Indicators for Monitoring Undergraduate STEM Education (2018) / Chapter Skim
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4 Goal 2: Strive for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
4 Goal 2: Strive for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Pages 87-110
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From page 87... ...
To be considered equitable, institutions and STEM departments would provide enrolled students with adequate support to enter, persist, and successfully complete STEM general education coursework or STEM degrees, by engaging all students in evidence-based STEM educational practices and programs.1 To be considered diverse, the national pool of students participating and succeeding in undergraduate STEM education would be representative of the demographics of the U.S. college student population.
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From page 88... ...
. Despite this progress, these groups remain underrepresented among STEM degree earners, relative to their representation among the nation's adult population, to the enrolled college student population, and to undergraduate degree earners (National Science Foundation, 2017)
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From page 89... ...
STRIVE FOR EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION 89 TABLE 4-1 Objectives and Indicators of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Objectives Indicators 2.1 Equity of access to high-quality 2.1.1 Institutional structures, policies, and undergraduate STEM educational practices that strengthen levels of STEM programs and experiences readiness for entering and enrolled college students 2.1.2 Entrance to and persistence in STEM academic programs 2.1.3 Equitable student participation in evidence-based STEM educational practices 2.2 Representational diversity among 2.2.1 Diversity of STEM degree and certificate STEM credential earners earners in comparison with diversity of degree and certificate earners in all fields 2.2.2 Diversity of students who transfer from 2- to 4-year STEM programs in comparison with diversity of students in 2-year STEM programs 2.2.3 Time to degree for students in STEM academic programs 2.3 Representational diversity among 2.3.1 Diversity of STEM instructors in STEM instructors comparison with diversity of STEM graduate degree holders 2.3.2 Diversity of STEM graduate student instructors in comparison with diversity of STEM graduate students 2.4 Inclusive environments in institutions 2.4.1 Students pursuing STEM credentials and STEM departments feel included and supported in their academic programs and departments 2.4.2 Instructors teaching courses in STEM disciplines feel supported and included within their departments 2.4.3 Institutional practices are culturally responsive, inclusive, and consistent across the institution
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From page 90... ...
, the committee focused on institutional practices that improve enrolled college students' STEM readiness, students' STEM-related experiences, and students' progression through key educational milestones that lead to STEM degree completion. The committee's approach was similar to that of an earlier report that proposed indicators for monitoring the capacity of the nation's K–12 educational system to advance the goals of expanding the number of STEM degree seekers and enriching the STEM-capable workforce (National Research Council, 2013)
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From page 91... ...
, the committee underscores the need for institutions to take active steps to ensure equitable access to evidence-based STEM educational practices -- even in the face of inequities in STEM preparedness among admitted and enrolled students. The proposed indicator above would provide information about the prevalence of institutional and instructional programs and practices that are designed to strengthen students' competencies and skills that are foundational to success in STEM undergraduate degree programs.
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From page 92... ...
. Given the importance of entrance to and persistence in STEM undergraduate degree programs to advancing the goal of equity and diversity in undergraduate STEM education, this indicator would consist of multiple measures of student entry and persistence in STEM majors, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, ability status, and STEM discipline.
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From page 93... ...
Again, disaggregating by key student characteristics and STEM discipline would indicate whether certain student populations are more likely to leave STEM fields than others. Indicator 2.1.3: Equitable Student Participation in Evidence-Based STEM Educational Practices and Programs Evidence-based STEM educational practices and programs can take many forms and can be provided inside or outside the classroom.
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From page 94... ...
This indicator would provide information about the patterns of access to and participation in evidence-based STEM educational practices and co-curricular programs. It would be disaggregated across student demographic groups (race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status and ability status)
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From page 95... ...
If the demographic breakdown of STEM degree earners mirrors the demographic breakdown of an appropriate base population, it can be said that the undergraduate STEM education system has achieved representational diversity among STEM degree earners. Though outcome equity focuses only on the outputs of the educational system, reaching representational diversity among STEM credential earners is an indication that institutional practices, policies, and structures are functioning as they should to serve all student populations well.
