change and has key attributes of a successful change strategy, but does research indicate co-teaching effectively shifts instructional practices? Based on our review of the emerging evidence, we wrote this essay for multiple audiences, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructors, education development professionals, leaders who oversee teaching, and researchers. We define co-teaching in the context of STEM higher education and summarize what is known about the pedagogical changes that co-teaching could support and the potential mechanisms behind these changes. We share recommendations based on the available evidence for those who need productive ideas right now. We also lay out a variety of future directions for research about co-teaching as a lever for pedagogical change. Achieving widespread and impactful pedagogical change is a monumental undertaking facing STEM higher education, and multiple approaches will be needed to meet this challenge. Co-teaching has potential to shift ways of thinking and pedagogical practices among undergraduate STEM faculty, but how co-teaching is enacted is likely crucial to its impact, as is the context in which it occurs.

Analysis of Inclusivity of Published Science Communication Curricula for Scientists and STEM Students

There has been an increased push for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and scientists to be trained in science communication. Science communication researchers have outlined various models of how scientists interact with nonscientists-including deficit, dialogue, and inclusive approaches. We wanted to analyze whether published science communication curricula for STEM students and scientists exhibit features of inclusive science communication. We analyzed n = 81 published science communication trainings. We found an increase in such publications over the past two decades. We coded the trainings according to the science communication model they most closely follow, finding 40.7% deficit, 39.5% dialogue, and 19.8% inclusive. Trainings for STEM undergraduates were the least likely to provide training in the inclusive model. Finally, only 27.2% of publications included evaluation of the efficacy of the curriculum using an external scale or framework. These findings present opportunities: while it is positive that there are more published science communication curricula, science education and communication researchers should develop and publish more-inclusive science communication trainings for STEM students. Additionally, undergraduate students can and should begin their training in science communication with a focus on inclusivity not deficits. Finally, science education researchers should develop more standards for evaluating the efficacy of inclusive science communication training.

Evading Race: STEM Faculty Struggle to Acknowledge Racialized Classroom Events

Undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms are not race-neutral spaces, and instructors have the power to center racial equity and inclusion in their instructional practices. Yet how instructors think about race and racism can impact whether and how they adopt inclusive practices. We examined how 39 undergraduate STEM instructors noticed anti-Black racialized events that were experienced by students in classroom narratives. We created narrative cases that described multiple common, harmful anti-Black racialized experiences based on extant research and guidance from an expert advisory board. Instructors responded to cases by describing the problems they noticed. Using frameworks of racial noticing and color-evasive racial ideology, we conducted qualitative content analysis of instructor responses. Color-evasive racial ideology was pervasive, with most responses (54%) avoiding any discussion of race, and few responses acknowledging race or racism in more than one event (10%). We characterized six forms of color-evasiveness. This study adds to a growing body of literature indicating that color-evasion is pervasive in STEM culture. Instructors would benefit from professional development that specifically aims to counter color-evasiveness and anti-Blackness in teaching. Furthermore, STEM disciplines must pursue systemic change so that our organizations value, expect, promote, and reward the development and enactment of a critical racial consciousness.

Using Drosophila Oogenesis in the Classroom to Increase Student Participation in Biomedical Research

Students that participate in undergraduate research benefit in multiple ways, including improved learning outcomes, increased enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and increased likelihood of continuation into a STEM career. These benefits are even more pronounced for students that are traditionally under-represented in STEM, although these students often face barriers to participation in traditional apprenticeship-style research experiences. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are a promising and increasingly popular approach to increase undergraduate participation in research in a way that is inclusive of all students. Here, we describe how Drosophila oogenesis can be used as the basis for CUREs in a wide variety of courses. We provide an overview of our own oogenesis-based CURE, as well as suggestions for how this CURE could be adapted to accommodate a variety of schedules, course sizes, and institution types. Our goal is to simplify the process for CURE implementation in the hopes that a greater number of instructors choose to implement a CURE in their own courses.

