Collaborative: Student Engagement in a Community-based, Blended Learning Environment: Perspectives from a Minority Serving Institution

关于保留STEM中代表性不足的群体的问题已经进行了大量讨论，主要关注的是如何确保这些人成功过渡到STEM管道的每个节点。此外，有大量的工作描述了在STEM学习环境中挣扎的有色人种学生的缺陷，而对他们成功的叙述关注较少。本项目旨在通过提供经验数据，描述影响少数民族学生在混合学习环境中取得成功的因素，创造性地解决教育研究文献中的这一差距。预计这项工作将使人们更好地理解少数民族女学生是她们自己成功的代理人，而斯佩尔曼的学习环境是培育和鼓励这种代理人的环境。在少数民族服务机构中很少进行这种性质的研究。基于先前的NSF资助，pi成功地将Spelman的普通化学和有机化学课程中的社区元素与混合学习环境相结合。在拟议的工作中，他们计划记录在这种学习环境中发生的事情，包括参与（元认知、认知、行为和关系）和情感特征，这些特征构成了学生的代理感（动机、效力、努力和心态）。pi已经为他们的调查构建了一个坚实的、构思良好的理论框架。他们采取了三个不同的视角：代理、元认知和“探究共同体”（CoI），并利用它们来研究学生表现出的自我调节学习的本质。该项目采用混合方法获取环境中“成功叙事”的信息，需要从斯佩尔曼学院一个完善和受控的环境中提取数据。该项目有可能补充全国各地创建课程和学习环境的努力，将学生，特别是少数民族妇女转变为有效的学习者。

There has been significant discussion regarding the retention of underrepresented groups in STEM, with the primary focus being on what works to ensure that these individuals successfully transition through each juncture of the STEM pipeline. Additionally, there is a significant body of work characterizing the deficits of students of color who struggle in STEM learning environments, with less focus on their narratives of success. This project seeks to creatively address this gap in the educational research literature by providing empirical data that describes factors that influence minority student success in blended learning environments. It is envisioned that the work will lead to a better understanding of minority female students as agents of their own success and Spelman's learning environment as one which nurtures and encourages such agency. Few studies of this nature have been conducted at minority serving institutions. Based on prior NSF funding, the PIs successfully merged a community-based element with a blended learning environment in Spelman's general and organic chemistry courses. In the proposed work, they plan to document what is occurring in this learning environment with respect to engagement (metacognitive, cognitive, behavioral, and relational) and affective traits that comprise a student's sense of agency (motivation, efficacy, effort, and mindset). The PIs have constructed a solid well-conceived theoretical framework for their investigations. They are taking three different perspectives: agency, metacognition, and "Community of Inquiry" (CoI) and using them to examine the nature of the self-regulated learning exhibited by the students. Using a mixed methods approach to get information on "narratives of success" within the environment, the project entails the extraction of data from a well-established and controlled setting at Spelman College. The project has the potential to complement efforts around the country to create curricula and learning environments that transform students, particularly minority women, into effective learners.