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1. Preliminary outcomes from a learning community to increase biology course knowledge

   https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2021.1909639  

   Gross, Thomas J. ; Li, Qingxia ; McCarroll, Patricia ( April 2021 , Journal of Biological Education)

   null (Ed.)

   The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preliminary outcomes of a learning community intervention (LC), which was based on the performance pyramid theoretical model of student supports. The LC integrated college algebra into biology course work. We used a quasi-experimental design to compare LC students to separate General Biology I and College Algebra course control groups on respective measures of biology and algebra course knowledge, and an assessment of perceived performance pyramid supports. Participants included 198 students (LC, n = 22; biology control, n = 52; mathematics control, n = 124) at a Historically Black University in the Southern United States. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that the LC students had significantly greater performance from pre- to post-test on a measure of biology course knowledge (Cohen’s d = 0.76) compared to the biology control group. An ANCOVA indicated that the LC and mathematics control students performed similarly on a measure of algebra course knowledge. Group differences from a multivariate analysis of covariance on perceived performance pyramid supports were mostly statistically non-significant. Overall, the LC increased biology course performance. Implications for improving biology course performance and better assessment of students’ perceptions of support for academic success are discussed. 

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2. Applying Performance Pyramid Model in STEM Education through Peer-led Learning Communities

   Li, Qingxia ; Gross, Thomas ; McCarroll, Patricia ( February 2019 , International journal of innovation and research in educational sciences)

   null (Ed.)

   While many studies have demonstrated the efficacy of programs designed to increase underrepresented minority participation, this article establishes a guiding theoretical model which examines why such programs might work. Theoretical models are often used to support curricular innovation by specifying guidelines for how to design new programs intended to broaden participation in STEM. The theoretical model of the Performance Pyramid was used as the foundation to develop intrusive Peer Partnership Learning (PPL) communities and develop a measure of student needs. The PPL communities were designed for students to simultaneously take College Algebra and General Biology I and involved weekly sessions led by trained PPL leaders to reinforce course content and work on biology projects with imbedded math content. The augmented SSNS (SSNS-A) was developed to measures these students needs that are directly related to the Performance Pyramid constructs. In addition, other outcomes measures were selected to identify, analyze and address the barriers to student performance in both courses related to the seven support systems of the Performance Pyramid. This theory-based program was developed to (a) advance and test pedagogical linkages between biological and mathematical concepts; (b) improve, test, and refine the assessment instruments, and (c) test the acceptability and efficacy of a fully integrated biology-math curriculum on student performance and attitudes. 

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3. Pilot Study to Develop an Augmented Student Support Needs Scale to Address the Needs of HBCU Students

   https://doi.org/10.7709/jnegroeducation.88.3.0213  

   Gross, Thomas ; Li, Qingxia ; Lockwood, Adam ( July 2019 , The Journal of Negro education)

   null (Ed.)

   The authors completed a pilot study to examine the original Student Support Needs Scale (SSNS') and alternative forms. They assessed how the items were related to each other, how SSNS versions correlated with each other, and the SSNS versions associations with measures of student attitudes and performance. Eighty students from a historically Black college and university participated. SSNS 10-item- and 5-item-per-scale form s were created. They were compared with the original, to each other, and to other measures. The coefficients related to how items related to each other indicated that the alternative form s had similar to better correspondence between related items than the original scales. The 5-item-per-scale version was used as the augmented SSNS (SSNS-A). SSNS-A correlations with measures o f student attitudes and performance were generally in the expected direction. Implications are discussed in regard to reliability and validity of the SSNS-A. 

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4. Student perceptions about participation in co-curricular engineering projects - an Institutional Study at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

   Doig, G. ( January 2019 , Conference proceedings - Hawaii International Conference on Education)

   Co-curricular team projects in engineering – like design projects, experimental assignments, or national project-based competitions or challenges – can be key experiences for students in forming personal and professional skills and traits. Little concrete data is available about why students choose to participate or not participate in such activities though, and how their participation and perceptions of the activities may be influenced by factors such as their gender identity, race/ethnicity, and other facets of themselves and their experiences. Without this data, it is difficult to conceive of strategies to improve participation in certain activities among groups of people who are otherwise under-represented compared even to their representation at the College level. The research was devised to gather insight into why students chose to participate or not participate, and what they felt the benefits and detrimental effects of participation were. The pilot study was conducted at the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus, which is part of the California State University system - it has a student cohort that is not particularly diverse compared to the rest of the system or highly representative of state demographics, and it has an institutional focus on applied, hands- on learning that means that a high number of students participate in co-curricular engineering projects. A 70 question survey tool, adapted from an existing tool, garnered responses from nearly 500 students, with demographic and identity questions preceding sections about factors that led to participation or non- participation, and then perceptions of positive and negative outcomes that can come from involvement in co-curricular engineering projects. 

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5. When Am I (N)ever Going to Use This? How Engineers Use Algebra

   Istas, Brooke ; Walkington, Candace ; Leyva, Elizabeth ( July 2021 , 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference)

   Mathematics is an important tool in engineering practice, as mathematical rules govern many designed systems (e.g., Nathan et al., 2013; Nathan et al., 2017). Investigations of structural engineers suggest that mathematical modelling is ubiquitous in their work, but the nature of the tasks they confront is not well-represented in the K-12 classroom (e.g., Gainsburg, 2006). This follows a larger literature base suggesting that school mathematics is often inauthentic and does represent how mathematics is used in practice. At the same time, algebra is a persistent gatekeeper to careers in engineering (e.g., Harackiewicz et al., 2012; Olson & Riordan, 2012). In the present study, we interviewed 12 engineers, asking them a series of questions about how they use specific kinds of algebraic function (e.g., linear, exponential, quadratic) in their work. The purpose of these interviews was to use the responses to create mathematical scenarios for College Algebra activities that would be personalized to community college students’ career interests. This curriculum would represent how algebra is used in practice by STEM professionals. However, our results were not what we expected. In this paper, we discuss three major themes that arose from qualitative analyses of the interviews. First, we found that engineers resoundingly endorsed the importance of College Algebra concepts for their day-to-day work, and uniformly stated that math was vital to engineering. However, the second theme was that the engineers struggled to describe how they used functions more complex than linear (i.e., y=mx+b) in their work. Students typically learn about linear functions prior to College Algebra, and in College Algebra explore more complex functions like polynomial, logarithmic, and exponential. Third, we found that engineers rarely use the explicit algebraic form of an algebraic function (e.g., y=3x+5), and instead rely on tables, graphs, informal arithmetic, and computerized computation systems where the equation is invisible. This was surprising, given that the bulk of the College Algebra course involves learning how to use and manipulate these formal expressions, learning skills like factoring, simplifying, solving, and interpreting parameters. We also found that these trends for engineers followed trends we saw in our larger sample where we interviewed professionals from across STEM fields. This study calls into question the gatekeeping role of formal algebraic courses like College Algebra for STEM careers. If engineers don’t actually use 75% of the content in these courses, why are they required? One reason might be that the courses are simply outdated, or arguments might be made that learning mathematics builds more general modelling and problem-solving skills. However, research from educational psychology on the difficulty of transfer would strongly refute this point – people tend to learn things that are very specific. Another reason to consider is that formal mathematics courses like advanced algebra have emerged as a very convenient mechanism to filter people by race, gender, and socioeconomic background, and to promote the maintenance of the “status quo” inequality in STEM fields. This is a critical issue to investigate for the future of the field of engineering as a whole. 

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