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Institutions of higher education continue to grapple with the challenges associated with increasing access to STEM learning and STEM majors for resource-limited students. Longstanding differences among well and under-resourced student groups with respect to STEM course enrollment, STEM major retention and persistence, and research opportunities persist despite decades of research on interventions. This article reports on outcomes of a cohort-based, multi-pronged S-STEM scholarship program at a small liberal arts institution for Pell-eligible first-year students that focuses on reducing college transition anxiety; building peer and mentor networks in STEM; providing gateway science course cohort learning; and layering multiple levels of advising and experiential learning. Results suggest that student participants enroll in more STEM courses, demonstrate lower rates of attrition, participate in experiential learning opportunities at much higher rates, and exhibit higher rates of STEM identity, identification as a scientist, and a sense of belonging in science than students in reference and/or control groups. Using mixed-methods data from surveys and focus groups, key components of program success are identified and discussed.
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Mapping the Citizen Science Experience: Experiential Pedagogies and Learning Outcomes in a Place-based Volunteer Program
Citizen science projects have gained momentum in recent years and involved members of the public in ongoing scientific research. Nationally, there are an estimated 8,500 volunteers monitoring U.S. water bodies and 26 states sponsoring volunteer monitoring programs (Overdevest, Orr & Stepenuck, 2004). In Oklahoma, water quality data is collected by volunteers of Blue Thumb (BT), a state-wide program emphasizing stream protection through education and involvement of the community in monitoring local water-bodies. As the first phase of a multi-phase evaluation design, the goal of this research is to map the experiential education processes and learning outcomes of the BT program. A mixed methods research design guides this programmatic review of BT and the guiding questions for the study: (1) What attributes and processes of experiential learning are found in the Blue Thumb programs?, (2) What are the measured and intended participant learning outcomes?, and (3) How do Blue Thumb educators employ experiential pedagogies to achieve these learning outcomes? The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, with qualitative data being used to add contextual understanding to the quantitative data.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1811506
- PAR ID:
- 10258043
- Editor(s):
- Zwart, R.; Davidson, C.
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings for the Symposium on Experiential Education Research
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 28-29
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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