Makerspace-Guided Equitable Student Success in Developmental Mathematics

Portland Community College, Portland OR

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by studying how college makerspaces might increase student retention and success in developmental mathematics courses. The project will partner with a community group, the Wind & Oar Boat School, to develop activities that are culturally relevant, self-directed, and put students at the center of cooperative group-based learning. The College and community partners will work together to design, implement, and test a 36-hour inquiry-based co-curricular course in a college makerspace. The course will align basic mathematics principles that are taught in a developmental mathematics course with specific activities related to building a wooden boat. Nationwide, 60% of community college students require developmental mathematics, suggesting that many are not prepared for the college-level mathematics required for STEM degree programs. Furthermore, only one-third of students in developmental mathematics courses move on to college-level courses within six years and many end up dropping out of college completely. Project activities are expected to engage all students, including students from groups that are underrepresented in STEM. It is also expected that the activities will increase student success in math and retention in college. This project is designed to generate new knowledge about how makerspaces can increase equitable access to STEM education. It will also explore whether engaging students in these spaces improves their STEM identity and self-efficacy. The project design is intended to build competencies such as critical thinking, the view that failure is a natural step toward success, and the understanding that academic ability can be improved. It is expected that this approach can be adopted by other two-year colleges and other makerspaces that intend to expand access to all students. The project will develop new interventions and approaches that transform learning for diverse student groups, particularly those in developmental mathematics courses. Eight 36-hour makerspace co-curricular activities will be developed and implemented in conjunction with Introductory Algebra II. Four of the eight activities will span two years. The project team will adapt the Dimensions of Success Observation Tool to measure overall student success and examine whether the project activities ameliorate specific barriers for underrepresented students working in makerspace environments. Three research questions will be examined: 1) To what extent do activities that align fundamental mathematics principles with makerspace competencies increase student learning in mathematics? 2) To what extent do project activities increase student learning? 3) Does the use of makerspaces attract other mathematics educators to reform their teaching practice? A mixed-methods research design will assess the effectiveness of the project in achieving its goals and identify unexpected outcomes. Student-level data to be collected includes demographics, course success metrics, instances of future STEM course enrollments, and surveys regarding students' experiences with the intervention, perceptions of STEM identity, and self-reported identities regarding URM definitions. Surveys will be distributed to both the intervention participants and a control group. External evaluators will observe students during the activities to understand their engagement with activities and will do exit interviews to capture students' reflection on the overall experience. This project is supported by the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.