assure: an intrusive advising model to enhance retention ... · assure: achieving success in...
TRANSCRIPT
Bonita Porter, Joyce Fernandes, Phyllis Callahan
ASSURE: An Intrusive Advising Model to enhance Retention
of Underrepresented Life Science majors
Outline
• Program Overview
• Profiles of Student Participants
• Retention Outcomes
• Implications
ASSURE: Achieving Success in Science through Undergraduate Research Experiences
• NSF Undergraduate Research & Mentoring grant awarded in 2007.
• GOALS:
• Increase the recruitment of underrepresented science students.
• Create First Year (FY) academic enrichment and mentoring.
• Prepare students for graduate study in the life sciences.
• Build a solid foundation to sustain the program.
Personnel:
• Started with 2 PIs, 1 graduate asst. in 2007• Each year participant numbers increased
• Asst. Director added in 2009 to:• Monitor students’ grades and lab experiences.
• Monthly newsletter to advise students of additional opportunities
• Meet with students as needed
• Coordinate with advisors, mentors, university offices
• Coordinate outreach & recruitment
Intrusive Advising model in Chemistry, Botany, Microbiology and Zoology (CBMZ)
• Requirements of ASSURE participation
• Undergraduate Research in CBMZ with faculty mentor
• Attend Monthly ASSURE Meetings
• Submit Monthly lab reports (Google docs)
• Research Poster for the Undergraduate Research Forum
• Develop an undergraduate research proposal
• Outreach: BRIDGES, STEM Exploration Academy
• Benefits: financial last dollar scholarship
ASSURE Student Qualifications
• Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors
• Major in CBMZ
• GPA ≥ 2.0
• Mostly underrepresented ethnically
2009-2012 annual cohorts contained 11, 13, 15 participants respectively• More females than males
ASSURE Group vs. Control Groups Size
risk factors include: first generation to college, Pell Eligible, and/orhigh financial need.
N Rep/no-risk
Rep/at-risk
UR/no-risk
UR/at-risk
Miami U control groups 625
446 (71%)
122 (19%) 30 (5%) 27 (4%)
ASSURE 39 8 (20%) 2 (5%) 10 (26%) 19 (49%)
Preparedness of students
N
% Students
with Transfer
Credit
Average # of
Transfer
Credits
GPA entering
2nd year at
Miami
ASSURE 39 20 (51.3%) 9.27 3.06
Represented/No Risk 446 313 (70%) 10.74 3.26
Represented/At Risk 122 77 (63.1%) 9.1582 3.26
Underrepresented/No Risk 30 17 (56.7%) 7.533 3.00
Underrepresented/At Risk 27 10 (37%) 4.92 2.61
GPA and 5-year Degree Completion
N
Semesters
Attended
MU Left MU
Final
GPA
Degree
Completed
CBMZ degree
completed
ASSURE 39 8.15 5 (12.8%) 3.11 32 (82%) 31 (79.5%)
Represented/No Risk 446 7.99 47 (10.5%) 3.32 390 (87%) 347 (77.8%)
Represented/At Risk 122 7.87 15 (12.3%) 3.12 100 (82%) 86 (70.5%)
Underrepresented/No Risk 30 7.5 4 (13.3%) 3.00 26 (87%) 22 (73.3%)
Underrepresented/At Risk 27 7.7 12 (44.4%) 2.66 13 (48%) 7 (26%)*
*Only significant change shown by Chi-square test is the comparison of UR/at-risk with ASSURE group.
ASSURE: Retention & Graduation
N Semesters at MU
Left MU Final GPA DegreeCompleted
CBMZ degree Completed
Represented/no-risk
8 8 0 3.52 100% 100%
Represented/at-risk
2 8 0 3.285 100% 100%
UR/no-risk 10 8.4 1 (10%) 3.06 90% 80%
UR/at-risk 19 8.1 4 (21%) 2.9 12 (63%) 12 (63%)
Outcomes of UR/at risk students
N Semesters at MU
Left MU Final GPA DegreeCompleted
CBMZ degree Completed
Control Group: UR/At Risk 27 7.7 12 (44.4%) 2.66 13 (48%) 7 (26%)
ASSURE: UR/at-risk 19 8.1 4 (21%) 2.9 12 (63%) 12 (63%)
Additional ASSURE Outcomes
• 23 (58%) participated in summer research programs on campus, in the US and abroad
• 19 (48%) presented a poster at a professional regional or national meeting &/or co-authored a published research paper with their mentors
• 13 (33%) entered graduate or medical schools after graduating.
• Others are working in research labs, are active in the military or teaching.
Implications for practice: the problems
• Ethnicity alone is not a big risk factor
• UR ethnicity + other risk factors < retention & graduation rates
• Research needs to be done to discover the reasons for the higher impact of poverty on ethnically underrepresented students
• Focus for spending needs to be on the places where ethnic minority and poverty intersect.
Beneficial practices to improve retention of Underrepresented life science students
• Laboratory research
• An advocate/advisor
• Explicit communication re: • undergrad research options, REUs, URF, career options
• Group meetings & discussions
• Study skills class to parallel first year gateway courses.
• Last dollar scholarship assistance is very important for low income students.
Conclusion:
What you do for the least of these, ...
Questions?
Thanks to:
Drs. Phyllis Callahan and Joyce Fernandes, Principal InvestigatorsDr. Jayanthi Sanjeevi, statistical analysis and BIO 104 designer/instructor