Supporting Student Science Identity and Success through Field Experiences and Course Exploration

San Diego Community College District, San Diego CA

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 1 Pilot project aims to increase the number of students choosing STEM degree and career paths. This project from San Diego Mesa College will develop and explore collaborative learning opportunities that expose students to authentic research experiences that are designed to strengthen students’ STEM identity. Specifically, the project will revise existing curricula and compare three models for providing classroom- and field-based research experiences across three courses in biology, physical geology, and the physical sciences. The research projects and activities will be developed with community partners, which will allow students to tap into their interest in their community and the world around them. Also, building from existing academic and science skills courses, the project will develop, test, and refine an online science identity module that will allow students to acquire new perspectives and important skills. The project research experiences will be developed to align with topics covered in the three targeted courses. In the first model, all students in the general physical science course will complete research projects embedded directly into the four main course units. Depending on the location and available facilities, student research projects will be conducted either in the field or in the classroom using original data. The second model will provide an optional, multi-day field experience focused on biodiversity for students in the second biology course offered for majors. Finally, the project will develop and offer a 10-day, for-credit summer research course emphasizing geoscience and astronomy. The project evaluation plan will use surveys, focus groups, and student outcome data to explore the impacts of the online module and the various research experiences on student participants. Outcomes will be disseminated to local and national communities of interest, including 2- and 4-year HSIs looking to provide similar experiences for their students. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity at HSIs. Achieving these aims, given the diverse nature and context of the HSIs, requires innovative approaches that incentivize institutional and community transformation and promote fundamental research (i) on engaged student learning, (ii) about what it takes to diversify and increase participation in STEM effectively, and (iii) that improves our understanding of how to build institutional capacity at HSIs are supported by this program. 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.