Ann-Claire Anderson, CORD Dr. Margaret Semmer, Joliet Junior College

1. Prospecting for Gold: Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Students in Emerging Technologies Ann-Claire Anderson, CORD Dr. Margaret Semmer, Joliet Junior College SAME TEC Pre-Conference Workshop July 2008

2. Background • Dr. Margaret Semmer • Ann-Claire Anderson • The Gender Equity Collaborativehttp://genderequitycollaborative.org

3. Recruitment into Postsecondary STEM Programs: A National Issue

4. Associate’s Degrees Over 20 Years • From 1985 to 2005 • Engineering degrees declined 53% • Engineering technologies degrees declined 54% • Degrees in natural sciences, mathematics, and social/behavioral sciences grew 52% • Degrees in computer sciences grew 48% “Earned associate’s degrees, by sex and field: Selected years, 1985–2005.” Science and Engineering Indicators 2008. (Appendix, Table 2-25), National Science Board,

5. Recruitment Challenges • Increasing program awareness • Providing career guidance at the secondary level • Promoting a reputation for excellence • Helping underprepared students • Clearing hurdles at registration, advising, and financial aid • Implementing flexible scheduling for working students

6. Recruitment Starts Early • Postsecondary-Secondary partnerships involving • College and secondary faculty • Counselors • Parents • CTE coordinators and instructors • Students!

7. Early Recruitment Strategy: Dual Enrollment • High school students earn college credit • Many models: single course, full articulated pathway, provision of student services • Feeds into Career Pathways

8. Dual Enrollment Benefits Students • Encourages career exploration • Outlines the coursework needed within a particular career pathway • Provides a taste of the college experience, and • Jumpstarts their progress along the degree plan

9. Dual Enrollment Benefits Your College • Students become familiar with the college and its culture • Their transcripts are issued from the college, so these students may be convinced to enter a program there • By passing these courses, students demonstrate they are ready for advanced coursework

10. Dual Enrollment Considerations • Target student populations • Admission requirements • On your campus or at the high school? • Student mix • Instructor credentials • Course content

11. Early Recruitment Strategy: Out-of-School Experiences • Serve students of various backgrounds • Less formal than school • Academic enrichment, challenges and assistance • Awareness of local and global community • Introduction to college students and faculty

12. Early Recruitment Strategy: Out-of-School Experiences • Self-esteem and self-efficacy • Career opportunities • Both fun and meaningful • Supportive environment and relationships • Summer camps, weekend courses, after-school programs, competitions

13. Activity: Brainstorming a Blueprint for Your Recruitment Program, pp. 5-7

14. Another National Obstacle: Retention in Postsecondary STEM Programs

15. Retention to from First Year to Second Year in all AA/AAS and BA/BS Programs • Two-year public 53.7% • Two-year private 55.5% • BA/BS granting, public 68.0% • BA/BS granting, private 69.6% 2008 ACT National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates Summary Table: National First- to-Second-Year Retention Rates by Institutional Type

16. Migration Out of Science & Engineering • First-year students show high interest in STEM—25-30% declare it as a major • Net movement out of STEM or out of college • Less than half of students intending to pursue a STEM degree do so (over 5 years) • Underrepresented populations drop out of STEM at a higher rate The Science and Engineering Workforce: Realizing America’s Potential National Science Board, 2003

17. Retention Strategy: Learning Communities • Restructures or links curricula • Integrates material to remedy concepts being taught in isolation • Facilitates greater student-student and student-faculty interaction • Leads to deeper understanding

18. Learning Communities: Potential Benefits • Ease transition from high school to college • Improve student academic performance • Increase faculty collaboration • Infuse basic skills across the curriculum • Promote cognitive growth through scaffolding, making connections • Encourage persistence in CTE programs

19. What Kind of Students Benefit from Participation? • Academically underprepared students • Student athletes • Undecided majors • Students in specific majors • Ethnic minority, international, ESL students • Honors students

20. More Students Who Would Benefit • Evening/weekend students • Returning adult students • Early-entry college students • Part-time students • Students preparing to transfer to a 4-year institution

21. What Does a Learning Community Look Like? • Freshman Interest Group • Linked or Paired Courses • Team-taught Courses • Coordinated Studies Model

22. Freshman Interest Group • A cohort of new college students taking two or more courses together • Developed around an interdisciplinary theme, a need, or a major • A peer or faculty advisor • Weekly study groups and social gatherings

23. Linked or Paired Courses • Two or more courses for which students co-register • Often 1 content course + 1 skills course • Faculty co-create syllabi • Faculty do not usually team-teach

24. Team-Taught Learning Communities • Combine 2-3 courses • Enroll 20-25 students per instructor • Usually block scheduled • May be thematic • Interdisciplinary • Requires faculty collaboration

25. Coordinated Studies Model • Designed around a theme or skills that require mastery • Emphasizes interdisciplinary learning • Coordinated and taught by 3-4 faculty • Team-taught • A full-time learning community

26. Instructor Characteristics • Open-minded • Willing to collaborate • Creative • Patient • Flexible

27. Support Needed • Department Chair • Academic and Technical Deans • Student Services staff • Registrar’s office • Participating faculty

28. Activity: Designing a Learning Community, pp. 17-18 Discussion Topics, pp. 19-20

29. Retention Strategy: Mentoring • A mentor: • Advocates • Provides resources • Serves as role model • Advises

30. Retention Strategy: Mentoring • A mentor: • Coaches • Protects • Supports

31. Mentoring: Potential Benefits • Improved academic performance by at-risk students • Improved performance in prerequisite (“weeder”) courses • Increased ethnic and gender diversity in STEM programs

32. Mentoring: Potential Benefits • Better adaptation to college culture, policies and practices • Skills development and career preparation • Recruitment of students into technical programs

33. Mentoring: Potential Benefits • Persistence to graduation • Provision of more program graduates for local industry

34. Types of Mentoring • One-on-one • Group Mentoring • Team Mentoring • Peer Mentoring • E-mentoring

35. Activity: Designing Your Mentoring Program, p. 23, pp. 25-30

36. Recruiting Mentors • Professional qualifications • Academic background • Personal characteristics • Mentoring job description • Local talent pools

37. Matching Mentors with Students • Link between mentor’s expertise and student’s interests • Gender • Race • Shared background or experience

38. Matching Mentors with Students • Personality/temperament • Parental approval • Schedule availability • Other

39. Nuts and Bolts: Running a Mentoring Program • Student confidentiality, FERPA • Funding • Program administration • Record-keeping

40. Nuts and Bolts: Running a Mentoring Program • Non-monetary resources • Community awareness • Program evaluation

41. Questions or Comments?

42. Visit http://genderequitycollaborative.org

43. Contact Us Ann-Claire Anderson Dr. Margaret Semmer anderson@cord.orgmsemmer@jjc.edu