An evaluation of the differential effects of the prerequisite pathways on student performance in an introductory biology course
Amy Kulesza, Ohio State University-Main Campus; Jerome D'Agostino, Ohio State University-Main Campus; Judith Ridgway, Ohio State University-Main Campus
For almost a century, researchers and educators have been asking the question, does a prerequisite science course achieve its goal of preparing students for a subsequent course? Although early studies have shown ...

Navigating the bridge between theory and action: Validating the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Science Education (PULSE) Theory of Change
Heather Seitz, Johnson County Community College; Erika Offerdahl, Washington State University- Pullman; Carol Colbeck, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The Partnership for Undergraduate Life Science Education (PULSE), a non-profit organization, provides life sciences departments at all types of US higher education institutions with training and resources to ...

Using Data-Driven Faculty Professional Development To Promote Change In Undergraduate Education
Gili Marbach-Ad, University of Maryland-College Park; Carly Hunt, University of Maryland-College Park; Patrick Sheehan, University of Maryland-College Park; Kaci Thompson, University of Maryland-College Park
Employers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields report that recent graduates are deficient in important workplace skills (e.g., collaboration, professional writing). This has motivated ...

The Sky is the Limit: A Learning Community for Undeclared Students--A Sustainable Investment in Student Success and Retention
Stacey Barnes, Iowa State University; Jenifer N. Saldanha, Michigan State University; MaKayla B. Schroeder, Minnesota State University Moorhead; Andrew J. Sage, Lawrence University; Jo Anne Powell-Coffman, Iowa State University; Craig Ogilvie, Iowa State University; Clark Coffman, Iowa State University
Student learning communities have proven to be a consistently powerful strategy for promoting student success. At Iowa State University, approximately 78% of freshmen belong to learning communities, and this ...

Fostering interdisciplinary, cross-institutional collaboration to provide undergraduate STEM students with authentic learning experiences
Kelly McDonald, California State University-Sacramento; Thomas E. Landerholm, California State University-Sacramento
The Sustainable Interdisciplinary Research to Inspire Undergraduate Success (SIRIUS) Project is broadening participation and institutional capacity for STEM learning at Sacramento State by integrating research ...

Partnering with Peer Leaders to create inclusive academic support environments
Jennifer Lundmark, California State University-Sacramento; Enid Gonzalez-Orta, California State University-Sacramento; Kelly McDonald, California State University-Sacramento
The Science and Math Success Center at Sacramento State houses a number of peer support p performance and retention. The Success Center's three main programs, Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL), Science Educational ...

Student-driven approaches to adding discussions of race and racism to STEM courses
Monica Linden, Brown University; Bjorn Sandstede, Brown University
This presentation focuses on two new courses on race and gender in STEM at Brown University that were initiated by students. The first course on race and gender in the scientific community was run for a semester as ...

Guided by Evidence: Changing the Disciplinary Culture of Teaching and Learning
Kaci Thompson, University of Maryland-College Park; Michelle Bertke, University of Maryland-College Park; Todd Cooke, University of Maryland-College Park; Joelle Presson, University of Maryland-College Park; Francisca Saavedra, University of Maryland-College Park; Patrick Sheehan, University of Maryland-College Park; Gili Marbach-Ad, University of Maryland-College Park
Students learn better when they are actively engaged in constructing knowledge, but teaching approaches that foster student engagement are far from widespread in undergraduate STEM classrooms. To remedy this, the ...

Transforming STEM gateway courses: or How we learned to stop worrying about just one approach and love the different pathways
Shanna Shaked, University of California-Los Angeles
One of the main goals of UCLA's Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences is to broaden student success in STEM. Working with institutional research folks, we identified the persistence ...

Transforming STEM Education through Scaffolded Curricula
Mitchell Malachowski, University of San Diego; Jeffrey Osborn, The College of New Jersey
The involvement of undergraduate students in collaborative research with faculty is a proven and powerful pedagogy in view of the many educational benefits gained by students related to their cognitive, ...