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

关于在STEM保留任职人数不足的群体的问题进行了重要讨论，主要重点是如何确保这些个人成功地过渡通过STEM管道的每一个交汇点。此外，还有大量作品描述了在STEM学习环境中挣扎的有色人种学生的缺陷，较少关注他们对成功的叙述。这个项目试图创造性地解决教育研究文献中的这一差距，提供描述在混合学习环境中影响少数族裔学生成功的因素的经验数据。据设想，这项工作将使人们更好地理解少数族裔女学生是她们自身成功的代理人，并使斯佩尔曼的学习环境成为培育和鼓励这种机构的环境。在为少数群体服务的机构中很少进行这种性质的研究。基于之前的NSF资助，PI成功地将基于社区的元素与斯佩尔曼普通和有机化学课程中的混合学习环境结合在一起。在这项拟议的工作中，他们计划记录在这种学习环境中发生的关于参与度(元认知、认知、行为和关系)和构成学生代理感的情感特征(动机、效率、努力和心态)的情况。私人投资机构为他们的调查构建了一个坚实的、构思周密的理论框架。他们采取了三种不同的视角：中介、元认知和“探究共同体”(COI)，并用它们来考察学生自我调节学习的性质。使用混合方法在环境中获取有关“成功的叙述”的信息，该项目需要从斯佩尔曼学院成熟和可控的环境中提取数据。该项目有可能补充全国各地的努力，以创造课程和学习环境，将学生，特别是少数族裔妇女，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.