Abstract
Article history: Received October 1, 2011 Received in Revised form November, 10, 2011 Accepted 10 November 2011 Available online 11 November 2011 Students at risk of dropping out of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs often display signs that indicate they are at risk. A need exists to identify at risk STEM students early and to develop and implement effective intervention strategies that utilize the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach. Most of all, a database system is needed to track this early intervention process, if retention rates are to be improved. To address this need at a small community college in North Carolina, a system was developed and underwent a pilot study in Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. The two pilot groups were compared to the two control groups to identify differences in retention, course credit completion rates, and grade point averages (GPA). The first pilot group displayed no significant differences, while the second pilot group displayed significant differences in most of the areas analyzed in the study, indicating a database system can be used to improve STEM student retention. While the second of the two pilot groups displayed promising results, managerial and logistical issues, such as less than optimal instructor involvement, impeded success were identified. This paper will describe the design, implementation, and the preliminary results of this study and outlines the need for further research that confirms these preliminary findings. © 2012 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Highlights
Academic institutions are working hard to retain at risk students in STEM programs
Most of this research has centered on early intervention among first year students, but little research explores the use of technology for the Early Alert and management of intervention strategies that keep STEM students in classes and programs of study
The use of a database system that tracks and manages at risk students early in their academic programs will assist in identifying intervention strategies, tracking student progress from identification until graduation, and allowing follow-up alert submissions to create a continuous improvement cycle needed for Total Quality Management (TQM) success
Summary
Academic institutions are working hard to retain at risk students in STEM programs. In order for the United States to effectively compete on a global scale, academic institutions need to attract and retain Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students until they graduate and enter the workforce. The use of a database system that tracks and manages at risk students early in their academic programs will assist in identifying intervention strategies, tracking student progress from identification until graduation, and allowing follow-up alert submissions to create a continuous improvement cycle needed for TQM success. The goal of this system is to improve retention rates in STEM programs by aggregating Early Alerts and follow-ups, tracking student issues and their intervention strategies, and identifying strategies that lead to improved retention creating a continuous improvement cycle This TQM approach will allow for the management of student progress in STEM programs from beginning to end of a student’s program of study, through the use of a centralized database system. This paper will describe the design, implementation, and the preliminary results of this pilot study
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