RAPID: Addressing Equity when STEM Teaching and Learning Go Remote

在资源有限的学生和资源较多的学生之间存在着系统性和持续性的数字鸿沟。这个项目将调查由于新冠肺炎的原因，学生们面临的STEM课程意外迁移到在线环境中所面临的挑战。之前关于在线学习的研究表明，经济能力有限、学术经验较少的学生在在线教育环境中学习时处于劣势。为了更好地了解学生在数字环境中的教与学的体验和后果，该项目将解决四个问题：学生在Gateway STEM课程中的体验如何比较转向在线学习前后的情况？与其他学生相比，在低收入、代表不足的少数民族和农村学生中，在线学习STEM面临的哪些挑战更普遍？学生认为哪些在线教学实践有助于他们的参与和学习？不同类型的数字学习体验或其他变量在多大程度上缓解了由新冠肺炎引发的向远程STEM学习过渡的挑战？混合方法研究将：(A)对全国具有代表性的1,000名来自两年制和四年制大学的本科生进行调查，这些学生正在学习2020年春季过渡到远程教学的STEM课程；以及(2)进行案例研究，以考察在服务于服务水平较低的学生群体的机构提供门户STEM课程之前和之后的学生和教职员工的经历。研究小组将为学生调查的每个项目和关键分组准备答复分布和描述性统计数据。此外，还将进行探索性相关分析，以了解变量之间的关系。为了评估分组或前后在项目和项目量表上的差异，将使用单因素方差分析、t检验和卡方检验。多元回归分析将探索数据之间潜在的因果关系。学生和教师访谈和学生焦点小组的主题分析将使用从文献和感兴趣的主题中得出的先验代码，以及使用归纳法从数据中产生的主题代码。将建立一个主题层次结构，以便利对关键分组的主题和趋势进行分类的分析。这项研究的结果将为高等教育界和政策制定者提供信息，以便为应对当前危机的计划提供信息，以及如何将在后新冠肺炎时代STEM教育中吸取的经验教训纳入其中。这一快速奖项是由本科教育部门(教育和人力资源局)的改善本科STEM教育项目，使用冠状病毒援助、救济和经济安全(CARE)法案的资金颁发的。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A systemic and persistent digital divide exists between students with limited resources and students with more resources. This project will investigate the challenges students face with the unexpected migration of their STEM courses to online environments due to COVID-19. Prior research on online learning suggests that students with limited financial means and fewer academic experiences are at a disadvantage when learning in online educational environments. To better understand student experiences and consequences of teaching and learning in digital environments, the project will address four questions: How do students’ experiences in gateway STEM courses compare pre- and post the shift to online learning? Which challenges to learning STEM online are more prevalent among low-income, underrepresented minority, and rural students compared to other students? What online instructional practices do students perceive as contributing to their engagement and learning? To what extent do different types of digital learning experiences or other variables mitigate the challenges associated with the COVID-19-induced transition to remote STEM learning? The mixed method research study will: (a) survey a nationally representative sample of 1,000 undergraduate students from two- and four-year colleges who are taking STEM courses that transitioned to remote delivery in spring 2020; and (2) conduct case studies to examine pre- and post-COVID-19 student and faculty experiences in gateway STEM courses at institutions serving underserved student populations. The research team will prepare response distributions and descriptive statistics for each item for the Student Survey and for key subgroups. Additionally, exploratory correlational analyses will be conducted to understand relationships between variables. To assess subgroups or before-and-after differences on items and item scales, ANOVAs, t-tests, and Chi-square tests will be used. Multivariate regression analyses will explore potential causal relationships among the data. Thematic analyses of student and faculty interviews and student focus groups will be conducted using a priori codes derived from the literature and topics of interest, as well as thematic codes that emerge from the data using an inductive approach. A hierarchy of themes will be created to facilitate analyses that disaggregate themes and trends for key subgroups. Results from this research will provide information to the higher education community and policy makers that can inform plans to address the current crisis, as well as how to incorporate lessons learned in STEM education post-COVID-19. This RAPID award is made by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program in the Division of Undergraduate Education (Education and Human Resources Directorate), using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.