51.040 - Promoting STEM Success and Persistence for Traditionally Disadvantaged Students: Evaluating Higher Education Student Success Programs

Session Type: Working Group Roundtable

Abstract

Demand for individuals with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) qualifications continues to grow in the United States and around the world. However, STEM fields are home to some of the most glaring gaps by race and ethnicity. A potential method for helping to narrow this gap is to target underrepresented minority (URM) students for participation in programming to promote success and persistence in STEM fields. Programming can take the form of access to a designated support center, mentorship, or targeted professional development for professors. Discussion by researchers will focus on the importance of providing a support system for URM students and help identify specific actions that are particularly effective.

Sub Unit

• Division J - Postsecondary Education / Division J - Section 2b: College Student Success

Chair

• Jason L. Taylor, University of Utah

Papers

• Learning Communities STEM Education: Evaluating the Impact of the Enhanced Academic Student Experience Initiative - Sabrina Solanki, University of California - Irvine; Di Xu, UCI; Peter McPartlan, University of California - Irvine; Brian Sato

• Evaluating the Contextualize to Learn (C2L) Program - Xueli Wang, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Opening New Doors to Accelerating Success: Evaluating a Postsecondary STEM Persistence Student Support Program - Jay Plasman, The Ohio State University; Michael A. Gottfried, University of California - Santa Barbara; Barbara Walker