CheM Scholars: A team based approach to educating mathematics and chemistry majors

La Roche College, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

Through the CheM Scholars project the team at La Roche College seeks to increase the number of economically disadvantaged students who complete chemistry and mathematics degrees by supporting for 14 chemistry and mathematics B.S. majors. A unique feature of the project is the S-STEM scholar participation in the Chemsolve 2.0 program which exposes high school students to spectroscopy. Through Chemsolve, interdisciplinary teams of scholars design and develop hands-on activities and analyze products for their younger peers. The Chemsolve experience provides the S-STEM student with an opportunity to graduate from novice lab assistance to quality control directors over the course of four years. Moreover, participants are provided with opportunities to be mentored by a team of faculty, alumni, and corporate guides and to participate in professional societies and internships. In order to broaden participation the project recruits students from groups that are under-represented in STEM (women and African American). The technical merit of this project lies in the establishment of an innovative, interdisciplinary team-based methodology for delivering academic, social, and financial supports. The objectives of the CheM scholars project are to: (a) double the enrollment in undergraduate chemistry and mathematics B.S. programs by 2016, (b) retain and graduate 100% of CheM scholars by 2020, and (c) increase entry to STEM workforce or graduate study. Data generated through assessment and evaluation is expected to support the rationale that a multi-disciplinary, team-based approach to the student's academic and social development will lead to the high retention and graduation rates. Formative and summative evaluation will focus on assessment of the effect of the team-based initiatives on student learning, retention and job/graduate program placement. Every aspect of the project including recruitment and enrollment benchmarks, course performance, and student-developed outreach materials is evaluated. The students are tracked after graduation and interviewed about the project's impact. Dissemination of the project results provides a model for using teamwork as a means of retaining STEM students. The project team plans to present their work locally, to other STEM departments at LaRoche College and nationally through websites and meetings of the American Chemical Society and the American Mathematical Society. Project deliverables include results of summative evaluation and the student-developed Chemsolve 2.0 learning materials.