Implementation Project: Advancing Success in STEM Undergraduate Research and Education (ASSURE)

Alabama A&M University, Normal AL

Investigators

Abstract

Implementation Projects provide support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities to design, implement, study, and assess comprehensive institutional efforts to increase the number of students receiving undergraduate degrees in STEM and enhance the quality of their preparation by strengthening STEM education and research. The award to Alabama A&M University seeks to build on previous successful efforts to increase participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM disciplines. The overarching goal of the project is to employ evidence-based strategies and activities for retaining, training, teaching, and graduating undergraduate STEM students. The project will impact more than two thousand undergraduate STEM majors at the University. Currently, 91% of students at Alabama A&M University are African American. The project has three specific goals that tie into the overarching goal: 1) to augment a robust undergraduate program by retaining, mentoring and graduating underrepresented minorities in STEM disciplines; 2) to enhance the quality of students' learning experience and depth of knowledge by expanding undergraduate research opportunities; and 3) to enhance STEM faculty members' expertise in effective evidence-based pedagogical methodologies. Carefully designed activities and strategies are employed to achieve the following outcomes: a 10% reduction of attrition in lower level undergraduate gate-keeping courses; a 20% increase in the number of students matriculating in STEM fields; a 25% increase in students' participation in interactive discovery-based undergraduate research; and a 20% increase in the passing rate of the Fundamentals of Engineering exam.