Factors that influence STEM faculty use of evidence-based instructional practices: An ecological model

Traditional teaching practices in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses have failed to support student success, causing many students to leave STEM fields and disproportionately affecting women and students of color. Although much is known about effective STEM teaching practices, many faculty continue to adhere to traditional methods, such as lecture. In this study, we investigated the factors that affect STEM faculty members' instructional decisions about evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs). We performed a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with faculty members from the Colleges of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering who took part in a professional development program to support the use of EBIPs by STEM faculty at the university. We used an ecological model to guide our investigation and frame the results. Faculty identified a variety of personal, social, and contextual factors that influenced their instructional decision-making. Personal factors included attitudes, beliefs, and self-efficacy. Social factors included the influence of students, colleagues, and administration. Contextual factors included resources, time, and student characteristics. These factors interact with each other in meaningful ways that highlight the hyper-local social contexts that exist within departments and sub-department cultures, the importance of positive feedback from students and colleagues when implementing EBIPs, and the need for support from the administration for faculty who are in the process of changing their teaching.

Current Status and Implementation of Science Practices in Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs): A Systematic Literature Review

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses within the years 2000 through 2020. The goals of this review were to 1) create a resource of STEM CUREs identified by their discipline, subdiscipline, and level; 2) determine the activities included in each CURE, particularly the primary components listed in the CURE definition as well as specific science practices we identified as key to scientific reasoning; and 3) identify the next steps needed in CURE creation and implementation. Our review found 242 CURE curricula described in 220 total articles, with most described in biology, although STEM disciplines, including chemistry and biochemistry, have begun to publish CURE curricula as well. We also found that most CUREs include the primary components. However, when we look at the specific science practices essential to scientific reasoning, we found that these are less common in many CUREs and are implemented differently. We encourage CURE authors to consider including these science practices and potentially measuring their impact on student outcomes. The present work provides a summary of the current published CUREs, their disciplines, course levels, primary components, and specific science practices.

Evidence for Professional Conceptualization in Science as an Important Component of Science Identity

Experience in research facilitates development of science identity and encourages undergraduate student persistence along the pathway to careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Participation in authentic research can foster identity development by influencing a sense of belonging, recognition, interest, and performance and competence in science. We examine science identity in a group of five community college women in marine science during a 2-year study in which students participated in a research experience. We used interviews, surveys, identity artifacts, and significant circles before and after the research experience in a thematic analysis to explore identities and examine their intentions, interests, perspectives, and aspirations for a future career. Participation in research provided opportunities for students to gain conceptual understanding of themselves and their abilities in science as well as explore and clarify their professional interests. This work builds upon our current understanding by providing evidence that conceptualization of career trajectories and self as a science professional is an important component of identity. Exploring career options and developing professional conceptualization are critical components in science research experiences and warrants additional study to understand the role of professional conceptualization in shaping student trajectories in STEM.

Collaborative Teaching plus (CT+): A Timely, Flexible, and Dynamic Course Design Implemented during Emergency Remote Teaching in an Introductory Biology Course

Student-centered pedagogies promote student learning in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms. However, transitioning to active learning from traditional lecturing may be challenging for both students and instructors. This case study presents the development, implementation, and assessment of a modified collaborative teaching (CT) and team-based learning (TBL) approach (CT plus TBL, or CT+) in an introductory biology course at a Minority-Serving Institution. A logic model was formulated depicting the various assessment practices with the culminating goal of improving the student learning experience. We analyzed qualitative and quantitative data based on students and instructors' behaviors and discourse, and student midsemester and end-of-semester surveys. Our findings revealed that the integration of multiple instructors allowed for knowledge exchange in blending complementary behaviors and discourse practices during class sessions. In addition, the frequent ongoing assessments and incorporation of student feedback informed the CT+ design during both in-person and emergency remote teaching. Furthermore, this course design could be easily adapted to a variety of STEM courses in higher education, including remote instruction.

