Implementation Project: Improving Retention and the Quality of STEM Education and Research at Oakwood University

Oakwood College, Huntsville AL

Investigators

Abstract

Implementation Projects in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) provide support to design, implement, study, and assess comprehensive institutional efforts to increase the numbers of students and the quality of their preparation by strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and research. This implementation project at Oakwood College outlines parallel analysis of faculty and student professional development for the purpose of enhancing the teaching and learning experience, as well as bolstering the institution’s research capacity. The project is grounded in evidence-based practices and the extent to which these endeavors are integrated on the campus of Oakwood College has the potential to transform the STEM education and research capacity of the institution, as serve as a national model of institutional transformation. The project goals are to (1) increase the number of research-active STEM faculty, who engage in research, proposal writing, and faculty development, and (2) increase the number of well-prepared, competitively trained minority STEM graduates, who pursue graduate studies or enter the STEM workforce. STEM faculty will receive trainings and mentorship to engage in research. Undergraduate students will attend university-wide programs to conduct research along with STEM faculty leads. Employing quasi experimental pre- and post-test, qualitative, and mixed methods research designs, the project team will investigate the effect of the project activities on faculty and students’ research self-efficacies, productivity, and awareness, and document faculty perceptions of the trainings and the lived experiences of the students in the research programs. It is anticipated that participating faculty will be more likely conduct research and sustain their productivity. Further, participating students may be more likely to pursue graduate studies or research-oriented STEM positions after graduation. 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.