Online biology degree program broadens access for women, first-generation to college, and low-income students, but grade disparities remain

Online education has grown rapidly in recent years with many universities now offering fully online degree programs even in STEM disciplines. These programs have the potential to broaden access to STEM degrees for people with social identities currently underrepresented in STEM. Here, we ask to what extent is that potential realized in terms of student enrollment and grades for a fully online degree program. Our analysis of data from more than 10,000 course-enrollments compares student demographics and course grades in a fully online biology degree program to demographics and grades in an equivalent in-person biology degree program at the same university. We find that women, first-generation to college students and students eligible for federal Pell grants constitute a larger proportion of students in the online program compared to the in-person mode. However, the online mode of instruction is associated with lower course grades relative to the in-person mode. Moreover, African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander students as well as federal Pell grant eligible students earned lower grades than white students and non-Pell grant eligible students, respectively, but the grade disparities were similar among both in-person and online student groups. Finally, we find that grade disparities between men and women are larger online compared to in-person, but that for first-generation to college women, the online mode of instruction is associated with little to no grade gap compared to continuing generation women. Our findings indicate that although this online degree program broadens access for some student populations, inequities in the experience remain and need to be addressed in order for online education to achieve its inclusive mission.

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Spiritual and Religious Support for Underrepresented First-Generation, Low-Income (UFGLI) Students

Religions ◽

10.3390/rel12070548 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 548

Author(s):

Elliott Ingersoll ◽

Sophia Elliott ◽

Stephanie Drcar

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Low Income ◽

First Generation ◽

Support Systems ◽

Educational Experience ◽

Religious Support ◽

Religion And Spirituality ◽

Minimal Support ◽

Systemic Barriers

UFGLI students comprise 34% of the students enrolled in four-year universities. Unlike some students, UFGLI students face internal and systemic barriers throughout their educational experience and their struggles are often dismissed and disregarded. Working and raising a family while taking courses, minimal support systems, and financial struggles require students to optimize their resources. We explore the issues of UFGLI students and the importance of their spiritual and religious supports using a literature review and a case study. Religious and spiritual identities are resources that should be explored and supported by staff at university counselling centers. Affirming UFGLI students’ religious and spiritual identities and understanding how religion and spirituality work in their lives can assist these students in their acclimation to and success at university.

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Participation in a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Results in Higher Grades in the Companion Lecture Course

Educational Researcher ◽

10.3102/0013189x20968097 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 0013189X2096809

Author(s):

Marsha Ing ◽

James M. Burnette ◽

Tarek Azzam ◽

Susan R. Wessler

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Undergraduate Research ◽

Public Institutions ◽

Research Experience ◽

Stem Fields ◽

Academic Characteristics ◽

Course Grades ◽

Undergraduate Science ◽

Hispanic Serving ◽

The Impact

Opportunities for large numbers of undergraduates to engage in authentic research experiences are limited in many large public institutions. These large public institutions serve the vast majority of students who are historically underrepresented in STEM fields, such as first-generation, low-income students of color. Although a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) is one scalable approach to providing such opportunities, there is limited evidence about the impact of participation, particularly for students historically underrepresented in science. This study provides evidence of the influence of student participation in a CURE on undergraduate science course grades using an experimental design and multiple years of data from students at a Hispanic-serving institution. Course grades were compared for five different science courses across five cohorts of students participating in a CURE ( n = 935) and a similar group of students who did not participate in the CURE ( n = 1,144). CURE students had significantly higher overall grades in a lecture course directly related to the CURE even after statistically adjusting for demographic and academic characteristics. Implications for CUREs as a model for improving science knowledge and achievement for students typically underrepresented in STEM fields are discussed.

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Pricing Out the Disadvantaged? The Effect of Tuition Deregulation in Texas Public Four-Year Institutions

The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science ◽

10.1177/0002716214539096 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 655 (1) ◽

pp. 99-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Stella M. Flores ◽

Justin C. Shepherd

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

College Enrollment ◽

Hispanic Students ◽

State Legislature ◽

Pell Grant ◽

State Governments ◽

Low Income Students ◽

Difference In Differences ◽

Four Year Institutions ◽

Tuition Deregulation

This article examines whether tuition deregulation in Texas (in 2003 the state legislature gave tuition-setting authority to institutional governing boards) has affected the college enrollment of underrepresented and low-income students. Using a difference-in-differences research design, we find that Hispanic students have been most negatively affected by tuition deregulation. Results for black students are largely mixed, in that we find an increase in college enrollment after deregulation in some specifications, while Pell Grant recipients, incoming and returning, appear to have experienced an increase in college enrollment following deregulation. Implications and recommendations for state governments considering this contentious legislation are provided.

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Supplemental Material for Facets of Family Achievement Guilt for Low-Income, Latinx and Asian First-Generation Students

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology ◽

10.1037/cdp0000418.supp ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

First Generation ◽

First Generation Students

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Learning Management System for Greater Learner Engagement in Higher Education—A Review

Higher Education for the Future ◽

10.1177/23476311211049855 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 234763112110498

Author(s):

Parimala Veluvali ◽

Jayesh Surisetti

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Online Education ◽

Management System ◽

Large Scale ◽

Learning Management System ◽

Critical Role ◽

Learner Engagement ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

Online Mode ◽

Learning Management

Online education helped resume learning that had come to a momentary and uncertain pause with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic across the globe. Since then, learning in many educational institutions continued through synchronous and asynchronous modes, with teaching being undertaken remotely on digital platforms. In this large-scale migration towards online mode of curriculum delivery induced by the pandemic, the institutional learning management system (LMS) had a critical role to play in ensuring uninterrupted learning and student engagement. By drawing heavily from extant works, learnings from MOOC platforms, observations from the LMS applications in corporate training, the present article synthesis the extant literature on how the effective use of LMS can make the learning process interactive, student centric, catering to the needs of diverse learners in higher education.