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From page 96... ...
As a result, historically underrepresented students tend to experience lower levels of access to undergraduate STEM degrees, particularly in emergent fields. Group differences in students' academic preparation for success in STEM fields reflect a complex array of factors that operate at the individual, disciplinary, departmental, institutional, and systemic levels (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016; National Science Foundation, 2017; Malcom-Piqueux and Malcom, 2013)
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From page 97... ...
In order to ensure that any inequities identified from the committee's proposed indicator are attributable only to the undergraduate STEM educational system, our proposed comparison group is all undergraduate degree and certificate earners. Indicator 2.2.2: Diversity of Students Who Transfer from 2-Year to 4-Year STEM Programs in Comparison with Diversity of Students in 2-Year STEM Programs The nation's 2-year institutions play an increasingly important role in educating and preparing the nation's STEM workforce (American Asso ciation of Community Colleges, 2014; National Science Foundation, 2017; Wang, 2015)
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From page 98... ...
As mentioned above, many certificate and associate's degree earners in STEM-related technical areas are highly employable, with earnings exceeding bachelor's degree holders in some fields. However, the underrepresentation of women, minorities, low-income students, and students with disabilities among students transferring to STEM bachelor's degree programs in comparison with their share of enrollment in 2-year STEM programs may indicate that these students are experiencing unique barriers to successful transfer that need to be better understood and mitigated through institutional policies and programs.
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From page 99... ...
. These differences in time-to-degree may be attributable to a number of factors, including differences in the pathways that historically underrepresented populations take into and through STEM degree programs and differences in academic preparation at college entry.
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From page 100... ...
Proposed Indicators Although instructor diversity is a concern across all fields, the representation of historically underrepresented groups among STEM instructors is even lower than overall levels. Thus, the committee proposes the following two indicators that can be used to monitor progress toward representational diversity among STEM instructors.
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From page 101... ...
This framing is intended to reflect what is reasonable to expect from the field: it is unlikely that the diversity of STEM faculty would ever exceed the diversity of STEM graduate degree holders, as a graduate degree is a precursor to faculty status. By measuring the diversity of STEM faculty members as compared to the entire pool of potential STEM faculty members (represented here by STEM graduate degree holders)
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From page 102... ...
. Cultivating inclusive, supportive learning environments in which all students and instructors can learn and work may help catalyze and sustain institutional and national progress toward achieving greater diversity and equity in undergraduate STEM education.
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From page 103... ...
Indicator 2.4.1: Students Pursuing STEM Credentials Feel Included and Supported in Their Academic Programs and Departments Indicator 2.4.2: Instructors Teaching Courses in STEM Disciplines Feel Included and Supported in Their Departments STEM students' and instructors' experiences with supportive and inclusive campus and departmental climates likely serve as leading indicators of whether progress is being made toward the objectives of representational diversity among STEM credential earners and STEM instructors. Perceptions about one's environment are inherently personal, but when these views are aggregated across representative samples of students and faculty, one can make inferences about the overall nature of inclusion and support.
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From page 104... ...
Though related to the indicator above on institutional structures, policies, and practices that strengthen levels of STEM readiness for entering college students (Indicator 2.1.1) , this indicator is distinct because it focuses on the experiences of students enrolled in STEM academic programs, not on practices intended to increase student readiness for such programs.
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From page 105... ...
Labov, Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape: Summary of a Summit (pp.
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From page 106... ...
. Ingredients for Improving the Culture of STEM Degree Attainment with Co-curricular Supports for Underrepresented Minority Students.
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From page 107... ...
. Barriers and Opportuni ties for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees: Systemic Change to Support Diverse Student Pathways.
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From page 108... ...
Paper prepared for the Committee on Barriers and Opportunities in Completing 2- and 4-Year STEM Degrees. Available: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/dbassesite/ documents/webpage/dbasse_088831.pdf [July 2017]
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From page 109... ...
. Pathway to a baccalaureate in STEM fields: Are community colleges a vi able route and does early STEM momentum matter?
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