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Supporting Diverse STEM Students Using the Whole Student Framework
- 1. SAGE 2YC Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two-year Colleges Supporting Diverse STEM Students Using the Whole Student Framework John R. McDaris – SERC, Carleton College R. Heather Macdonald – College of William and Mary Cathryn A. Manduca – SERC, Carleton College This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) by grants from the Division of Undergraduate Education This work is to supported the InTeGrate by a Project National (DUE Science 1125331) Foundation and to (the NSF) SAGE collaboration 2YC Project between (DUE the 1122592, 1122640, 1122660, and Directorates 1122737) for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Geosciences (GEO) under grant DUE - 1125331
- 2. SAGE 2YC Why a focus on diversity? Benefits for Society • Better informed citizens • More trust with communities of all kinds Benefits for Geosciences • New ideas and ways of seeing the world • New pool of graduates to fill projected jobs gap
- 3. SAGE 2YC What do I mean by “Diversity”? Diverse students = • ethnic and racial minorities, • women, • people with disabilities, • veterans and active duty military personnel, • people of low socioeconomic status, • LGBTQ individuals, and • other groups that are not represented in the geosciences in proportion to their abundance in society.
- 4. SAGE 2YC Current Demographics Growth in BS Degrees: 2002-2012 2002 2012 Change All BS Degrees 1,308,970 1,810,647 +38.3% STEM 415,983 589,330 +41.7% Geoscience 3,984 5,865 +47.2% Geoscience (Minority) 534 1,152 +115.7% Minority share of Geoscience BS Degrees: 2002 – 13.4% 2012 – 19.6% Minority share of college enrollment: 2000 – 29.2% 2011 – 38.8% Percentage of women (Geoscience BS) 2002 – 42.7% 2012 – 39.1% Based on data from: National Science Foundation - Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering and National Center for Education Statistics – Fast Facts
- 5. SAGE 2YC Support the Whole Student
- 6. SAGE 2YC Why this collaboration? Professional Development and Web Resources for 2YC and 4YC/U faculty to: • improve teaching • support students in geoscience technical training • help prepare geoscience majors and pre-service teachers for college transfer InTeGrate Project Goals: • develop curricula that will dramatically increase Earth literacy of all undergraduate students • increase the number of majors in the geosciences and related fields who are able to work with others to develop viable solutions to current and future environmental and resource challenges
- 7. SAGE 2YC Supporting the Whole Student The ECC Model Engagement: Having an orientation to the sciences and/or quantitative disciplines that includes such qualities as awareness, interest, and motivation Capacity: Possessing the acquired knowledge and skills needed to advance to increasingly rigorous content in the sciences and quantitative disciplines Continuity: Institutional and programmatic opportunities, material resources, and guidance that support advancement to increasingly rigorous content in the sciences and quantitative disciplines Jolly, E.J., P.B. Campbell, L. Perlman (2004). Engagement, Capacity and Continuity: A Trilogy for Student Success. A Report Commissioned by the GE Foundation. http://www.smm.org/static/about/ecc_paper.pdf
- 8. SAGE 2YC Supporting Engagement Societal Issues Geoscience Careers Sense of Community Research Experiences
- 9. SAGE 2YC Supporting Capacity
- 10. SAGE 2YC Supporting Continuity
- 11. SAGE 2YC Questions? InTeGrate Supporting the Whole Student serc.carleton.edu/integrate/programs/diversity/whole_student.html SAGE 2YC Supporting the Whole Student serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/studentsuccess/whole_student.html This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) by grants from the Division of Undergraduate Education to the InTeGrate Project (DUE 1125331) and to the SAGE 2YC Project (DUE 1122592, 1122640, 1122660, and 1122737)
Editor's Notes
- This afternoon I’ll be talking about the collaborative work of two projects that SERC is a part of: Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two-year Colleges (SAGE 2YC) and the InTeGrate project. This work is focused on using a Whole Student perspective to support the success of diverse students in STEM disciplines generally, and the geosciences specifically.
- So why the focus on diversity? Just from a racial or ethnic perspective, the demographic trends are clear. By 2050, the US will be a majority minority country. This means that more and more students of color are going to be entering college and taking our classes. Making STEM and geoscience more welcoming to students of diverse backgrounds is going to be very important to maintaining and growing our programs and can yield important benefits. - A broader cross-section of students in our classes means a higher baseline of Earth knowledge in general and a better informed citizenry. - A geoscience profession that more closely resembles the communities in which we work can engender more trust on important societal issues. - New participants in the geosciences bring new perspectives and new ways of seeing old problems. - This is an important new pool of talent to fill the projected shortage of geoscience professionals in coming years.
