Improving STEM Retention with an Online Community of Practice Lisa B. Elliot, Ph.D. Rochester Institute of Technology, National Technical Institute for the Deaf AAC&U STEM Conference, San Francisco CA November 3, 2017 For Your Consideration Do you have students who are: Unprepared for STEM coursework? Underrepresented and isolated (STEM-wise) Seeking role models who are STEM professionals? Looking for connections between course content and "real world" topics? Interested in pursuing internships, research opportunitites, or STEM-related jobs? Overview Who we are Rational for the project Describe the online community infrastructure Tutoring, mentoring, and STEM dissemination activities Tracking engagement Q&A Who We Are Deaf STEM Community Alliance - Only Alliance specificially for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students Supported by the National Science Foundation, HRD #1127955 Ongoing project (started September 2011)- Now in our seventh year Campus Partners Rochester Institute of Technology- RIT is the lead institution for this project, with Camden County College and Cornell University as partners Cornell University Camden County College The Narrow STEM Pipeline Barriers to success in STEM prior to postsecondary education Lower enrollment in STEM majors (28% Bachelor's Degree and 20% Associate's Degree) Lower Retention within 6 years (48% leave Bachelor's Degree and 69% leave Associate's Degree) Lower graduation rates at all degree levels (13.4% Bachelor's Degrees and 13.8% Associate's Degrees) Fewer STEM professionals Chen & Soldner, 2013 DHHVAC Model Barriers & Strategies Student Preparation - Remote tutoring, Remote mentoring, Using Google+ Hangouts or Zoom Socialization - Remote mentoring, Peer-to-Peer interaction, Using Google+ private community and Facebook secret groups Accessible Media- Accessible STEM information using website, YouTube, Google+ Private Community, Facebook secret group, and Google+ Public page Goals and Objectives Goal: Create a model virtual academic community to increase the graduation rates of postsecondary Deaf and Hard of Hearing STEM majors in the long term Iterative and incremental (Cockburn, 2008) Iterative - testing what works and revising what doesn't Incremental- building model in stages instead of all at once Objectives: 1. Document and disseminate a description of the process of creating a model VAC for replication 2. Increase the GPAs and retention rates of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in STEM majors Importance of Social Networks opinion and behavior more similar within groups (Burt, 2004) Regulators of behavior (Easly & Kleinberg, 2010) Resource for social capital (Burt, 2004) Resource for innovation (Burt, 2004) Model Infrastructure Deaf and Hard of Hearing Virtual Academic Community (DHHVAC) Google Suite for Edcuation (Enterprise) Account and Facebook Secret Group Website (www.dhhvac.org) YouTube Video Library (www.youtube.com/user/dhhvac) Online Tutoring Frequently Asked Questions: More than 160 sessions with approximately 35 different students Average 60 minute sessions Google Hangouts or Zoom Benefits: Better accommodation of student schedules Easy to share documents Good for observing student homework, watching for mistakes, providing faster feedback Good for classes with heavy online component Challenges: Scheduling appointments Strong Internet connection Technology (e.g., camera, tablet, etc.) (Mostly) Online Mentoring Frequently Asked Questions: 18 Deaf and Hard of Hearing STEM Professionals One-to-one (email, video or FaceTime) One-to-many (social media, YouTube videos) Benefits: Support Career development (academic/vocational) Personal development Role modeling Individual (intergenerational continuity, new colleagues, future collaborators) Institution (alumni engagement, increased student success) Social Media Platforms 2012 Google+ 2015 Facebook Frequently Asked Questions: Google+ all members Facebook about two thirds Monday through Friday postings (STEM, opportunities, member news) Benefits: Mitigates social isolation Intergenerational community (social capital) Awareness of STEM information Language modeling Challenges: Documenting engagement Student Successes 61 students enrolled 25 graduated 7 left prior to graduation Conclusions Underrepresented populations benefit from positive role models Students can benefit from either direct or indirect mentoring Intergenerational cooperation and support can further BOTH personal and institutional objectives The DHHVAC is a mdoel that attempts to implement this solution Thank you Contact Information Deaf STEM Community Alliance http://www.dhhvac.org or lisa.elliot@rit.edu Select References Chen, X., & Soldner, M. 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