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Previous research has established that peer relationships are important for student success, yet little research has examined connections made in the classroom, as opposed to residence life or extracurricular activities. This project utilized social network analysis in two cohorts of science and mathematics majors to investigate the degree to which students take multiple courses with the same peers. Results showed (1) wide variability in student networks, (2) course selection by students included more repeated connections than random course selection, (3) networks did not vary much by demographic variables (gender, race, first-generation status, and income), and (4) student networks significantly predicted graduation and grades. This correlational research provides a foundation for future experimental research testing the causal impact of classroom-based student networks. This research also serves as a model for how other institutions may analyze institutional data to understand patterns of peer connections and course enrollment at their institution.

 

Previous research has established that peer relationships are important for student success, yet they can be hard to form at regional universities with large commuter populations. In these settings, connections in the classroom become critical. In an effort to gauge the degree to which students have the opportunity to form peer relationships in the classroom, this project utilized social network analysis to investigate to what degree students take repeated courses with the same peers. We report here on the number and nature of connections for a cohort of students who began STEM majors in Fall 2015. Two key findings include that White students have more peer connections than students of color, and the degree of connectivity correlates with graduation rates. Implications for these findings regarding curriculum design will be discussed. 

Students Engaging In Scientific and Mathematical Interdisciplinary Collaboration (NSF 164375), supports low-income, academically talented Scholars with multiple components including scholarships, paid undergraduate research, service learning, social science and humanities courses, and career development. Scholars will graduate in STEM at a rate of 95%, higher than the rate of eligible, non-participants (62%). High percentages of Scholars attribute increased understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of STEM and growth in on-campus support networks to programming. However, they report variation in the components to which they attribute those gains, with most participants acknowledging the importance of engagement with different program components over time. Scholars report differences in off-campus work, which may have been impacted by the Covid pandemic. While all Scholars starting at the onset of the Covid pandemic were retained in STEM, retention of eligible, non-participants fell from 70% to 38%, indicating the importance of financial and communal support during challenging times. 

Four writing-intensive, inquiry-based, three-credit seminars were created to serve as the hub for linked learning communities for first-year students in STEM. Based on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), the seminars engaged students in socially-relevant modeling, lab work, and public presentations. The seminars were designed to foster a communal view of science and mathematics, both in terms of the importance of collaboration to STEM success and the application of STEM to real-world problems. Course structures and sample materials will be shared, along with preliminary analyses from a randomized controlled trial comparing students in the seminars to a control group of peers. In fall 2021,students who participated in the seminars reported increased awareness of the UN SDGs, valued team work more highly, and earned more credits and higher grades than control group students. Supported by NSF2020765, these seminars are part of a study of the effectiveness of learning communities. 

A curricular approach to supporting low-income STEM Scholars is outlined and initial associations with retention, social and cultural capital, perception of science, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations are examined. Details are provided for the curricular support program based on interdisciplinary research, service learning, and an explicit examination of the interpretation of science based on culture and social location. We show that Scholars had increased retention and graduation within STEM majors compared to a control group. Further, Scholars self-report in surveys and interviews increased social and cultural capital, motivation, and related outcomes that they attribute to the interdisciplinary coursework that comprises the bulk of the program. 

SEISMIC, Bridgewater State University’s National Science Foundation S-STEM grant program, provides $6,000 scholarship for three years to rising sophomore students from diverse backgrounds. While the scholarships defray Scholar’s costs, annual program surveys and interviews reveal that many SEISMIC scholars continue to work off-campus jobs while in the program. In this poster presentation, we review quantitative and qualitative evidence collected during the first four years of the S-STEM grant to assess Scholar’s financial and work commitments. Preliminary analysis reveals that some students do not take off-campus jobs while in the program, but most do, with some working full-time hours. Analysis of interviews with students graduating the program reveal how Scholars weighed their commitment to the SEISMIC program and STEM education with their off-campus circumstances and responsibilities. 

Promoting Students Engaging In Scientific and Mathematical Interdisciplinary Collaborations (SEISMIC) requires careful thought. At Bridgewater State University, teams of SEISMIC Scholars are supported by an NSF S-STEM grant for low-income, academically talent STEM majors. SEISMIC Scholars engage throughout a three-year period in a series of humanities, social-science, service learning and STEM research courses that explicitly help Scholars frame their studies of Science and Mathematics as socially relevant and fundamentally interdisciplinary. This poster will report on the structure of the SEISMIC courses, providing examples of assignments and activities, all of which help to tie students together in a community that views Science as socially relevant and culturally informed.