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Navigating the tension between scale and school context in digital college guidance

Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society ◽

10.1108/jices-03-2018-0019 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 303-310

Author(s):

Zoe Corwin ◽

Tattiya J. Maruco

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

First Generation ◽

School Context ◽

School Level ◽

Digital Tools ◽

Content Type ◽

Equity Issues ◽

Digital Equity ◽

Digital Intervention ◽

Challenges And Opportunities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential of digital tools to address the significant challenge of increasing access to college and outline challenges and opportunities in effectively implementing a digital intervention across an entire school. Design/methodology/approach The study encompasses a randomized control trial and comparative case studies. This paper highlights qualitative data focused on implementation. Findings Findings illustrate impediments and strategies for implementing a school-wide digital intervention. Research limitations/implications Research focused on one particular intervention and is thus limited in scope. Practical implications The study has the potential to assist practitioners in better serving students from low-income and minoritized communities through digital tools. Social implications The study has implications for increasing the number of first-generation and minoritized youth who apply to and enroll in college. The study highlights digital equity issues often overlooked in ed-tech sectors. Originality/value Few studies exist that examine the implementation of digital interventions at the school level. Focusing on digital equity in the college access space (academic and practice) is novel.

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Early college can boost college success rates for low-income, first-generation students

Phi Delta Kappan ◽

10.1177/0031721716629655 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 97 (5) ◽

pp. 32-37

Author(s):

Mamadou Ndiaye ◽

Rebecca E. Wolfe

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

First Generation ◽

College Success ◽

Early College ◽

First Generation Students ◽

Success Rates

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Linked Coding: A Qualitative Investigation of the Impact of a College Transition Program

Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention ◽

10.24926/jcotr.v26i2.2373 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Laura Coleman-Tempel ◽

Meghan Ecker-Lyster

Keyword(s):

Minority Students ◽

Low Income ◽

College Transition ◽

First Generation ◽

Underrepresented Students ◽

Qualitative Evaluation ◽

Transition Program ◽

Cultural Mismatch ◽

College Ready ◽

The Impact

Limited college knowledge often impacts underrepresented students’ ability to navigate the college setting, creating institutional barriers for these students once arriving on campus. Students who are first-generation, low-income, and/or minority students have been shown to be less “college ready” than their peers. This discrepancy in preparedness can be conceptualized as a cultural mismatch between the student’s background knowledge and the higher education institution's expectations and norms (Lohfink & Paulsen, 2005). This qualitative evaluation provides an in-depth investigation into first-generation, low-income, and minority students’ perceptions and experiences with a yearlong college transition program. The study explores how a college transition program can impact students’ social development.

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Assessment of Online Learning Procedure through the Eyes of Medical Students inCOVID-19 Scenario

JOURNAL FOR CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH ◽

10.7860/jcdr/2021/47089.14830 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tanwi Ghosal (Sen) ◽

Anirban Sadhu ◽

Parijat Mukherjee ◽

Paramita Mukhopadhyay

Keyword(s):

Online Education ◽

Online Survey ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Mobile Internet ◽

Learning Objective ◽

First Year ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Online Mode ◽

Education Material ◽

Majority Students

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated closure of physical classroom for maintaining social distancing norms, prompting learning environment to shift from offline to online. Medical education has also undergone similar changes, and online education and assessment methods had to be implemented. Student’s perception regarding the same was assessed through this study. Aim: To assess the perception of first year MBBS students about the online education and assessment during the lockdown period of two months. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on the first year MBBS students of North Bengal Medical College (NBMCH) during the COVID-19 Lockdown period. All first year MBBS students of NBMCH were added in WhatsApp groups created for academic purposes by Department of Anatomy, NBMCH during the lockdown period. Respective teachers in the academic groups carried out sharing of Digital Education Material (DEM), holding Online Interaction (OI) and correspondence with students, and taking Online Assessments (OA) through sharing questions framed in Google Forms. After two months, the perception of the students was assessed through a voluntary participation based online survey designed in google forms, the results of which were tabulated later and analysed. Results: A total 95 students (54 Male, 41 Female) out of 200 had participated in the survey. Most students were reliant on smartphones (n=90, 94.7%) and mobile internet (n=78, 82%). Most agreed on DEM being relevant (83.2%) and informative (80.7%) but showed diverging opinion on ease of understanding, revision and overall fulfillment of learning objective. On OI majority students responded positively on promptness, relevancy, informative and helpfulness but only46.8% considered DEM and OI fulfilled the overall learning objective. Regarding OA students had an overall positive opinion. Comparing the online mode with offline, students mostly preferred the latter, though agreeing that online method of education was effective and it was easier to score in OAs. Conclusion: While most students accepted online education, interaction and assessment positively, at the end most of them still preferred offline mode of education and assessment. This could reflect lack of student-student interaction and indicated need of further studies to explore the matter, to help us approach online education better.

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