ERIC Number: EJ1407886
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1526-2367
EISSN: EISSN-1557-5284
Cohort Intervention Impacts on Undergraduate Science Students' Success
Sarah Sojka; Peter Sheldon
Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, v24 n2 p14-22 2023
Step Up to Physical Science and Engineering at Randolph(SUPER) is a recruitment and retention program for natural science and mathematics majors at Randolph College, a small liberal arts college in central Virginia. Begun as a pilot program in 2010, and then funded by two National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) grants, the program has multiple cohort experiences throughout a student's four years of college. This paper analyzes the college-wide recruitment and retention impacts of the SUPER program by examining applicant interests and declared majors as well as college-wide retention. This paper also analyzes the recruitment and retention impacts of the associated scholarships and inclusion in the SUPER program by comparing scholarship vs. non-scholarship students, and students in the SUPER program vs. students not included in the SUPER program. We are interested in the recruitment and retention of all students in STEM and, because of long-standing patterns of exclusion, the impact on women, African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), and Native American students. The program has led to an increase in students majoring in physical science from 6.2% of all declared majors at the college in 2012 to 14.2% of all declared majors in 2019, and improved retention to graduation in STEM (31% for students entering in 2013 to 40% for students entering 2015) while overall retention at the college declined. While the scholarships associated with the NSF grants were effective at increasing applications to the program, retention rates for scholarship students and non-scholarship students were not significantly different. Students within the SUPER program showed higher retention to graduation in STEM when compared to other STEM-interested students across all demographics (54% vs. 29%) and among female students (62% vs. 33%). Retention to graduation in STEM among students identifying in traditionally under-represented racial and ethnic groups is also higher for SUPER students than other STEM students (42% vs. 24%), though this difference was not statistically significant. This analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of the SUPER program in improving the recruitment and retention of STEM students at Randolph College and can provide a template for similar programs at other institutions.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Grouping (Instructional Purposes), STEM Education, Student Recruitment, School Holding Power, Inclusion, Scholarships, College Science, Majors (Students), Program Effectiveness
Institute for STEM Education and Research. P.O. Box 4001, Auburn, AL 36831. Tel: 334-844-3360; Web site: https://www.jstem.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Virginia
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1153997; 1564970