Student Motivations and Barriers toward Online and In-Person Office Hours in STEM Courses

Office hours are one of the most common support mechanisms found in courses. Despite the prevalence of office hours in life sciences classes, there has been little investigation of how science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students perceive office hours, particularly at non-research intensive universities or other institutions where a majority of students attend office hours. We surveyed more than 500 students, representing most life sciences majors at a comprehensive university, to investigate their motivations and barriers for attending office hours. We then compared instructors' perceptions to students' conceptions of office hours. We identified key themes in student and instructor comments using inductive, grounded theory, finding that students view a more limited range of benefits for office hours than instructors. Students likewise cited a larger number of barriers for attending than instructors perceived. In addition, while there were minimal differences in rates of office hours attendance and perception of office hours based on key demographic factors, we identify areas where students of different class years and gender perceive differences, suggesting areas of future research. Finally, we explored students' views of in-person versus online office hours, providing insight for instructors to better reach all students.

External Collaboration Results in Student Learning Gains and Positive STEM Attitudes in CUREs

The implementation of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) has made it possible to expose large undergraduate populations to research experiences. For these research experiences to be authentic, they should reflect the increasingly collaborative nature of research. While some CUREs have expanded, involving multiple schools across the nation, it is still unclear how a structured extramural collaboration between students and faculty from an outside institution affects student outcomes. In this study, we established three cohorts of students: 1) no-CURE, 2) single-institution CURE (CURE), and 3) external collaborative CURE (ec-CURE), and assessed academic and attitudinal outcomes. The ec-CURE differs from a regular CURE in that students work with faculty member from an external institution to refine their hypotheses and discuss their data. The sharing of ideas, data, and materials with an external faculty member allowed students to experience a level of collaboration not typically found in an undergraduate setting. Students in the ec-CURE had the greatest gains in experimental design; self-reported course benefits; scientific skills; and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) importance. Importantly this study occurred in a diverse community of STEM disciplinary faculty from 2- and 4-year institutions, illustrating that exposing students to structured external collaboration is both feasible and beneficial to student learning.

Peer-Modeled Mindsets: An Approach to Customizing Life Sciences Studying Interventions

Mindset interventions, which shift students' beliefs about classroom experiences, have shown promise for promoting diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Psychologists have emphasized the importance of customizing these interventions to specific courses, but there is not yet a protocol for doing so. We developed a protocol for creating customized "peer-modeled" mindset interventions that elicit advice from former students in videotaped interviews. In intervention activities, clips from these interviews, in which the former students' stories model the changes in thinking about challenge and struggle that helped them succeed in a specific course, are provided to incoming life sciences students. Using this protocol, we developed a customized intervention for three sections of Introductory Biology I at a large university and tested it in a randomized controlled trial (N = 917). The intervention shifted students' attributions for struggle in the class away from a lack of potential to succeed and toward the need to develop a better approach to studying. The intervention also improved students' approaches to studying and sense of belonging and had promising effects on performance and persistence in biology. Effects were pronounced among first-generation college students and underrepresented racial/ethnic minority students, who have been historically underrepresented in the STEM fields.

Proposal of Design and Innovation in the Creation of the Internet of Medical Things Based on the CDIO Model through the Methodology of Problem-Based Learning

The educational framework-Conceive, Design, Implement, and Operate-is part of an international proposal to improve education in the field of engineering, emphasizing how to teach engineering comprehensively, which allows the standardization of skills in professionals as a model for teaching engineering. Moreover, problem-based learning allows students to experiment with challenging situations through cases that simulate natural contexts with their profession. The integration of these two education strategies applied to the Internet of Things (IoT) Education for Industry 4.0 has promoted the generation of teaching challenges. Our education strategy proposes the synergy between laboratory guides and the classroom with the following actions: the content of the topic is presented, followed by the presentation of an issue focused into a realistic context, with practical exercises integrating software and hardware for the deployment of the solution to be reported as a final project. Moreover, undergraduate students in the biomedical engineering area acquired new knowledge about IoT, but at the same time, they may develop skills in the field of programming and structuring different architectures to solve real-world problems. Finally, traditional models of education require new teaching initiatives in the field of biomedical engineering concerning the current challenges and needs of the labor market.

