Interventions to Improve Academic Performance of Biology Majors at Bloomfield College

Bloomfield College

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track1: Pilot PPP aims to improve the academic performance of first-year biology students at Bloomfield College, promote their retention, and ultimately, their graduation rates, which will in turn contribute to the development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce. Approximately 30% of students enrolled as Biology majors at Bloomfield College self-identify as Hispanic. Only half of all first-year biology majors go on to complete a second year and only one-third graduate with a degree in biology. Furthermore, the 4- and 6-year graduation rates for Hispanic students are approximately half of that of other ethnicities. Therefore, this project will develop and implement interventions to support first-year students at two specific points in their college careers: during the transition from high school to college and during the first year of college. Specifically, incoming first-year students will participate in a week-long intensive Biology Summer Enrichment Program (Bio-SEP), a Peer Coaching and Tutoring Program, and participate in Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) during their first year at the college. The project will allow us to assess the impact of specific interventions on the academic performance and retention of first-year biology majors who have risk factors known to prevent graduation: being a first-generation college student, coming from a low-income family, and belonging to a minority group. The project has two specific objectives: 1) to ease the transition from high school to college and prepare incoming Biology first-year students for the rigors of college work and 2) to support students’ academic performance and integration into the college while encouraging them to develop self-efficacy and their identity as biologists. Bio-SEP will give incoming first-year students a jumpstart on the content of the first-semester biology curriculum, teach them essential college study and social skills, and introduce them to faculty, staff, current students, peer coaches, and biology alumni. A faculty member will coordinate and lead trained peer coaches to deliver academic and social support via the Peer Coaching and Tutoring Program. In addition, students will participate in interdisciplinary CUREs delivered as laboratory modules in first-year introductory biology and chemistry courses. CUREs are well documented to help students develop confidence in their ability to perform basic scientific procedures, and increase their sense of belonging to the wider scientific community. The program outcomes will be evaluated continuously by monitoring grades, retention rates, and GPAs of all biology students who are impacted by the proposed interventions. Students’ developing attitudes towards science will be evaluated using nationally benchmarked pre-and post-course surveys. Assessing the impact of these interventions will provide us with new knowledge about how to enhance undergraduate biology education and how to build capacity at our College. Ultimately, it will enable us to prepare our biology students to compete in, and contribute to a more diverse and capable STEM workforce. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims. 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.