The Future of Education

Edition 14

Accepted Abstracts

UC Merced, STEM Resource Center: Program Development, Assessment and Improvements

Petia Gueorguieva, University of California Merced (United States)

Amy Moffat, University of California Merced (United States)

Abstract

Established in Fall 2013, the UC Merced’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Resource Center mission is to provide academic and extra-curricular support for undergraduate students majoring in the STEM disciplines, support faculty, and lead outreach K-12 initiatives. This study presents the STEM Center’s program development and validates the impact it has on the UC Merced multicultural undergraduate student body and the Merced K-12 STEM community. As a higher education research institution, UC Merced is a Minority and Hispanic Serving Institution (MSI and HSI) with 73% first generation, 64% Pell Grant (financial aid for low-income) and 61% minority students.[1] Having in mind the cultural and ethnical diversity of UC Merced’s undergraduate body and the fact that participation of minorities and women in the STEM filed is underrepresented on global level [2, 3, 4], this study shares best practices implemented to support students majoring in the STEM field outside of the classroom. Metric data and survey findings are evaluated through the STEM Center’s assessment processes. Assessment practices are improved by the construction of a Logic Model and the implementation of an effective Assessment Plan. The combination of a logic model with the assessment cycle is unique to UC Merced and cutting edge in the assessment field. Results demonstrate that 80% of students who use peer-tutor services report that the STEM Center has helped them improve academically [5] and the percentage of students who were guided and successfully obtain undergraduate research positions raised from 25% to 85% in a four-year span.[6] Results are confirming the positive impacts of a supportive STEM-learning community and the importance of units’ team-work in bringing university resources to students. STEM Center’s impact reaches beyond UC Merced via including local K-12 schools in social and STEM-related activities and workshops. Through such outreach initiatives, 1150 high school students and 750 elementary/middle schools students were reached to date.[7] 

Keywords: STEM higher education, K-12 outreach, program development, assessment, logic model, student success;

References:
[1] Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRDS), UC Merced, https://irds.ucmerced.edu/student-data
[2] National Science Foundation; National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (2018); Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering
(https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2017/nsf17310/)
[3] Santiago, D.A, (2018) Excelencia in Education: What works for Latino student success in higher education
(https://www.edexcelencia.org/research/publications/2018-what-works-latino-students-higher-education)
[4] Teitelbaum, M. S. (2014) Falling Behind?: Boom, Bust & the Global Race for Scientific Talent. (Princeton University Press)
[5] Gueorguieva, P., Spring 2018, End-of-Term Report: Expanded Peer-Tutoring, STEM Resource Center, UC Merced, available upon request
[6] Gueorguieva, P., Annual Assessment Reports, STEM Resource Center, UC Merced, available upon request
[7] Gueorguieva, P., 2017-18 Annual Assessment Report, STEM Resource Center, UC Merced, available upon request

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