From genetics to biotechnology: Synthetic biology as a flexible course-embedded research experience

The need for changing how science is taught and the expansion of undergraduate research experiences is essential to foster critical thinking in the Natural Sciences. Most faculty research programs only involve a small number of upper-level undergraduate students each semester. The course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) model enables more students to take ownership over an independent project and experience authentic research. Further, by creating projects that fit into a curriculum's learning goals and student-oriented outcomes, departments help strengthen critical thinking skills in the classroom. Here, we report on the incorporation of a synthetic biology CURE into a mid-level cellular biology course and two advanced level genetics/molecular biology courses. Synthetic biology involves systematic engineering of novel organisms, such as bacteria and plants, to work as functional devices to solve problems in medicine, agriculture, and manufacturing. The value of synthetic biology and its ultimate utility as a teaching tool relies on reusable, standard genetic parts that can be interchanged using common genetic engineering principles. This Synthetic biology CURE effectively achieves five essential goals: (1) a sense of project ownership; (2) self-efficacy: mastery of a manageable number of techniques; (3) increased tolerance for obstacles through challenging research; (4) increased communication skills; and (5) a sense of belonging in a larger scientific community. Based upon our student assessment data, we demonstrate that this course-based synthetic biology laboratory engages students directly in an authentic research experience and models important elements of collaboration, discovery, iteration, and critical thinking.

Narrative Analysis of a Woman's Experience Transferring from a TYC Reveals Impact of Supporting Characters

In this paper, we use narrative analysis to examine the case study of "Nicole" (pseudonym), a student in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program who transferred from a 2-year college (TYC) to a 4-year college (FYC). We draw from longitudinal qualitative data that follow Nicole's experience pre- and posttransfer, while acknowledging the impact of her experience at the TYC. We use an anti-deficit lens by highlighting the role of supporting characters for Nicole, especially at the TYC. Narrative analysis of Nicole's experiences highlights differences in her sense of community at the two different institutions. Organizing our data in these narrative components revealed how impactful supporting characters are in Nicole's story and how drastically they can shape the outcome of scenes in her story. Instructors and programmatic staff at FYCs who aim to better support transfer students in their transition can learn from the kinds of scenes Nicole cited as helpful in her time at the TYC as well as the FYC. It is our aim in sharing Nicole's story to provide guidelines for how faculty and program directors could be impactful supporting characters to create welcoming settings for transfer students.

Guides to Advance Teaching Evaluation (GATEs): A Resource for STEM Departments Planning Robust and Equitable Evaluation Practices

Most science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) departments inadequately evaluate teaching, which means they are not equipped to recognize or reward effective teaching. As part of a project at one institution, we observed that departmental chairs needed help recognizing the decisions they would need to make to improve teaching evaluation practices. To meet this need, we developed the Guides to Advance Teaching Evaluation (GATEs), using an iterative development process. The GATEs are designed to be a planning tool that outlines concrete goals to guide reform in teaching evaluation practices in STEM departments at research-intensive institutions. The GATEs are grounded in the available scholarly literature and guided by existing reform efforts and have been vetted with STEM departmental chairs. The GATEs steer departments to draw on three voices to evaluate teaching: trained peers, students, and the instructor. This research-based resource includes three components for each voice: 1) a list of departmental target practices to serve as goals; 2) a characterization of common starting places to prompt reflection; and 3) ideas for getting started. We provide anecdotal examples of potential uses of the GATEs for reform efforts in STEM departments and as a research tool to document departmental practices at different time points.

"Being a team of five strong women… we had to make an impression:" The College Math Academy as an intervention into mathematics education

This paper, a first-person account, describes a community psychology-aligned intervention into a precalculus mathematics class at an Hispanic Serving Research Institution. The intervention was designed because the standard precalculus mathematics class had a high failure rate, especially for Latinx students, which was serving as a barrier for declaration of a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics major. The high failure rate indicates a structural problem that requires a structural intervention. The paper is coauthored with the teaching team, undergraduates who had taken the course, a graduate student who evaluated the class, and a community psychologist. We describe the ways that the new course, the College Math Academy, transformed the social environment through capacity building, providing access to valued resources for historically marginalized groups, facilitating opportunities to critique dominant power structures, prioritizing perspectives and experiences of people of color, and promoting understanding of how various social forces shape culture and values. The course also decentered white educational norms via adapting decoloniality and liberatory practices. In turn, each person describes their experience of the course. We draw on the first-person accounts to show how they illustrate a transformative, decolonial, and liberatory social environment. We end with implications for how community psychologists can work in their universities to support structural change.

