Abstract:
Fewer than 40% of undergraduates who intend to major in a STEM field complete a STEM degree. Large universities (i.e., >20k students) often present undergraduates in STEM fields with an array of institutional barriers that can be difficult to circumvent. Traditional institutional reform efforts focus on system-level changes in instructor behaviors and supports. Unfortunately, current institutional reform efforts have not had an immediate wide-scale impact on the attrition rate of STEM majors.The iCAN project addresses STEM learning and persistence problems by leveraging lessons learned from previously funded STEM initiatives. iCAN is novel in that it uses research on students with disabilities as a springboard to improve the accessibility of curricular materials, learning outcomes, and career readiness for a broad range of undergraduate students. It focuses on students’ executive functioning, a dynamic network of higher order cognitive abilities (e.g., planning, response inhibition, problem resolution, working memory, and mental flexibility). These skills are critical for comprehension, task persistence, and successful academic performance. Executive function skill deficits have been found to be significant predictors of a lack of persistence in STEM programs. Therefore, if we can identify an institutional model that supports students with executive function problems, the model should also support students with less significant difficulties.Broader ImpactsThe average cost of a bachelor’s degree at public four-year institutions is estimated from $45,000 to $60,000. Attrition from these programs can leave students with tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Our estimated cost to provide iCAN to students is $10 per session or $160 per student, per semester. This is roughly the cost of an engineering textbook and far less than the cost of individual tutoring sessions. The cost savings are realized by including graduate students in the College of Education as coaching facilitators. Their work with undergraduate students is directly linked to course assignments in their Master’s degree plan of study. This benefits both the graduate student teachers and undergraduate STEM majors. It also provides practicing teachers with insights regarding how to better prepare students to be successful in STEM majors at the undergraduate level. If this program proves effective as expected, it will enhance STEM learning, persistence, and entry into the STEM workforce. This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 1505202. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.