- Before I go further, here is a brief look at what we mean by Diversity. Both of the projects involved in this work cast a broad net in terms of what constitutes diversity. Basically any group of that is not represented in geoscience at the same level as their fraction of the general population. While the specifics of supporting each group, indeed each individual, are different, the framework that I’ll speak about can guide efforts across the board. Science in general has a reputation and image of only being populated by old white guys. If we want to change that perception to any real degree, we need to bring in voices from all segments of society and all walks of life.
- Here you can see some basic enrollment statistics from the National Science Foundation and the National Center for Education Statistics. Note that NSF considers “geoscience” to include atmospheric sciences, Earth sciences, and ocean sciences. It is unclear where environmental science falls in their classification, but it may be included under Biology. On the surface, these numbers look encouraging. Over the decade between 2001 and 2011, the total college enrollment went up from roughly 10 million to roughly 13 million; an increase of about 30%. All of these categories of BS degrees grew by a larger percentage than enrollment. And the minority share of Geoscience BS degrees went up by over 6%. But the total minority enrollment in colleges went up by almost 10%. So we’re growing but still falling behind in graduating minority students. Another interesting feature of the data from this decade is that the percentage of women entering geoscience has dropped by almost 4 percent. It is unclear if this due to a flood of new male graduates or women moving to other disciplines or some combination of both.
- The reasons why any student doesn’t succeed in STEM are various and can include things like underpreparation in science and math, family pressures or expectations, or the lack of a recognizable role model in their discipline. Many of these factors are complex and interrelated. Initiatives with a holistic approach – those that go beyond what happens in the classroom – have shown the most success in supporting all students through to graduation, particularly women and minority students. They support the Whole Student, not just the acquisition of disciplinary knowledge.
- Here you can see the two projects I’ll be focusing on and you can see that their goals are well-aligned. Given that two-year colleges educate a growing number of students in the US, InTeGrate has a major focus on including 2YCs in their efforts to increase Earth literacy and strengthening the geoscience workforce. In this respect SAGE 2YC is a perfect partner. - The project has independently developed web resources of high value on topics important to both projects. - SAGE provides professional development opportunities for 2YC faculty that are complimentary to those conducted by InTeGrate. - SAGE brings 2YC faculty into the national conversation in a way that perhaps they had not been before. On the next slides, I’ll be showcasing resources that the two projects have developed to hlpe faculty support all their students.
- The ECC model was formulated by Jolly and others in 2004 and has three critical components. - Engagement - Capacity - Continuity Each of the three components are necessary but not sufficient to ensure that students persist in STEM disciplines. It’s the combination of the three that creates the right conditions for their success.
- “Engagement” is the awareness of, and interest in, STEM fields as well as the self-motivation to succeed in them. Supporting Engagement includes issues such as: Geoscience Careers – Many students, especially those at two-year colleges, are looking for a good-paying, high-status job that will enable them to support their families. Geosciece and STEM have many such opportunities that we can share with them as a way to keep them engaged. Societal Issues – Many of today’s students are motivated to solve big problems facing humanity. Geoscience knowledge is central to many of these issues. Sense of Community – Building a sense of community in your department or program can help students feel like they belong in science. Undergraduate Research – Research experiences are a great way for students to learn the culture of science and develop valuable (and marketable) skills.
- “Capacity” refers to skills and knowledge needed to successfully advance to more rigorous levels of study. The geosciences abound in real-world, interdisciplinary problems that help students learn how to think like a scientist. Academic support systems are also crucial, from tutoring centers, to faculty familiarity with issues facing English language learners, or strategies for countering stereotype threat and solo status. All of these efforts increase students’ capacity for success.
- “Continuity” refers to institutional/programmatic systems that support student advancement in STEM disciplines. For example, good advising is essential if students are to know about, much less use, the academic support systems that exist on your campus. And Mentoring programs, whether form or informal, greatly strengthen the growth of students as professionals in the sciences. And Strong support for transfer students provides bridges between institutions which can offer the best chance for a successful transition between schools.
- All of these resources and many others can be found on the project websites listed here. Thanks to NSF for funding these efforts and thanks to my colleagues in both projects for their continued amazing work.