Thriving or Simply Surviving? A Qualitative Exploration of STEM Community College Students' Transition to a Four-Year University

Community colleges expand access to higher education and play a key role in efforts to increase and diversify the future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. While community colleges increase access to higher education and millions of students attend them for some portion of their education, the experiences of transfer students remain relatively understudied. Transferring during an academic journey can compound the barriers that students already face when pursuing a STEM degree. This study uses Schlossberg's model for analyzing human adaptation to transition to understand how STEM community college transfer students navigate and adapt to the 4-year university. Five semistructured focus groups were conducted with STEM community college transfer students attending an urban university. Analysis of the focus groups resulted in a new model: the amended model of adaptation to transfer transition, or AMATT, which illustrates various factors that played a role in STEM community college transfer students' adaptation a university. Analyses illumined two broad pathways that students tend to diverge into during their transitions-thriving or simply surviving. This work provides a framework for understanding factors influencing the transfer process and ideally will inform institutions and students as they consider maximal transfer student success.

Recent Research in Science Teaching and Learning

The Current Insights feature is designed to introduce life science educators and researchers to current articles of interest in other social science and education journals. In this installment, I highlight three recent studies from the fields of psychology and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education that can inform life science education. The first assesses the impact of a novel study strategy: having students deliberately make mistakes and correct them. The second encourages educators to think more carefully about the impact of different types of interest on student learning. The third reminds us of the impact of personal beliefs in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Effective educational practices, assessment, and applications in acoustics and vibration at the University of Hartford

The University of Hartford is home to two unique undergraduate engineering majors in acoustics, both sharing a core course layout of acoustics, vibrations, and projects. The Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with an Acoustics Concentration and the Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Acoustical Engineering and Music programs allow for two complementary tracks within the acoustics field, providing cohesive plans of study on many facets of listening and design. All Mechanical Engineering majors (regardless of concentration) are required to take Vibrations I and a course in Engineering and Environmental Acoustics. The department philosophy for this inclusion is that acoustics and vibration design considerations are an essential component for the development of the complete mechanical engineer. This paper outlines program educational goals and outcomes, along with pedagogical adjustments made based on continuous assessment and evaluation of select courses, including recent changes to adapt to measured deficiencies. The paper also details the historical development of the acoustics program, components of the Vibrations I and Engineering & Environmental Acoustics courses, and example research and design projects based on work in these courses. Among the included projects are modal analysis, community room acoustics assessment, and an open access computational room acoustics simulator for use and collaboration with colleagues in acoustics education.

Ten simple rules for succeeding as an underrepresented STEM undergraduate

Undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds (e.g., Black, Indigenous, and people of color [BIPOC], members of the Deaf community, people with disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, from low-income backgrounds, or underrepresented genders) continue to face exclusion and marginalization in higher education. In this piece, authored and edited by a diverse group of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) scholars, we present 10 simple rules for succeeding as an underrepresented STEM undergraduate student, illuminating the “hidden curriculum” of STEM specifically as it relates to the underrepresented undergraduate experience. Our rules begin by encouraging students to embrace their own distinct identities and scientific voices and explain how students can overcome challenges unique to underrepresented students throughout their undergraduate degrees. These rules are derived from a combination of our own experiences navigating our undergraduate STEM degrees and the growing body of literature on improving success for underrepresented students.

