scholarly journals The Design and Implementation of a Mathematics Learning Community

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Alexandra Kurepa
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
National Science Foundation Grant ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Advanced Degrees ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
Design And Implementation

We describe the design and implementation of the Mathematics Learning Community structured as a cohort-based and faculty-mentored group composed mostly of underrepresented minority students in mathematics. The Mathematics Learning Community’s goals are: (i) to increase the number students majo National Science Foundation grant award ring in mathematics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, (ii) to improve the retention and completion rates, and (iii) to increase the number of students pursuing advanced degrees in mathematics.   The design is innovative in a number of ways including its focus on a single discipline, its inclusion of both graduate and undergraduate students in the same learning community, and the use of student vertical tutoring, and faculty mentoring, among other things. The inclusion of upper-level students appears to have reduced the unintended negative effects of typical student-centered learning communities. Although, the program is relatively new, the Mathematics Learning Community has been successful by a number of different measures.

scholarly journals The influence of expressive and instrumental social capital from parents on women and underrepresented minority students’ declaration and persistence in engineering majors

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Puccia ◽  
Julie P. Martin ◽  
Chrystal A. S. Smith ◽  
Gladis Kersaint ◽  
Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
White Women ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Engineering Majors ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
Parental Encouragement ◽  
And Mathematics

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.

scholarly journals An Initiative to Broaden Diversity in Undergraduate Biomathematics Training

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Goins ◽  
Mingxiang Chen ◽  
Catherine White ◽  
Dominic Clemence ◽  
Thomas Redd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Underrepresented Minorities ◽  
State University ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
Academic Courses ◽  
The Many

At North Carolina A&T State University (NCATSU), there was a critical need to better coordinate genuine research and classroom experiences for undergraduates early in their academic career. We describe the development and implementation of a faculty alliance across academic departments to increase biomathematics research opportunities for underrepresented minorities. Our faculty alliance is called the Integrative Biomathematical Learning and Empowerment Network for Diversity (iBLEND). The fundamental purpose of the iBLEND alliance was to inspire underrepresented minorities to pursue research careers by increasing the visibility of research conducted at the interface of mathematics and biology at NCATSU. Because of the many positive impacts, iBLEND gained significant buy-in from administration, faculty, and students by 1) working from the ground up with administration to promote campus-wide biomathematics research and training, 2) fostering associations between research and regular undergraduate academic courses, 3) creating and disseminating biomathematics teaching and learning modules, and 4) enhancing learning community support at the interface of mathematics and biology. Currently, iBLEND is viewed as a productive site for graduate schools to recruit underrepresented minority students having specific competencies related to mathematical biology.

scholarly journals Improving Post-graduate Students Learning Activities through Lesson Study in Learning Forest-Prototype

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhfahroyin Muhfahroyin ◽  
Anak Agung Oka
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Activity Grade ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Postgraduate Students

Improving learning quality in 21<sup>st</sup> can not be separated from contextual learning and student-centered learning paradigm. Through the contextual lesson study program conducted in learning-forest prototype to build learning community. The objectives of this research were to improve learning activities of postgraduate students in Biology Education department and to build a learning community. The implementation of lesson study was conducted in the Biology Learning Innovation subject for postgraduate students while practicing to observe open lesson was conducted in the undergraduate students which used learning forest-prototype. The postgraduate students took roles as planner, observer, and reflector in the plan, do (open lesson), and see (reflection) activities. The lesson study implementation was conducted for three cycles in even semester of academic year 2015/2016. Students learned collaboratively and contextually. The postgraduate students’ learning activities were observed by six observers from lecturer colleagues. The research results showed that the students were able to implement planning, open lesson, and reflection properly. The average of student’s learning activity grade was 91.11% from all of students, with the grade averages for planning, open lesson, and reflection activities were 88.89%, 93.33%, and 91.11% respectively. The implementation of this lesson study in the learning forest-prototype can be done in other relevant subjects to strengthen learning activities.

scholarly journals “Looking at Myself in the Future”: how mentoring shapes scientific identity for STEM students from underrepresented groups

