The Effects of Delivering Personalized Course Recommendations at Scale on Advanced Placement Participation and Performance

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-49
Author(s):  
Zachary Mabel ◽  
Michael D. Hurwitz ◽  
Matea Pender ◽  
Brooke White

Abstract Gaps in advanced high school coursework by socioeconomic status and geography persist in the United States, even among students with the ability and access to succeed in them. Lack of information on course availability and inaccurate self-perceptions may contribute to these inequities. We report on a large-scale experiment designed to increase Advanced Placement (AP) participation among underrepresented minority students and students attending rural high schools. Students and parents assigned to treatment received personalized outreach via multiple communication channels about APs offered at their high school in which they demonstrated potential to succeed. Outreach increased the probability of AP Exam participation in subjects in which students demonstrated potential to succeed by 1.1 percentage points, a 2.5 percent increase over the control group rate. This, in turn, increased the probability that students scored 3 or higher on those AP Exams by 0.5 percentage points, a 1.4 percent increase over the control group rate. Intervention effects were concentrated among underrepresented minority students attending non-rural schools and relatively less academically prepared students. The findings indicate that personalized course recommendations can increase equity in advanced high school course participation; however, designing outreach campaigns at scale that engage students is a crucial challenge to their efficacy.

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 7512510276p1-7512510276p1
Author(s):  
Jasmin Torres ◽  
Diane L. Smith ◽  
Gaurdia Banister

Abstract Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. As racial and ethnic diversity in the United States continues to grow, the need for a representative OT workforce is amplified. This study illustrates the strategies utilized by OT programs to recruit under-represented minority (URM) students into the profession and the barriers to recruiting and retaining URM students. Results were obtained from a mixed-methods survey distributed to program directors of all accredited doctoral and master's OT programs to address this topic. Primary Author and Speaker: Jasmin Torres Additional Authors and Speakers: Diane L. Smith Contributing Authors: Gaurdia Banister


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Puccia ◽  
Julie P. Martin ◽  
Chrystal A. S. Smith ◽  
Gladis Kersaint ◽  
Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Social capital, defined as the people one knows and the resources available through that network of people, has been a key variable in research examining the participation of women and underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study focuses on two types of social capital: instrumental (concrete advice and resources) and expressive (emotional support and encouragement). The analysis of interviews with 55 White women and women and men underrepresented minority engineering undergraduate students shows how the instrumental and expressive social capital received from parents influenced their students’ declaration of and persistence in the engineering major. Within this analysis, we considered students’ transition to adulthood and the corresponding expectation that parents would still provide support but allow their children to independently determine their own paths. Results Participants shared the advice they received from people in their social networks, with the majority of participants highlighting parents as a major contributor of instrumental and expressive social capital. Instrumental social capital was helpful in students’ major declarations and offered them an opportunity to further develop their interests and aptitude in STEM as well as a pathway for obtaining an engineering degree. During the first year of their engineering major, students relied heavily on the expressive social capital of parents when considering whether to stay in engineering; parental encouragement of “you can do it” became a common resource. Conclusions These findings offer nuance to explanations of social capital’s influence on STEM degree major declaration and persistence, which often use deficit approaches. In highlighting the resources of social capital, especially expressive support, this work offers educators a new frame of reference for building upon the valuable advice offered by parents to their children completing engineering majors.


BioScience ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin B. Thoman ◽  
Elizabeth R. Brown ◽  
Andrew Z. Mason ◽  
Allen G. Harmsen ◽  
Jessi L. Smith

Author(s):  
Phillip Cockrell ◽  
Thomas Gibson

This chapter will highlight the experiences of underrepresented minority students who are members of majority Greek-letter organizations at two institutions of higher learning located in the Midwest. The authors will explore the reasons why students joined majority Greek-letter organizations as opposed to those associated with their ethnicity/race. In addition, peer-to-peer perceptions, sense of mattering and belonging, and interest in upward mobility within their respective organizations will be examined.


Author(s):  
Chandra A. Stallworth ◽  
Ken D. Thomas

Consistent with the national goal implemented by our current government, Auburn University is also working to recruit and retain underrepresented minorities in higher education. The rationale for this is simple, that is to allow a greater advantage when competing against others. One of the ways to foster this competition is by nurturing our gifted underrepresented minority students. In the 2010-2011 school year, the Honors College, which serves as a gateway for underrepresented minority students, developed a distinct focus on helping our students reach and their educational/academic goals. Within this paper we will go over some of the steps we have begun to take to reach our goal, in addition to future plans we have to continue these efforts.


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