Engaging in research experiences as a high school or undergraduate student interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is pivotal for their academic and professional development. A structured teaching framework can help cultivate a student's curiosity and passion for learning and research. In this study, an eight-week…

The Biomedical Freshman Research Initiative (BFRI) is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), a hispanic-serving institution. Our analysis showed that BFRI participation was associated with retention in the BS in Biomedical Science program and at UTRGV. No significant difference…

The implementation of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) has made it possible to expose large undergraduate populations to research experiences. For these research experiences to be authentic, they should reflect the increasingly collaborative nature of research. While some CUREs have expanded, involving multiple schools…

The retention and graduation of college students in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is critical to the continued development of the United States. Many students in the U.S. who begin college in a STEM field do not end up graduating with such a degree. There are many strategies to improve the retention and graduation…

Students may have experiences that relate to long-term retention and success during the summer after completing their first year in college. Research shows that college students' engagement and success varies based on their cultural and social capital. However, there is a dearth of research on how their cultural and social capital is associated…

This study examines the impact of undergraduate research experience (URE) on academic performance for graduate students of color pursuing STEM majors. The study also compares the differences in URE by race (minority group vs. non-minority group) and gender (male vs. female). The hypothesis is that the longer students participate in URE, the better…

Attract, Inspire, Mentor and Support Students (AIMS[superscript 2]), a grant-funded program from the U.S. Department of Education for the HSI-STEM and Articulation Programs, focuses on improving outcomes for Hispanic and low-income students in STEM. Using a quasi-experimental design (QED) approach, this study examined outcomes between students who…

Perhaps a decade ago, accreditation agencies might have been satisfied with a list of student learning outcomes and some evidence that students achieved them. More and more, accreditors request evidence of "improvement". It is not enough to merely demonstrate that what one is doing works reasonably well; one must also show that he or she…

Examines research that studies the effects of students' out-of-class experiences on academic, intellectual, or cognitive learning outcomes. Identifies the following aspects of student out-of-class experiences which student affairs professionals have control over through policy and program interventions: (1) residence; (2) fraternities and…