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn Atkins ◽  
Bryan M. Dougan ◽  
Michelle S. Dromgold-Sermen ◽  
Hannah Potter ◽  
Viji Sathy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Career Pathways ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
Research Mentorship ◽  
Demographic Similarity ◽  
Stem Students ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Scientific Identity ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Mentorship has been well-established in the literature as fostering scientific identity and career pathways for underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Mentorship is prioritized by programs that aim to increase diversity and support future leadership in STEM fields, but in-depth understanding of mentorship in these contexts remains limited. Drawing on qualitative interview data, we sought to understand the relationship between mentoring and scientific identity among a diverse sample of 24 students in one such program, in order to inform program development. Results Qualitative analysis of the data revealed that mentorship, especially research mentorship, was common and played a role in formation of scientific identity. Students with research mentors tended to say they strongly identified as scientists, whereas those who lacked research mentorship varied in their level of scientific identity. In interviews, research-mentored students described mentors as colleagues who gave them opportunities to grow and as examples to look up to. Students valued mentors with whom they identified on the basis of demographic similarity or shared values, as well as those who challenged them in their academic and research endeavors. Conclusions Our analysis highlights how different mentoring experiences can contribute to development of future STEM leadership. We discuss implications for practice, including the need for tailored mentoring approaches and research-focused mentoring, and offer several recommendations for research and programming.

The situation of English speaker’s place of origin depending on Chinese dialects

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-171
Author(s):  
Min Wang
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Advanced Degrees ◽  
Phonological Features ◽  
Place Of Origin ◽  
Chinese Dialects ◽  
Student’S T ◽  
High Degree

Abstract This study examines the ability to identify different Chinese dialects through the English language and evaluates how often respondents pay attention to phonological features and rate of speech to explain their categorizations. The research includes 100 Chinese undergraduate students and 100 young people without advanced degrees aged 20 to 25. Discrete independent data samples collected during the interview of participants are analyzed with the help of such statistical methods as Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Wilcoxon's test. The obtained results indirectly show the ability of respondents to identify native and non-native English speakers around the world, as well as determine their nationality. The outcomes of the paper explicate who, in general, categorize Chinese dialects better and which dialects are the most recognizable. Research data reveal a high degree of stereotypization of various dialects, especially the Beijing and U dialects. Moreover, based on the data obtained, it can be concluded that speaking rate significantly affects the perception and classification of a speaker from a particular province of China.

scholarly journals The Role of Altruistic Values in Motivating Underrepresented Minority Students for Biomedicine

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
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students

scholarly journals Capacity-Building for Career Paths in Public Health and Biomedical Research for Undergraduate Minority Students: A Jackson Heart Study Success Model

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Brown White ◽  
Asoka Srinivasan ◽  
Cheryl Nelson ◽  
Nimr Fahmy ◽  
Frances Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Black College ◽  
Biomedical Science ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Professional Programs

<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This article chronicles the building of individual student capacity as well as faculty and institutional capacity, within the context of a population-based, longitudinal study of African Americans and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this article is to present preliminary data documenting the results of this approach. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Design: </strong>The JHS Scholars program is designed, under the organizational structure of the Natural Sciences Division at Tougaloo College, to provide solid preparation in quantitative skills through: good preparation in mathematics and the sciences; a high level of reading comprehension; hands-on learning experiences; and mentoring and counseling to sustain the motivation of the students to pursue further studies. </p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>This program is on the campus of a private Historically Black College in Mississippi. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>The participants in the program are undergraduate students. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Main Outcome Measures: </strong>Data, which included information on major area of study, institution attended, degrees earned and position in the workforce, were analyzed using STATA 14. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 167 scholars, 46 are currently enrolled, while 118 have graduated. One half have completed graduate or professional programs, including; medicine, public health, pharmacy, nursing, and biomedical science; approximately one-fourth (25.4 %) are enrolled in graduate or professional programs; and nearly one tenth (9.3%) completed graduate degrees in law, education, business or English. </p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These data could assist other institutions in understanding the career development process that helps underrepresented minority students in higher education to make career choices on a path toward public health, health professions, biomedical research, and related careers. <em>Ethn Dis. </em>2016;26(3):399-406; doi:10.18865/ed.26.3.399 </p>

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