Collaborative Research: L.E.A.R.N.ing to Build STEM Research Communities - A Proposal to Strengthen, Expand, and Disseminate a Successful Retention Model

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A previous NSF-supported project has resulted in high retention and improved GPA for STEM majors at the University of Central Florida. In an effort to expand on this work the institution has partnered with investigators at the University of NC-Wilmington (a primarily undergraduate, public institution) and Florida Atlantic University (a research-1, public institution) to study the ways in which a community built on disciplinary research will affect the retention of first-year students in STEM. The participants will live together in a learning community, take courses together, and work as research apprentices in faculty laboratories. This model, which has been shown to be particularly effective with students from underrepresented groups and first generation majors, will be adapted to include strategies for retaining transfer students through to graduation as well.The core elements of the UCF model are the development of an academic research community that provides students with hands-on learning opportunities, access to faculty and trained graduate student and peer research mentors, and integration into student life through a wide variety of academic, social, and service activities. This project will address three research questions that are central to the national goal of increasing the number of high quality STEM graduates who go on to graduate school and into the workforce: (a) Can the UCF research community model be adapted successfully to accommodate a transfer student population? (b) What factors within a STEM research community influence transfer student success and impact transfer student retention? And (c) To what extent is the retention success of a current model replicable at other, public institutions? Formative and summative assessment will focus on the efficacy of the model on student retention and success in STEM for the different student populations (first-year and transfer) and at different institutions. The plan will use a mixed-method approach to assess the effectiveness of the proposed educational tools and educational content in fulfilling the desired learning outcomes, from both educators' and participants' perspectives. Student retention and GPA will be compared to matched cohorts. The findings from this project will be presented at state and national meetings such as the Florida Statewide Symposium on Engagement in Undergraduate Research and the Council on Undergraduate Research biennial conference. Results will also be submitted to the Journal of College Science Teaching.