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Examples of The Lab Ongoing Research Projects

  • Promoting Equity in Intro Chemistry Courses
    • The following suit of projects is aimed at facilitating equitable active learning environments in general chemistry. The first project examines the long-standing effects of COVID on students’ course performances. The second project examines the learning goals and complexity tested on general chemistry assessments. In this process, learning goals for general chemistry I were created, used to tag exam questions with complexity scores, and analyzed across student performance. The third project examines the effects of STEMentors, which is a program designed to support marginalized students better navigate the general chemistry course, from the student and mentor perspective.
    • Link to slides
  • Promoting Equity in Intro Mechanical Engineering Courses
    • This study introduces research-based teaching methods to an introductory mechanical engineering design course. We redesigned the course to include preparation for future learning (PFL) and  deliberate practice (DP). Based on DP theory: 1) we designed targeted learning activities for each of the weekly course learning goals, 2) students would receive timely, and specific feedback on their performance in these activities, and 3) they would be provided opportunities to incorporate the feedback for improving their performance. Based on PFL, these learning activities are given to students in workshops in advance of corresponding lectures to prepare students. The workshops are comprised of students in small groups working through a worksheet. During these workshops, the teaching team monitors and answers questions. The learning activities are designed to be novel to not advantage better prepared students due to sheer similarity with previous courses, and to be authentic to engage students regardless of their background or experience level. The effectiveness of the redesign is measured across multiple metrics: 1) A pre- and post-course survey which will measure student self-efficacy in ME and sense of belonging in engineering, 2) a pre- and post-course assessment of student mechanical engineering design competency, 3) student interviews, and 4) the artifacts students produce as part of the class are examined to evaluate their development.
  • Promoting Equitable Active Learning Environments
    • This qualitative study examines the academic and psychological experiences of marginalized students in an introductory chemistry course. We interviewed 51 students mostly from marginalized backgrounds to identify equity barriers and how they can be addressed through instructional design. From interviews, we empirically developed “course awareness” and expanded our analysis. Course awareness is defined as students’ recognition of: 1) course objectives and the available resources to achieve them, and 2) how to recognize and use course objectives use and resources to effectively navigate their academic achievement. Findings illustrate that course awareness forms from students’ previous achievements, in the form of incoming preparation and education debt, and the design of course structure, in the form of the instructor’s pedagogy and institutional culture. When pedagogy neglects equitable considerations, such as education debt, introductory chemistry courses then solely facilitate the effective learning of students with previously attained course awareness. Examples of equity considerations include the amount of content students are expected to master and the assessment of learning objectives on exams.
    Promoting Equity in STEM Retention
    • This large-scale quantitative study examines institutional data of a lightly selective R-1 institution over a decade to better understand the demographic disparities in STEM degree attainment, and factors contributing to such disparities. The results show that there existed racial/ethnic, gender and generational disparities in STEM degree attainment, with women and PEER students to be 30% less likely than their men and non-PEER counterparts to receive a degree in STEM. While smaller, there was also a generational disparity in degree attainment, with first-generation students being 15% less-likely to attain a STEM degree compared to their continuing generation peers. We further examined the underlying mechanisms for such disparities. While first-generation and PEER students had higher aspiration in pursuing STEM, they were subjected to attrition gaps i.e. they faced more academic challenges in their first year of college and hence left STEM majors and/or college altogether with a higher degree. On the other hand, for women, there was no attrition gap but aspiration gaps played an important factor in shaping gender disparities in degree attainment, with women being less likely to intent to major in STEM from the beginning of their college studies. Further analyses underscored that inequity in incoming preparation provided to students before college played a significant role in shaping both aspiration and attrition gaps for demographically marginalized students in STEM. 
  • Challenges of Equity in STEM Retention 
    • This ongoing extensive multi-institution qualitative study built upon the previous study to more closely examine factors contributing to aspiration and attrition gaps. This semi-structured interview study examines: 1) main challenges marginalized students face in navigating STEM pathways from the beginning of their higher education path to graduation with a STEM degree, 2) effective resources helping with these challenges, and 3) resources missing that could have been impactful in supporting marginalized students to pursue and persist in STEM pathways.
  • Equity in Higher Education Academic Resources
    • Providing campus resources is critical for advancing equitable opportunities in higher education. We conducted a survey during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to understand how students from first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds 1) use resources, 2) find resources helpful, and 3) experience barriers to using resources. Results do not show significant differences in how students meet with classroom, peer, and advising resources. However, students from first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds use programs and centers more often than continuing-generation students. More work is needed to address first-generation students’ barriers including limited awareness, access, and time. To improve not just equal but equitable access, the university can support first-generation and underrepresented minority students by centralizing resources and proactively reaching out to students.  
    • Link to slides
  • Equity in Graduate Training
    • Studying how we can provide effective graduate training for all students.  
    • Link to slides