Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees Systemic Change to Support Students' Diverse Pathways (2016) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 7-20
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From page 7... ...
.1 At the same time, calls N for improvements to undergraduate STEM education persist in part because the 6-year completion rates for STEM degrees remain around 40 percent (President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012) : this is noticeably lower than the rate of 56 percent among all students who first enrolled in 2007 in all types of 2-year and 4-year institutions (Shapiro et al., 2013)
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From page 8... ...
The heightened attention to workforce predictions has focused most of the attention on undergraduate STEM education reform on the question of workforce demand, rather than on whether institutions are providing students with a high-quality education and the supports they need to complete a STEM credential.2 Our task was different: we do not consider questions of shortage, adequacy, or surfeit. Rather, as directed by the statement of task for the study (see Box 1-1)
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decisions to enter into, stay, or leave majors in STEM fields. We explore factors inclusive of and beyond the quality of instruction, such as grading policies, course sequences, undergraduate learning environments, student supports, co-curricular activities, students' general self-efficacy and self-efficacy in science, family background, and governmental and institutional policies that affect STEM educational pathways.
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From page 10... ...
Given that the focus of this report is to identify the barriers and opportunities to earning STEM degrees, we focused our review on STEM fields where attrition is most pronounced, particularly among underrepresented groups; is caused by similar barriers or factors (e.g., level of mathematics preparation and proficiency, departmental and classroom culture, course sequencing, and cost) ; and can be attenuated by similar interventions or systemic changes.
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From page 11... ...
in and across institutions of higher education that today's students use in pursuit of STEM degrees. In 2010, nearly 40 percent of entering students at 2-year and 4-year postsecondary institutions indicated an intention to major in STEM; an increase from 2007, when about 33 percent indicated the intention to major in STEM (National Science Board, 2014)
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THE NEW NORMAL IN UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION Who are today's undergraduate students who aspire to earn STEM degrees? How do they compare with undergraduates more generally?
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Fiftyseven percent of all black undergraduate students and 60 percent of all Hispanic undergraduate students attended community colleges in 2011–2012, compared with 41 percent of white and Asian/Pacific Islander undergraduate students (Witham et al., 2015)
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From page 14... ...
Thus, graduation rates provide some indication of the success of an under raduate STEM program, but this information is difficult to interpret g without information regarding student preparation, student goals, and institutional context. An even broader vision of success has been emerging from definitions of success developed by various stakeholder groups, including the American Association of Community Colleges, the Aspen Institute, the Bill & M elinda Gates Foundation, and the National Governors Association.
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From page 15... ...
. The report includes an in-depth analysis of the students who seek STEM degrees, the pathways taken to STEM degrees, the barriers to earning STEM degrees, programs and policies that support the completion of STEM degrees, and the systemic reforms needed to improve undergraduate STEM education for all students.
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Selected to reflect a diversity of perspectives and a broad range of expertise, the 18 committee members included experts in the sociology of education; the current STEM workforce; higher education policy, practice, and administration; data collection methodologies; longitudinal and career research; educational and career counseling; STEM education reform; and advanced technical education. In addition, the committee included balanced representation across the range of state-supported and private universities and colleges, special-focus institutions, and 2-year colleges (see the biographical sketches of members in Appendix B)
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From page 17... ...
The meeting also included presentations from experts on issues related to student completion and persistence in STEM majors; creating and implementing changes to improve student outcomes; discipline-specific barriers, opportunities, and reform efforts; and serving underrepresented groups at 2-year and 4-year institutions. During its second meeting, the committee heard expert testimony on the state of reform efforts in mathematics education; the cost and price of STEM degrees; the importance of and barriers to authentic STEM experiences for students;7 and the value of taking a systems approach to improving undergraduate STEM education.
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From page 18... ...
In Chapter 6, we describe how to create systemic and lasting change. The final chapter contains our conclusions about the barriers and opportunities for 2-year and 4-year undergraduate STEM education and presents our recommendations to faculty, STEM departments, colleges and universities, professional societies, higher education organizations, state governments, and the federal government to improve STEM education for all students interested in STEM degrees.
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From page 19... ...
. Community Col leges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape: Summary of a Summit.
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From page 20... ...
. Hidden STEM Knowledge Producers: Community Colleges' Multiple Contributions to STEM Education and Workforce Development.
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