Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees Systemic Change to Support Students' Diverse Pathways (2016) / Chapter Skim
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7 Conclusions and Recommendations
7 Conclusions and Recommendations
Pages 159-182
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From page 159... ...
The pathways that students are taking to earn STEM degrees are diverse and complex, with multiple entry and exit points and an increased tendency to earn credits from multiple institutions. The barriers students face differentially affect students from underrepresented minority groups and women, as shown by the lower rates of degree completion by black, Hispanic, and female students.
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From page 160... ...
Although there are many smalland larger-scale efforts to remove the barriers that students face, we find that the underlying causes of these barriers need to be addressed much more deeply and systematically for widespread and sustainable reform to take hold. An important reason that institutions of higher education struggle to consistently deliver high-quality education experiences for STEM aspirants is that the institutions themselves and undergraduate education more generally were designed to serve much different student populations and to help them progress along much different education pathways than are typically being used today.
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From page 161... ...
workforce and STEM-skilled workers in all fields if there is a commit ment to appropriately support students through degree completion and provide more opportunities to engage in high-quality STEM learning and experiences. Interest in STEM degrees among all undergraduate degree seekers at 2-year and 4-year institutions is at an all-time high, including students from traditionally underrepresented groups.
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From page 162... ...
students can be informed by and integrated into work on more systemic reforms in undergraduate STEM education to more equitably serve their student populations. RECOMMENDATION 9 Disciplinary departments, institutions, university associa tions, disciplinary societies, federal agencies, and accrediting bodies should work together to support systemic and long-lasting changes to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
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From page 163... ...
RECOMMENDATION 9 Disciplinary departments, institutions, university associa tions, disciplinary societies, federal agencies, and accrediting bodies should work together to support systemic and long-lasting changes to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. continued
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From page 164... ...
RECOMMENDATION 3 Federal agencies, foundations, and other entities that support research in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math ematics education should support studies with multiple methodologies and ap proaches to better understand the effectiveness of various co-curricular programs. RECOMMENDATION 4 Institutions, states, and federal policy makers should better align educational policies with the range of education goals of students enrolled in 2-year and 4-year institutions.
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From page 165... ...
University Associations and Organizations RECOMMENDATION 9 Disciplinary departments, institutions, university associa tions, disciplinary societies, federal agencies, and accrediting bodies should work together to support systemic and long-lasting changes to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. composition of students who are seeking STEM degrees is shifting, it remains true that on average, STEM aspirants arrive on campus better prepared and having achieved more academically than the student body as a whole.
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From page 166... ...
While some of the b switching may be the result of considered choices based on opportunities to explore attractive alternatives, lack of a supportive environment in STEM likely contributes to those decisions. Based on STEM persistence and completion rates, and research on why students leave, it seems clear that 2-year and 4-year institutions are not consistently providing all STEM degree seekers with a high-quality education experience and the supports that they need to succeed, especially in introductory and gateway courses.
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From page 167... ...
CONCLUSION 3 National, state, and institutional undergraduate data systems often are not structured to gather information needed to under stand how well the undergraduate education system and institutions of higher education are serving students. Most large-scale data systems that include information on undergraduate students were built to track students in a pipeline model.
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From page 168... ...
Existing data on undergraduate students and institutions are limited in a number of ways. We were not able to ascertain the success of STEM students who transferred from community colleges without earning a credential, nor could we address questions related to what happens to students who "time out" of financial aid.
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From page 169... ...
Programming and policies that address the climate of STEM departments and classrooms, the availability of instructional supports and authentic STEM experiences, and the implementation of effective teaching practices together can help students overcome key barriers to earning a STEM degree, including time to degree and the price of a STEM degree. Substantial research in the last decade indicates that persistence in STEM is related to a host of factors that go beyond academic preparation of the individual student.
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From page 170... ...
Many students interested in STEM degrees, especially those from underrepresented groups and women, decide to pursue other fields due to the instructional practices, the "weed out" culture of some introductory STEM courses, and the lack of opportunities to engage in authentic STEM experiences. To train effective mentors and create a culture of inclusiveness, faculty need to be provided opportunities to become more aware of implicit bias and stereotyping as well as how to avoid them.
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From page 171... ...
Science and engineering programs at 2-year institutions enrolled relatively high proportions of Hispanic, Asian, and female students but a lower proportion of black students, who were more likely to be enrolled in technical-level programs. Although community college STEM students have relatively low completion rates, their high persistence rates are notable.
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From page 172... ...
In addition, studies of long-time co-curricular programs and the nature of the sites that house them are needed to better understand how to sustain successful programs. RECOMMENDATION 4 Institutions, states, and federal policy mak ers should better align educational policies with the range of education goals of students enrolled in 2-year and 4-year institutions.
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From page 173... ...
Systems of accountability for undergraduate education need to better align to the pathways that students actually are taking to earn STEM degrees. To do so, more thought needs to go into how each institution can track students' progression toward a degree or other outcome- -- including gaining skills to upgrade current employment and earning a certificate while working toward an associate's degree -- recognizing the long time to degree completion among many STEM students.
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From page 174... ...
• Federal agencies, foundations, and other entities should invest in implementation research to better understand how to increase adoption of evidence-based instructional strategies. Although a considerable body of research is emerging about the nature and effect of effective instructional practices, this awareness has not necessarily been translated into widespread implementation of such practices in STEM classrooms.
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From page 175... ...
• Colleges and universities should work with other institutions in their regions to develop articulation agreements and student ser vices that contribute to structured and supportive pathways for students seeking to transfer credits. The pathways that students are taking to earn undergraduate STEM degrees have become increasingly complex, with greater numbers of students earning credits at more than one institution.
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From page 176... ...
undergraduate STEM education will require a series of interconnected and evidence-based ap proaches to create systemic organizational change for student success. From years of attempts to improve higher education for all, many lessons have been learned.
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From page 177... ...
To improve degree attainment rates, the quality of programs, and better serve their diverse student populations, institutions can consider a wide range of policies and programs: initiating or increasing opportunities for undergraduate student participation in research and other authentic STEM experiences; connecting students to experiences related to careers in their field of interest; expanding the use of educational technologies that have been effective in addressing the remediation needs of students; building student learning communities; and providing access to college and career guidance to help students understand the various and most efficient path
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From page 178... ...
• Disciplinary societies should support the development of continu ing and intensive national and regional faculty development pro grams, awards, and recognition to encourage use of evidence-based instructional practices. • Federal agencies that support undergraduate STEM education should consider giving greater priority to supporting large-scale transformation strategies that are conceptualized to include and extend beyond instructional reform, and they should support both implementation research and research on barriers to reform that can support success for all students.
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From page 179... ...
The nature of the challenges of removing the barriers to 2-year and 4-year STEM degree completion can only be addressed by a system of solutions that includes the commitment to transformation. Looking from the ground up, those who teach need to be enabled to adopt and engage in effective classroom practices; co-curricular supports need to be made available for students who begin college with interest in STEM but who may lack some of the skills necessary to be immediately successful in their pursuit of study in STEM.
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From page 180... ...
. Ingredients for Improving the Culture of STEM Degree Attainment with Co-curricular Supports for Underrepresented Minority Students.
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From page 181... ...
. Crossing the Boundaries: STEM Students in Four-Year and Community Colleges.
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