Students' Emotions, Perceived Coping, and Outcomes in Response to Research-Based Challenges and Failures in Two Sequential CUREs

The ability to navigate scientific obstacles is widely recognized as a hallmark of a scientific disposition and is one predictor of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics persistence for early-career scientists. However, the development of this competency in undergraduate research has been largely underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining introductory students' emotional and behavioral responses to research-related challenges and failures that occur in two sequential research-based courses. We describe commonly reported emotions, coping responses, and perceived outcomes and examine relationships between these themes, student demographics, and course enrollment. Students commonly experience frustration, confusion, and disappointment when coping with challenges and failures. Yet the predominance of students report coping responses likely to be adaptive in academic contexts despite experiencing negative emotions. Being enrolled in the second course of a research-based course sequence was related to several shifts in response to challenges during data collection, including less reporting of confusion and fewer reports of learning to be cautious from students. Overall, students in both the first and second courses reported many positive outcomes indicating improvements in their ability to cope with challenge and failure. We assert that educators can improve research-based educational courses by scaffolding students' research trials, failures, and iterations to support students' perseverance.

Broadening Access to STEM through the Community College: Investigating the Role of Course-Based Research Experiences (CREs)

Broadening access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions through the provision of early-career research experiences for a wide range of demographic groups is important for the diversification of the STEM workforce. The size and diversity of the community college system make it a prime educational site for achieving this aim. However, some evidence shows that women and Black, Latinx, and Native American student groups have been hindered in STEM at the community college level. One option for enhancing persistence in STEM is to incorporate the course-based research experiences (CREs) into the curriculum as a replacement for the prevalent traditional laboratory. This can be achieved through the integration of community colleges within extant, multi-institutional CREs such as the SEA-PHAGES program. Using a propensity score-matching technique, students in a CRE and traditional laboratory were compared on a range of psychosocial variables (project ownership, self-efficacy, science identity, scientific community values, and networking). Results revealed higher ratings for women and persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race (PEERs) in the SEA-PHAGES program on important predictors of persistence such as project ownership and science identity. This suggests that the usage of CREs at community colleges could have positive effects in addressing the gender gap for women and enhance inclusiveness for PEER students in STEM.

Cultivating PhD Aspirations during College

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career barriers persist for individuals from marginalized communities due to financial and educational inequality, unconscious bias, and other disadvantaging factors. To evaluate differences in plans and interests between historically underrepresented (UR) and well-represented (WR) groups, we surveyed more than 3000 undergraduates enrolled in chemistry courses. Survey responses showed all groups arrived on campus with similar interests in learning more about science research. Over the 4 years of college, WR students maintained their interest levels, but UR students did not, creating a widening gap between the groups. Without intervention, UR students participated in lab research at lower rates than their WR peers. A case study pilot program, Biosciences Collaborative for Research Engagement (BioCoRE), encouraged STEM research exploration by undergraduates from marginalized communities. BioCoRE provided mentoring and programming that increased community cohesion and cultivated students' intrinsic scientific mindsets. Our data showed that there was no statistical significant difference between BioCoRE WR and UR students when surveyed about plans for a medical profession, graduate school, and laboratory scientific research. In addition, BioCoRE participants reported higher levels of confidence in conducting research than non-BioCoRE Scholars. We now have the highest annual number of UR students moving into PhD programs in our institution's history.

Application of the Indigenous evaluation framework to a university certificate program for building cultural awareness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

This paper presents a case example of the Indigenous Evaluation Framework as applied to a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education pilot program. Indigenous methodologies include knowledge and data that are inclusive of historically marginalized groups, are highly meaningful, valid, and useful for all. A paradigm shift from Western evaluation methodologies to Indigenous evaluation is necessary when evaluating STEM programs that are committed to increasing recruitment, retention, and graduation of students from historically marginalized groups. This paper describes the use of the Indigenous Evaluation Framework during the first two years of the newly created Environmental Stewardship of Indigenous Lands program at the University of Colorado Denver. We discuss the importance of the Indigenous Evaluation Framework and how it informs the development and continued improvements to the program that also provides agency to program leads and participants.

