Cal Poly Pomona has PASSION for Student Success
Cal Poly Pomona has received a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Hispanic-Serving Institutions to increase retention and graduation for students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The grant will fund a project called PASSION. The acronym comes from the title of the project – Polytechnic for All: STEM Success via an Inclusive Institution. “The five-year project is an amazing opportunity for collaboration between the College of Science, the College of Engineering, the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, and the Faculty Center.” Associate Professor of Biology and Principal Investigator (PI) Paul Beardsley said.
The project is important because the combined six-year graduation rate for engineering and science students at CPP is 74 percent but for underrepresented minorities it’s 55 percent. Hispanics make up 16 percent of the overall workforce in the U.S. but only six percent in STEM fields.
PASSION will address the graduation gap through short-term interventions, faculty development, peer-led supplemental instruction, and new pedagogical approaches in critical early courses. The investigators will analyze the results of their work and add to the body of research on STEM education.
There are four main goals to the project. The first goal will address motivational and other psychological aspects of student success. Classroom instruction in physics and introductory mathematics courses will emphasize the relevance of course material. In addition, interventions will focus on acclimation to the social environment. In higher education in general, and STEM in particular, students can experience “imposter syndrome” characterized by feelings that they don’t belong in the college setting. Beardsley said, “What’s amazing is you can make subtle changes to classroom culture and suddenly success rates increase.”
Co-PI and Assistant Professor of social psychology Viviane Seyranian will lead a series of research-based interventions in STEM classes and evaluate their effectiveness. “Research shows that success in academic settings is often tied to social, psychological, and motivational factors. The psychological interventions target these factors.” Seyranian said. As part of the interventions, students will complete different activities designed to bolster their short term and long-term academic performance and well-being.
“Inclusive teaching is also a central part of this grant. Faculty strive to meet everyone’s needs in the classroom, taking advantage of student strengths and providing help where there are weaknesses.” Victoria Bhavsar said. Bhavsar is a Co-PI and Director of the Faculty Center for Professional Development and eLearning team. She will collaboratively lead the second goal of the grant which focuses on faculty development.
“It’s been said that the zip code where you live determines your future but education is one thing that can change that.” Bhavsar said. Cal Poly Pomona has proven that to be true. The university was ranked number six in the nation for social mobility by CollegeNet.
Bhavsar and her team will offer STEM faculty active learning workshops, monthly seminars, three day institutes over the summer and an online inclusive teaching development course. In addition, there will be two faculty learning communities in two academic years. The communities are groups of faculty that will collaborate, share best practices, and support each other in developing methods for improving student success.
Mechanical Engineering Chair and Co-PI Angela Shih will be implementing the third goal which is to develop and evaluate technology-assisted supplemental instruction. That’s peer-based instruction with a technology component. Supplemental instructors (SI) are highly qualified undergraduates who typically experience the lecture along with students, allowing the SIs to provide supplemental instruction on the material. With the help of the Director of Maximizing Engineering Potential Lily Gossage and Scott Chang, Shih has been piloting a process in which SIs view lectures from multiple sections online, which is a significant cost savings. “Thanks to the NSF grant and Paul and his team we’ll now be able to implement this on a large scale.” Shih said.
The supplemental instruction will also be recorded and reviewed. This will provide two benefits. First, professors will be able to ensure material is being presented accurately and effectively. Second, reviewing the sessions can reveal common areas where students need help. Peer instruction in those problem areas can then be posted online for future students who may struggle with the same concepts. Shih said, “Our ultimate goal is to develop more self-directed learning. Research shows that students want to go straight to the relevant material and many of our students are working which means they may not be able to meet with their peers for traditional supplemental instruction.”
Associate Professor of Math and Co-PI Arlo Caine will implement the fourth goal which is to study the use of calculus concept inventory questions in class. “The in-class concept questions make all students’ thinking visible because everyone participates in answering the questions. This creates an inclusive environment.” Caine said. High quality visual representations of calculus concepts are shown and students must use them to solve a problem. Students choose the answer they think is right and then discuss their choice with their peers. This method reveals where a student’s thinking may have gone wrong.
Caine said, “Much of this grew out of our work at the Center for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (CEMaST) and their RESPeCT (Reinvigorating Elementary Science through a Partnership with California Teachers) grant, the goal of which was to improve elementary school science teaching. Two key themes that emerged from that work were the importance of the curriculum’s storyline and knowing what the student is thinking.”
The NSF awarded $45 million to 31 projects at Hispanic serving institutions. Cal Poly Pomona was one of six CSU’s that received funding.
Cal Poly Pomona’s vision is to “be the model for an inclusive polytechnic university.” This grant and the interdisciplinary team Associate Professor Beardsley has assembled will help the university realize that vision.