Enhancing the First Year for the STEM Majors

该项目集中努力改善STEM学生的第一年经历，并在整个本科经历中保持对STEM领域的兴趣和兴奋。正在开发三门新课程，通过在生物、物理和化学入门课程中纳入更活跃的、以学生为基础的教学法和跨学科实验室，专门针对留住一年级STEM专业的学生。基于案例的学习策略正在生物学导论中实施，通过使用相关的现实世界问题来向学生介绍主题材料。新的工作室物理课程允许学生通过课堂讨论和讲座与动手实验室经验相结合来学习物理原理，并通过配备计算机连接的数据采集系统的特殊实验台来促进。化学和生物综合课程通过跨学科的实验室实验强调生物和化学之间的联系，为学生提供直面现实世界问题的机会。该项目还以数学技能复习课程的形式开展支助活动，以参加化学和物理入门课程的学生为对象，并正在启动STEM职业课程，为职业生涯早期的学生提供职业指导。STEM领域的一年级学生正在与教师导师互动，并通过该项目的暑期研究计划获得宝贵的现场和实验室经验。为了帮助培养社区意识，并在第一年之后保持学生对STEM领域的兴趣，该项目还开发了一个科学咖啡馆，由演讲者就STEM领域当前的重要主题进行非正式演讲并与学生进行讨论。该项目正在纳入关于在以案例为基础的学习课堂中使用同伴导师的有效性的研究，并通过迭代形成性评估计划监测和改进项目结果。目前正在评估总体项目成果，并将其分发给更大的STEM社区。项目活动正在增加所有STEM学生的留校率，尤其是增加了STEM专业的女性人数。该项目实施了已知成功的成功的教学方法和方案，正在扩大已经很强的方案，并将机构STEM毕业率提高了18%，从而在获奖期结束时额外培养了19名STEM毕业生。

This project incorporates focused efforts to improve the first-year experience of STEM students and maintain interest and excitement in STEM fields throughout the undergraduate experience. Three new courses are being developed that specifically target the retention of first-year STEM majors by incorporating more active, student-based pedagogies and interdisciplinary laboratories in introductory biology, physics and chemistry courses. Case-based learning strategies are being implemented in introductory biology to introduce students to subject material through the use of relevant real-world problems. The new Studio Physics course is allowing students to learn about physical principles through class discussions and lectures integrated with hands-on laboratory experiences, and is being facilitated by special lab tables fitted with computer-linked data acquisition systems. The integrated chemistry and biology course is emphasizing the connections between biology and chemistry through interdisciplinary laboratory experiments that are providing students with opportunities to confront real-world problems. The project is also developing support activities in the form of mathematics skills review sessions that are targeting students enrolled in introductory chemistry and physics courses, and is also initiating a STEM vocations course to provide career guidance to early-career students. First year students in STEM fields are interacting with faculty mentors and gaining valuable field and lab experiences through the project's summer research program. To help foster a sense of community and to maintain student interest in the STEM fields beyond their first year, the project is also developing a Science Café that is involving speakers who are making informal presentations and leading discussions with students on important current topics in STEM fields. The project is incorporating research on the effectiveness of using peer mentors in a Case-Based Learning classroom, and project outcomes are being monitored and improved by an iterative formative evaluation program. Overall project outcomes are being assessed and disseminated to the larger STEM community. Project activities are increasing the retention of all STEM students and especially, are increasing the number of female STEM majors. This project implements successful pedagogies and programs that are known to be successful, is expanding upon already-strong programs, and is increasing the institutional STEM graduation rate by 18%, thus producing an additional 19 STEM graduates by the end of the award period.