This project is implementing proven retention strategies across a statewide system in order to increase the number of STEM graduates, primarily in engineering. The first strategy involves combining instructor intervention and supplemental instruction to improve student success in introductory math courses. The supplemental instruction leverages a previously developed online tutorial system coupled with personalized tutoring. Through the second strategy, a proven course from the main campus known as Toy FUN-damentals, is being implemented among the statewide feeder campuses. The Toy FUN-damentals course has been shown to increase student interest in engineering, especially among women and underrepresented minorities. The third strategy is implementing programs aimed at assisting underrepresented minority students in making the transition from high school to college. The components of the transition program include a summer bridge program, peer mentoring, campus visits, student leadership conferences, college of engineering visitation, and a sophomore transition tour. The final project strategy involves evaluation of the other three strategies for continuous improvement. The evaluation plan uses a mixed-method, quasi-experimental design to assess the effects of each strategy and the overall success of the project. The results from the project are being disseminated broadly among the engineering education community.
Toys'n MORE Outcomes Toys and Mathematical Options for Retention in Engineering (Toys’n MORE) was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program grant (STEP grant, DUE #0756992). Opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by the following are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF. With an emphasis on increasing the proportion of students in Engineering, Toys’n MORE sought to increase the number of students in STEM majors at The Pennsylvania State University by as much as 10%. This project was conducted by the College of Engineering and 13 regional campuses in the Penn State system. Toys’n MORE consisted of three interventions plus an assessment component. Data collection ran for eight semesters from fall 2009 through spring 2013. Student progress was tracked through fall 2013 based on the outcome measure of enrollment in engineering by Year 3. Institutional data based on this measure indicated, by Year 3, 42% of the engineering students who started at Penn State regional campuses were formally enrolled in engineering majors. The three interventions were aimed at improving STEM students’ achievement in the first two years of college. The interventions were (a) tutoring programs serving three foundational mathematics courses (Algebra II, Trigonometry, and Calculus I) to be mastered by STEM students, (b) a freshman engineering design course called Toy FUNdamentals in which dissection and re-design of toys were used to engage students, and (c) math-intensive summer bridge programs at three regional campuses used to facilitate the transition from high school to college for incoming under-served engineering students. Of the three interventions, positive results were generated by the Math Mastery program and the summer bridge programs. Significant results are described below. Math Mastery Program The goal of the Math Mastery Program was for students in Algebra II and Trigonometry to "master" or learn material before moving to the next topic. Early in the semester, students took four "Gateway Quizzes" to determine possible deficiencies in prerequisite course material. Subsequently, students who did not perform well were advised to seek tutoring. For the second component, students earning 70% or below on a course midterm were required to complete practice problems, get three hours of documented tutoring at their campus Learning Center, and re-take a new version of the midterm within a week. For students "re-taking" a midterm, their midterm grade was a combination of original midterm and "re-take" scores. High rates of withdrawal and failure in foundational math courses is an ongoing problem across the country. At Penn State, on average, Algebra II grades of STEM students prior to Toys’n MORE was determined to be "C+" compared to "B-" during the Toys'n MORE project. Moreover, Math course grades for Algebra II at Penn State Hazleton were found to be statistically higher during the four years of the NSF-sponsored Toys’n MORE project compared to the seven years prior. Hence, the intellectual merit was an increase in Algebra II course grades resulting from this strategy. Campus College Connection Summer Bridge Programs at Three Regional Campuses Toys'n MORE introduced summer bridge programs for academic and professional STEM enrichment at three regional campuses. Women, first-generation college students, African-American students, and Hispanic students who intended to be STEM majors were encouraged to enroll. The goals of the intervention were to provide academic preparation, encourage learning communities, and to provide support and personal encouragement during the freshman year and subsequently to increase retention in STEM majors. Projected 6-year graduation rates. Based on the 2010 and 2011 Campus College Connection students’ Year 3 major status, their 6-year graduation rate in engineering was projected to be 53%. In comparison, the 6-year graduation rate in engineering prior to the Toys’n MORE project for all regional campuses was 30%. Therefore, 23 percentage points higher retention in engineering was likewise projected for the 2010 and 2011 summer bridge cohorts over engineering students at the three regional campuses. Comparison against a matched sample for the 2010 cohort. The 2010 Toys’n MORE summer bridge participants were also compared to a sample of nonparticipants matched on five demographic and academic variables. Examined for fall semester of Year 3 was the major status of the students at three levels: retention in Engineering, STEM, and the University on the whole. Retention was greater among the Toys’n MORE bridge students by 12, 19, and 15 percentage points, respectively, compared to the matched comparisons. The broader impact of the bridge program at the three regional campuses was that an increased number of under-served engineering students were on track to graduate, exceeding the project goal of 10%. The intellectual merits of these findings were that regional campus bridge programs provided students with academic preparation, learning communities, relationships with the local instructors, and familiarity with their local campus, all ingredients contributing to success in college.