Promoting Achievement for Community College STEM Students through Equity-Minded Practices

Community colleges have an opportunity to promote achievement of more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and meet larger goals of scientific advancement and educational equity. Understanding community college students' needs and backgrounds is key to increasing students' success in STEM fields and realizing this potential. The objective of this paper is to use data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and other sources to characterize community college students and their academic achievement and to offer equity-based approaches to increase success, particularly in STEM. Here, I document that community college students, who constitute approximately one-third of U.S. undergraduates, are a unique population with greater proportions of underrepresented STEM minorities, parents, and students requiring developmental education. They are also more likely to be older, working, part-time, low-income, and first-generation students and more likely to differ demographically from faculty. I also found lower rates of academic achievement among community college students, including lower rates of retention and STEM degree attainment with evidence of even lower achievement for STEM underrepresented groups. The data point to the need for equity-based strategies to address achievement disparities for STEM community college students, including increasing community college faculty diversity and sensitivity to diverse students' needs and experiences; adopting inclusive, active-learning pedagogies; and reforming developmental education.

Moving the Needle: Evidence of an Effective Study Strategy Intervention in a Community College Biology Course

Many science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) community college students do not complete their degree, and these students are more likely to be women or in historically excluded racial or ethnic groups. In introductory courses, low grades can trigger this exodus. Implementation of high-impact study strategies could lead to increased academic performance and retention. The examination of study strategies rarely occurs at the community college level, even though community colleges educate approximately half of all STEM students in the United States who earn a bachelor's degree. To fill this research gap, we studied students in two biology courses at a Hispanic-serving community college. Students were asked their most commonly used study strategies at the start and end of the semester. They were given a presentation on study skills toward the beginning of the semester and asked to self-assess their study strategies for each exam. We observed a significantly higher course grade for students who reported spacing their studying and creating drawings when controlling for demographic factors, and usage of these strategies increased by the end of the semester. We conclude that high-impact study strategies can be taught to students in community college biology courses and result in higher course performance.

Sparking the Interest of Girls in Computer Science via Chemical Experimentation and Robotics: The Qui-Bot H2O Case Study

We report a new learning approach in science and technology through the Qui-Bot H2O project: a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary project developed with the main objective of inclusively increasing interest in computer science engineering among children and young people, breaking stereotypes and invisible social and gender barriers. The project highlights the social aspect of robotics applied to chemistry, at early ages. We successfully tested the project activities on girls between 3 to 13 years old. After taking part in the project, the users rated their interest in science and technology to be higher than before. Data collected during experiences included background information on students, measurements of the project’s impact and students’ interest in it, and an evaluation of student satisfaction of this STEM activity. The Qui-Bot H2O project is supported by the actions of territorial public administrations towards gender equality and the contributions of humanistic and technological universities and entities which specialize in education and business.

Identifying systemic inequity in higher education and opportunities for improvement

It is well established that there is a national problem surrounding the equitable participation in and completion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) higher education programs. Persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race (PEERs) experience lower course performance, major retention, sense of belonging, and degree completion. It is unclear though how pervasive these issues are across an institution, from the individual instructor, course, and discipline perspectives. Examining over six years of institutional data from a large-enrollment, research-intensive, minority-serving university, we present an analysis of racial opportunity gaps between PEERs and non-PEERs to identify the consistency of these issues. From this analysis, we find that there is considerable variability as to whether a given course section taught by a single instructor does or does not exhibit opportunity gaps, although encouragingly we did identify exemplar instructors, course-instructor pairs, courses, and departments that consistently had no significant gaps observed. We also identified significant variation across course-instructor pairs within a department, and found that certain STEM disciplines were much more likely to have courses that exhibited opportunity gaps relative to others. Across nearly all disciplines though, it is clear that these gaps are more pervasive in the lower division curriculum. This work highlights a means to identify the extent of inequity in STEM success across a university by leveraging institutional data. These findings also lay the groundwork for future studies that will enable the intentional design of STEM education reform by leveraging beneficial practices used by instructors and departments assigning equitable grades.

