Collaborative Research: HSI Implementation and Evaluation Project: Promoting Student Success by Designing and Evaluating Evidence-Based Interventions for Biology Office Hours

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 2 project aims to enhance student engagement in office hours within STEM courses, particularly focusing on biology courses at multiple HSIs and emerging HSIs within Southern California. Office hours are a common resource for student learning and represent a space where students can engage with other students and instructors. However, office hours remain underutilized by STEM students. The “hidden curriculum”, a set of unspoken norms, practices and values that influence academic success, compounds disparities in office hours attendance and engagement, exacerbating retention and graduation gaps of all students. Thus, this project will examine office hours practices and develop evidence-based interventions that can reduce disparities in office hours engagement. Such efforts will positively impact retention and persistence within STEM by creating structural changes to better support student engagement and success. The project unites a network of seven Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and emerging HSIs, including both 2-year and 4-year colleges within Southern California. The specific aims of the project are: 1) characterize student and faculty perceptions of office hours; 2) investigate the impact of different office hours practices on student behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement; 3) identify factors that promote office hours engagement; and 4) design and assess evidence-based interventions aimed at increasing student engagement in office hours. We will conduct surveys and focus groups for students (including students who have and have not attended office hours) and instructors to gather insight into student perceptions, motivations, and barriers as well as instructor perceptions and practices. We will form a collaborative learning community across our network that will use data gathered to design evidence-based interventions to foster office hours engagement. Through application of our findings, we will create and disseminate evidence-based practices for faculty that support student engagement in office hours. Because of the ubiquitous nature of office hours, our interventions will be applicable to instructors across institutions and STEM fields, and we will lead workshops and develop evidence-based teaching guides to share our work. Thus, our project will promote student success and belonging in STEM for all students across higher education through structural changes that support student engagement. 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.