Math Persistence through Inquiry and Equity (MPIE): A project for characterizing change at a two-year HSI

In this project, we are studying the effects of a two-year institution's response to a state mandate that requires students to be placed in gateway courses within their first year of studies. We define a gateway mathematics course as the first transfer-level mathematics course taken by most students intending to pursue a STEM major. These courses traditionally have high failure rates, and are a common barrier for STEM-intending students from historically underserved communities. We will share preliminary findings that will inform professional development (PD) focused on enabling instructors to foster inquiry- and equity-oriented practices. In addition we will discuss how the four frames as adapted by Reinholz and Apkarian (2018) will be used to characterize a department-based change effort at a two year college. A key outcome of this study will be improved understandings of how department-based gateway math course reform can be accomplished at a two-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and how to best support students from historically underrepresented groups. Our team is composed of a partnership between a two-year HSI and a four-year HSI in the same region that serve the same student population. We focus on holistic, cultural shifts that need to happen within a two-year institution's mathematics department to more effectively support Latinx students in gateway mathematics courses (Garcia, 2017). To broaden participation within STEM fields, the MPIE project will make three critical contributions in undergraduate education:

1. provide insight into the classroom conditions of gateway mathematics courses
2. investigate systemic change efforts at multiple levels (e.g. institutional, departmental, courses, instructors, students)
3. track student success as it relates to issues of equity across several dimensions of the student experience.