High school science fair: Ethnicity trends in student participation and experience

In this paper, we report ethnicity trends in student participation and experience in high school science and engineering fair (SEFs). SEF participation showed significant ethnic diversity. For survey students, the approximate distribution was Asian-32%; Black-11%; Hispanic-20%; White-33%; Other-3%. Comparing the SEF level at which students competed from school to district to region to state levels, we observed that black students made up only 4.5% of the students who participated in SEF beyond the school level, whereas students from other ethnic groups were more equally represented at all levels. The lower percentage of Black students resulted from a combination of lower overall participation in SEF and lower percentage of those students who did participate to advance to SEFs beyond the school level. Students who advanced to SEFs beyond the school level frequently received help from scientists, coaching for the interview, and were not required to participate in SEF. Black students received the least help from scientists, were least likely to receive coaching for the interview, and were most likely to be required to participate in SEF. They also were most likely to receive no help from parents, teachers, or scientists. Asian and Hispanic students (63.8% and 56.8%) indicated a greater interest in careers in science and engineering (S&E) compared to Black and White students (43.7% & 50.7%). In addition to career interest, the most important experiences that correlated with students who indicated that SEF increased their interests in S&E were getting help from the internet, books and magazines; getting help fine tuning the report; and overcoming obstacles by doing more background research, making a timeline, and perseverance. Black students did not report a positive effect of any of these strategies but experienced time pressure as more of an obstacle than did other students. Our findings identify a wide range of student experiences associated with positive SEF outcomes that could be enhanced for all students but especially Black students. More involvement of scientists in helping students who participate in SEFs would be particularly valuable.

The Instructor's Role in a Model-Based Inquiry Laboratory: Characterizing Instructor Supports and Intentions in Teaching Authentic Scientific Practices

Limited access to undergraduate research experiences for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students has led to creation of classroom-based opportunities for students to participate in authentic science. Revising laboratory courses to engage students in the practices of science has been shown to have many benefits for students. However, the instructor's role in successful implementation of authentic-inquiry curricula requires further investigation. Previous work has demonstrated that navigating an instructional role within the open-ended format of an inquiry curriculum is challenging for instructors. Little is known about effective strategies for supporting students in authentic scientific practices. To address this challenge, we investigated instructors with prior experience teaching Authentic Inquiry through Modeling in Biology (AIM-Bio) in order to reveal strategies that are likely to help students succeed in this context. We took a unique approach that uncovered how instructors supported students and how they intended to support students in the scientific practices of modeling and experimental design. Analysis included in vivo recordings of instructor-student interactions paired with instructor interviews over the course of a semester. Findings detail the ways in which instructors flexibly responded to students through their in-the-moment actions. Additionally, the instructor intentions provided crucial explanatory power to explain the rationale behind teaching choices made.

Integrating Critical Approaches into Quantitative STEM Equity Work

The recent anti-racist movements in the United States have inspired a national call for more research on the experiences of racially marginalized and minoritized students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. As researchers focused on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, we contend that STEM education must, as a discipline, grapple with how analytic approaches may not fully support equity efforts. We discuss how researchers and educational practitioners should more critically approach STEM equity analyses and why modifying our approaches matters for STEM equity goals. Engaging with equity as a process rather than a static goal, we provide a primer of reflective questions to assist researchers with framing, analysis, and interpretation of student-level data frequently used to identify disparities and assess course-level and programmatic interventions. This guidance can inform analyses conducted by campus units such as departments and programs, but also across universities and the scientific community to enhance how we understand and address systemic inequity in STEM fields.

Adopting Safe-by-Design in Science and Engineering Academia: The Soil May Need Tilling

In recent years, Safe-by-Design (SbD) has been launched as a concept that supports science and engineering such that a broad conception of safety is embraced and structurally embedded. The present study explores the extent to which academics in a distinctively relevant subset of science and engineering disciplines are receptive towards the work and teaching practices SbD would arguably imply. Through 29 interviews with researchers in nanotechnology, biotechnology and chemical engineering differences in perceptions of safety, life-cycle thinking and responsibility for safety were explored. Results indicate that although safety is perceived as a paramount topic in scientific practice, its meaning is rigorously demarcated, marking out safety within the work environment. In effect, this creates a limited perceived role responsibility vis-à-vis safety in the production of knowledge and in teaching, with negligible critical consideration of research's downstream impacts. This is at odds with the adoption of a broader conception of, and responsibility for, safety. The considerations supporting the perceived boundaries demarcating scientific practice are scrutinized. This study suggests that implementing SbD in academia requires systemic changes, the development of new methods, and attention for researchers' and innovators' elementary views on the meaning of and responsibility for safety throughout the innovation chain.