HSI Implementation and Evaluation Project: The Intersection of Art and Science: Nurturing Diversity, Research, and Creative Expression to Increase STEM Identity and Retention

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 2 project aims to foster STEM identity and increase retention, particularly of students who are underrepresented in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University (NAU). Like many institutions, NAU’s graduation and retention rates of students who are underrepresented in the Biological Sciences are lower than those of students from the dominant population. STEM identity, which encompasses a student’s sense of belonging to STEM fields and their confidence in their own abilities, has been shown to be an important aspect of retention and success in undergraduate STEM majors, and students who are from marginalized populations tend to have less robust STEM identities than students from the dominant population. There is evidence that teaching for diversity and inclusion, research experience, and artistic outlets can all contribute to the development of stronger STEM identities. This project will combine these three approaches to test whether participation in any or all of these pieces contribute to a stronger STEM identity, retention, and graduation of undergraduate students in Biological Sciences. The specific aim of the project is to develop a more robust picture of how students from marginalized populations develop their STEM identities, which will allow NAU and other institutions to better foster those identities, potentially leading to increased retention and graduation rates in STEM fields. The project will foster STEM identity in students through three approaches: (1) a second-year seminar (SYS) course focused on scientific discoveries and achievements by women and people of color, critical discourse about systemic discrimination in STEM, and actions students can take to empower their own learning; (2) a summer research experience (SRE) focused on the early stages of research, including place-based observations, developing research questions and hypotheses, and data collection and interpretation; and (3) a creative arts course in which the students reflect upon their research experiences through a creative medium. Throughout the program, we will use surveys and interviews to measure students’ STEM identities, and after they complete the program, we will track their progress through their degree completion. We hypothesize that all students will see gains in their STEM identities, and that the students who participate in all three phases of the program will have stronger STEM identities and will be more likely to graduate with a STEM degree, than those who participate in only one or two phases. These results will help HSIs understand how they can better support the formation of students’ STEM identities as they progress through their STEM majors. 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.