Gateway Into First Year Stem Curricula: A Community College/University Collaboration Promoting Retention And Articulation

Abstract

This paper summarizes an NSF STEP collaboration between Wright State University (WSU) and Sinclair Community College (SCC) to develop a common first-year STEM experience, which aims to increase first-to-second year retention at both SCC and WSU, as well as articulation of STEM majors from SCC to WSU. While STEM attrition is a problem throughout the 4-6 years of college study, the first-year experience (FYE) is most critical to retention of students in STEM disciplines. Thus, a focus on promoting success in the first year will help to ensure that students remain in STEM disciplines, as opposed to switching majors or dropping out. The primary barrier to success in Engineering/Technology is the mathematics “gateway” calculus sequence; the barrier to success in Science/Mathematics is general innumeracy and scientific illiteracy. Prior NSF support of WSU’s National Model for Engineering Mathematics Education has shown that the introduction of EGR 101 “Introductory Mathematics for Engineering Applications,” coupled with a significant restructuring of the early engineering curriculum, has resulted in a significant increase in first-to-second year retention, as well as increased student motivation and confidence in math and engineering. Based on this prior success, the current NSF STEP initiative will: 1) Implement EGR 101 and the associated engineering curriculum reforms at SCC. 2) Develop a companion lab-based class for science majors (Scientific Thought and Method), SM 101/ASE 101, for instruction at both WSU and SCC. 3) Provide professional development opportunities for faculty at both institutions. 4) Train STEM seniors/graduate students to serve as lab/recitation assistants and peer tutors for any introductory STEM classes. 5) Disseminate the curriculum and associated first-year experience. The above educational treatments will make the curriculum substantially more accessible to all incoming students, and particularly to those who have been historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines. This model is therefore highly appropriate for other metropolitan university/community college dyads with similarly diverse enrollments. While this NSF STEP initiative has only just begun, this paper will provide an overview of the motivation, goals and development to date of the program. Background: The Quiet Crisis in STEM Education Recent reports from industry groups and governmental agencies and commissions have drawn attention to the looming crisis in US graduation rates in the STEM disciplines. Based on the age of the STEM workforce, the US will face a future shortage of scientists and engineers if the trend of declining 2 and 4-year graduation in STEM disciplines is not reversed. While much of this discourse revolves around K-12 math and science education, significant attention also has been paid to undergraduate STEM education. Seymour and Hewitt report that the interest in STEM majors among entering college students dropped from 11.5% in 1966 to 5.8% in 1988. Attrition includes students who are unprepared for the demands of STEM curricula as well as talented undergraduates who choose other disciplines with more creative instructional-delivery methods. A common challenge for K-16 is the goal of demonstrating the wonder of discovery through constructivist approaches while assisting students in mastering rigorous content. STEM Education at Wright State University Founded in 1967 and located in Dayton, Ohio, WSU is a comprehensive public, doctoral, research-intensive institution of 17,000 students (13,058 are undergraduates) and 2200 faculty and staff. WSU offers more than 200 associate, prebaccalaureate (at Lake Campus), and baccalaureate degrees, and over 50 graduate and professional degree programs, including Ed.S., M.D., Psy.D., and Ph.D. degrees. The five Ph.D. programs are clustered in the STEM disciplines: biomedical sciences; computer science and engineering; environmental sciences; and human factors & industrial/organizational psychology. In a mere 40 years, WSU has risen to third among public institutions in Ohio in research expenditures (over $60 M annually); the first capital campaign has just exceeded the $100 M mark. The distinctiveness of WSU includes: Kaplan/Newsweek College Catalog’s recommendation as one of 26 universities nationwide for “high level of individual attention from faculty”; and its recognized leadership in accessible programming for people with disabilities as evidenced by the recent NSF IGERT award to support a new interdisciplinary Ph D. concentration in Learning with Disability. WSU’s current Strategic Plan (2003-2008) “On the Horizon, Building our Future” identifies a goal that directly relates to this project: Enhance our distinctive learning experience to recruit and retain a diversity of students from the region and beyond. STEM disciplines at WSU: The NSF-supported STEM disciplines reside in two colleges: College of Science and Mathematics (COSM) and College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS). The COSM serves 1320 undergraduates; 63% are women and 18% are minorities (Fall 2005). The most popular undergraduate majors are biological sciences and psychology (others include environmental sciences, geological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, physics and science education). COSM has averaged over $5 million per year in externally funded research over the past 5 years. The CECS serves 661 undergraduates; 16% are women and 10% are minorities. The most popular undergraduate majors are computer science and engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering; other majors are biomedical engineering, engineering physics, materials science, and industrial engineering. The CECS has averaged over $5.5 million per year in externally funded research over the past 5 years. WSU has been recognized as an exemplary institution in Ohio for its pioneering efforts in science and mathematics education of preand in-service teachers. Faculty jointly appointed between the COSM and the College of Education and Human Services (CEHS) have developed innovative content classes for Early, Middle, and Adolescent Young Adult education. With science and math educators contributing to this project as Sr. Personnel, we hope to similarly transform the delivery of introductory gateway STEM classes at the undergraduate level. Profile of an entering first-year WSU STEM student: WSU draws a non-traditional enrollment (mean undergraduate age 24, many are first-generation college students) primarily from the 5 adjoining counties. Since the campus was constructed to be architecturally barrier-free, there is a large population of students with disabilities. The following table documents the profile of all entering students Fall 2005 (direct and not direct from high school) excluding transfer students; these data are disaggregated for intended STEM majors in the two colleges. Fall 05 Enrollment Female % Afr. Amer. % All minor. % ACT WSU 2302 57.8 16.4 27.9 20.83 COSM 318 66.9 18.2 31.1 21.61 CECS 255 12.6 9.8 15.7 23.27 WSU first-year STEM retention, and 6-yr Graduation (Fall 2004-Fall 2005): WSU participates in the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange (University of Oklahoma’s Center for Institutional Data Exchange and Analysis). Longitudinal data exist for retention from first to second year (%) for students who entered WSU intending to major in STEM disciplines (“persisters” P, reported by subgroups and “switchers” S, students who subsequently switched out of STEM). While the overall first-to-second year retention rate has remained constant over several years, the retention of students who “persist” in the STEM disciplines has dropped. More alarmingly, the drop has been precipitous for female and African American students. Moreover, students who persist in STEM majors have lower retention rates than students overall (P + S). Cohort P + S P Caucas. P Afr. Am.