Session III

Daniel Lobo, "The effects of peer-to-peer learning on perceived self-efficacy in undergraduate data science."

Student-led collaboration, rather than instructor-led instruction, has become a central approach for promoting STEM persistence and achievement, especially for underrepresented students. But does this hold in the nascent STEM field of data science? Drawing on survey data and qualitative data from focus groups with undergraduates, we outline how peer-to-peer interactions in a large introductory data science course may reduce minoritized students' perceived self-efficacy, an important individual-level predictor of student achievement. Conversely we trace the mechanisms through which identity-based affinity group settings improve the perceived self-efficacy of minoritized students.

Michael Ruiz, "Toward a conceptual framework for developing and analyzing inclusive STEM programs in higher education."

The culture of higher education has contributed to gender, racial, and social class achievement gaps in STEM. Findings from social psychology highlight how individuals with such identities are likely to contend with psychological threats pertaining to these identities which then lead these folks to feel less connected to higher education, negatively impact their learning experience, and contribute to leaving STEM related fields. Moreover, recent research has shown how faculty, student instructors, and peer groups can mitigate these threats, resulting in more positive outcomes for these students.

Erin Manalo-Pedro, "Microaggressions and microaffirmations among women of color in undergraduate data science."

To counter the invisibility of undergraduate women of color in data science, we document experiences of struggle and resistance in the men-dominated field of data science at a predominantly white institution. Guided by critical race theory of education, we conduct a mixed methods study to uncover everyday experiences of campus culture for undergraduate women of color through focus group transcripts and survey data from an introductory data science course. Through the lenses of microaggressions, microaffirmations, and transformational resistance, we offer examples of how women of color undergraduates respond to and shape their learning environment.

Renee Starowicz, "A theory of near-peer instruction in undergraduate data science."

The opportunity for undergraduate students to serve as instructional staff within a hierarchical training model offers new perspectives and critical reflections on both access and training within higher education. This paper theorizes the ways in which course students and undergraduate instructors understand their role and responsibilities in supporting underrepresented students in a large introductory data science course through a Critical Disability Studies lens. We offer a thematic analysis elucidated via vignettes to inform higher education instructional models, uplift concrete practices that support interdependent sense making and provide for the development of improving peer instruction system-level supports.

When a large, decentralized university with no history of a dedicated service unit to support teaching and learning professional development declares such a unit will now exist, there is specific and critical work to be done. This interactive Symposium will share three scaffolded components of educator support at Michigan State University—building a digital educator learning community; launching a peer-recognition initiative; and establishing the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI). Participants will engage in some of the activities we employed to drive this change.

Our first mini-case is the #iteachmsu Commons, an educator-driven space for sharing ideas and resources, connecting across disciplines and roles, and growing in practice. We deliberately define "educators" broadly: anyone who supports the university's teaching and learning, student success, and/or outreach missions. The Commons is a digital site, iteach.msu.edu, meant to be a centralized, community-driven resource.

Our second example is the Thank an Educator initiative (TaE). Residing on the #iteachmsu Commons, TaE is a peer recognition program to elevate educators' impactful contributions. While we serve a "wide educator community," our definition is intentionally more inclusive than those historically common in higher education. TaE is designed to: demonstrate the diversity of educator roles; celebrate our colleagues' work; and help individuals embrace their educator role(s).

While the above examples predate the CTLI, our work to support educators both continued and was transformed as we became a teaching center. In 2022 we held a "Kick-Off Summit" to get feedback from campus stakeholders. We brought together over 35 colleagues representing decentralized educator development in our university ecosystem, and looked to build on those efforts through listening, collaboration, and relationship building. We describe how the insights we gained inspired further stages of building the center, including a faculty survey, focus groups, and benchmarking the Big10.

Engaging students in authentic work, like novel research and design, is a high-impact classroom practice that has been gaining popularity. While early projects sought to show that CUREs (Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences) and PBL (Project-Based Learning) were feasible and had positive student impacts, funded projects now include efforts to further refine and encourage greater use of these practices. This symposium will examine four NSF-funded projects, connected not only by the authentic-practice theme, but also by a university system and shared team members. The four projects (from two masters granting, HSI- and AANAPISI-designated institutions) all utilize a community of practice approach to help faculty design and implement what we call "course-based Authentic Learning Experiences" (cALEs). These cALEs engage students in novel work that requires them to use skills and thought processes that professionals in a particular discipline would use. Each project has a unique element: SIRIUS (Sustainable Interdisciplinary Research to Inspire Undergraduate Success) and SIRIUS II include a local waterway theme in cALEs faculty develop; CEMUR (Cultivating a Culture of Entrepreneurial Mindset and Undergraduate Research) adds an entrepreneurial mindset component, and the recently-funded Project-ACE (Active-learning based engineering Curriculum-transformation for Excellence in Equity) will implement scaffolded cALEs in a critical-path course sequence for electrical and computer engineers. As we describe individual projects, we will highlight ways that leveraging prior experiences and exchanging ideas has resulted in unexpected benefits. For example, re-purposing core modules in faculty development events freed time for developing new modules that dive deeper into ways to enhance equity and inclusion in cALEs. In addition, our collaborations are leading to broader culture change and the potential for enhanced sustainability. We will invite participants to reflect on ways they can leverage expertise and "cross-pollinate" ideas in their contexts, creating combined outcomes that are greater than the sum of their parts.