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1. Underrepresented minority women’s experiences in a virtual eSTEM peer mentoring program

   Jones, V. O.; Wendt, J. L. (January 2022, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) 2022 Conference)
2. The Effect of Program Cost on Minority Student Virtual Computing Outreach Participation

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3478432.3499128  

   Mackroy, Kaylah; Nelson, Whitney; Gosha, Kinnis (March 2022, SIGCSE 2022: Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2)

   A Historically Black College or University (HBCU) hosted a virtual supplemental learning program to expose underrepresented minority and low-income youth to game development via Construct 3: Game Making Software. The program implemented a hybrid need-based admissions model that compared paid, subsidized, and free virtual outreach participation among underrepresented minority (URM) and low-income adolescents. Due to the program's unique distinctions: a virtual learning environment amid COVID-19, African American undergraduate instructors, and its need-based admissions model, it is unclear which factors directly affected student participation. Future directions include investigating what factors contributed to participation rates, obtaining student and parent feedback, and comparing this program to summer programs for underrepresented students. 

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3. Impact of an intensive multi-disciplinary STEM enrichment program on underrepresented minority student success

   https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-12-2020-0452  

   Ghazzawi, Dina; Pattison, Donna Lynn; Horn, Catherine; Hardy, John; Brown, Beverly (April 2021, Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education)

   Blessinger, Patrick (Ed.)

   PurposeThis study examines the impact of participation in a STEM Enrichment Summer Bridge Program, funded by the NSF Houston-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, on undergraduate student success outcomes, particularly for under-represented students. Design/methodology/approachThe study uses propensity score matching and logistic regression analysis to examine the effects of participation in the STEM enrichment program on graduation and retention in STEM after matching on baseline socio-demographic and pre-college characteristics. FindingsThe analysis found that program participation had a significant effect on increasing both the graduation rates and retention of under-represented minority students in STEM fields. In addition, results indicated that program participation had a particularly strong impact for Pell-eligible students in terms of course grades. Research limitations/implicationsData obtained for this study were limited to a single Hispanic-serving/Asian-serving institution, and therefore are not necessarily representative of the graduation and retention trends of the larger population of underrepresented minority (URM) students across the nation. Originality/valueThis study uniquely adds to the existing body of literature surrounding the retention of URM students in STEM fields by accounting for baseline variables, such as pre-college academic achievement and socio-demographic characteristics, that could lead to bias in estimating results. Specifically, this study addresses limitations of previous studies by comparing participants and non-participants of the STEM enrichment program who are matched on a selection of baseline characteristics. 

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4. LSAMP: A Roadmap of Institutional Collaboration During the Development of Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program

   Wright, Ashleigh; Golecki, Holly; Henderson, Jacqueline; Darner, Rebekka; Ibrahim, Nafisa; Wilson, Brenda; Cozy, Loralyn; Bellott, Brian; Biswas, Mahua; Lleras, Alejandro; et al (June 2025, ASEE Conferences)

   The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Partnerships (LSAMP) program funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF) brings together partner institutions of higher education to promote student success. Teams of regional partners build programs to support their students in academic, research, and career achievement. Developing programs that meet the needs of a cooperative alliance composed of institutions of varying sizes and types requires logistical planning and flexibility. This paper presents a summary of factors that were considered as a new alliance, Southern and Central Illinois LSAMP (SCI-LSAMP), established through a multi-year planning process. The goal of the alliance was to create an integrated LSAMP program that facilitates students' growth within their home institutions and builds connections across the alliance’s partner institutions. Factors considered to build a cohesive program include existing institutional programming, research infrastructure, administrator and faculty workflow, schedules and needs, and conversations with established LSAMP programs. This paper aims to serve as a roadmap for new alliances to consider as they plan for multi-institution collaborations. 

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5. A Remote Health Coaching, Text-Based Walking Program in Ethnic Minority Primary Care Patients With Overweight and Obesity: Feasibility and Acceptability Pilot Study

   https://doi.org/10.2196/31989  

   Smart, Mary H; Nabulsi, Nadia A; Gerber, Ben S; Gupta, Itika; Di Eugenio, Barbara; Ziebart, Brian; Sharp, Lisa K (January 2022, JMIR Formative Research)

   Background Over half of US adults have at least one chronic disease, including obesity. Although physical activity is an important component of chronic disease self-management, few reach the recommended physical activity goals. Individuals who identify as racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionally affected by chronic diseases and physical inactivity. Interventions using consumer-based wearable devices have shown promise for increasing physical activity among patients with chronic diseases; however, populations with the most to gain, such as minorities, have been poorly represented to date. Objective This study aims to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of an 8-week text-based coaching and Fitbit program aimed at increasing the number of steps in a predominantly overweight ethnic minority population. Methods Overweight patients (BMI >25 kg/m2) were recruited from an internal medicine clinic located in an inner-city academic medical center. Fitbit devices were provided. Using 2-way SMS text messaging, health coaches (HCs) guided patients to establish weekly step goals that were specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. SMS text messaging and Fitbit activities were managed using a custom-designed app. Program feasibility was assessed via the recruitment rate, retention rate (the proportion of eligible participants completing the 8-week program), and patient engagement (based on the number of weekly text message goals set with the HC across the 8-week period). Acceptability was assessed using a qualitative, summative evaluation. Exploratory statistical analysis included evaluating the average weekly steps in week 1 compared with week 8 using a paired t test (2-tailed) and modeling daily steps over time using a linear mixed model. Results Of the 33 patients initially screened; 30 (91%) patients were enrolled in the study. At baseline, the average BMI was 39.3 (SD 9.3) kg/m2, with 70% (23/33) of participants presenting as obese. A total of 30% (9/30) of participants self-rated their health as either fair or poor, and 73% (22/30) of participants set up ≥6 weekly goals across the 8-week program. In total, 93% (28/30) of participants completed a qualitative summative evaluation, and 10 themes emerged from the evaluation: patient motivation, convenient SMS text messaging experience, social support, supportive accountability, technology support, self-determined goals, achievable goals, feedback from Fitbit, challenges, and habit formation. There was no significant group change in the average weekly steps for week 1 compared with week 8 (mean difference 7.26, SD 6209.3; P=.99). However, 17% (5/30) of participants showed a significant increase in their daily steps. Conclusions Overall, the results demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of a remotely delivered walking study that included an HC; SMS text messaging; a wearable device (Fitbit); and specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals within an ethnic minority patient population. Results support further development and testing in larger samples to explore efficacy. 

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