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Research Problem

Research Problem. Students W ithdraw from Biology M ajor G ateway C ourses Although we have: course assessments content questions aligned with course learning objectives rubrics for oral and written communication Only information from students who complete course

jada-dickson
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Research Problem

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  1. Research Problem Students Withdraw from Biology Major Gateway Courses • Although we have: • course assessments • content questions aligned with course learning objectives • rubrics for oral and written communication Only information from students who complete course • My observation - higher proportion are African American • Push for retention and persistence in STEM, esp. AA males • 39% of freshmen in STEM • 27% of freshman in poor academic standing by end fall semester

  2. Research Question • Research Question: What factors contribute to why students decide to withdraw from the introductory Chemistry and Biology courses? (Which of these factors can we control?) • Research Context: A new (2006), public, 4-year, open access, undergraduate only college in metro Atlanta of 8,500 students with over 1,000 Biology majors. Diverse student population (40% URM, 17% nontraditional and 55% female). Class size is capped at 24 students and same instructor teaches both lecture and lab sections. • Who Cares?: My question is interesting because it aligns with institutional and system-wide goals to reduce the withdrawal rate and increase persistence in Biology (STEM).

  3. Research Methodology • Interview Representative Sample of Students who have Withdrawn • Data Mining from Applications and Placement Scores • Test for correlation between coded interview data (reasons) and demographic/socioeconomic/ admissions data • CHEM 1211 pre- or co-requisite for BIOL 1107 • Pool data from 11-12 BIOL 1107 and 25-26 CHEM 1211 sections • Need to design interview questions • Collect and code historical information from online withdrawal forms (data request for how many years?) • Faculty Member Focus Groups – code experiences (anecdotal)

  4. Alignment of Research Question and Methodology Question Type - What Is? QuestionMethodology Why student withdraw? Ask them! Direct Alignment Goal To collect baseline data to inform intervention selection and design to increases persistence in Biology (STEM)

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