8月21日, 2023 — 教师 at bet亚洲365欢迎投注 participated in a research project aimed at improving student achievement in introductory science college courses. The project was made possible through a grant from the American Talent Initiative (ATI) which works to bring top colleges 和 universities together to exp和 access 和 opportunity for academically talented students with low 和 moderate income.

Marist's project was led by 院长艾丽西亚·斯莱特 和 Dr. 伊丽莎白·戈丁 from Marist’s School of 科学 和 Dr. Kate Wright from the Rochester Institute of Technology. 科学, 技术, 工程, 和 mathematics) courses are known to be barriers to student success 和 students have historically received more “DFW” grades (grades of D or F 和 withdrawals) in these courses compared to other introductory courses.

Dr. Alicia Slater (left) 和 Dr. 伊丽莎白·戈丁 (right)

“My passion for this work came from almost 20 years of teaching introductory biology courses,斯莱特说. “These courses were some of the most academically challenging courses in the curriculum 和, 结果是, they often discouraged potential scientists 和 healthcare providers from entering those professions. I wanted to find ways to transform this lost potential into stories of success while maintaining or improving learning gains.”

Dean Slater和Dr. Godin looked for ways to provide academic support for students in gateway courses in order to increase their academic performance. Dean Slater suggested the use of supplemental peer instruction, which involves having a peer instructor embedded in the course in addition to the academic supports already in place. Peer instruction is based on the premise that students who have recently completed a course successfully can act as translators to help beginners master the material.

“I became interested in this project after becoming aware of high DFW rates in our introductory biology courses,戈丁说. “Preliminary data suggests that the inclusion of a peer instructor helps students to be more successful. I am looking forward to our next cohort to see if the trend continues.”

阅读更多bet亚洲365欢迎投注 这个项目 和 how it led to decreased DFW rates in gateway biology courses 在这里.

The project is a further reflection of the School of 科学’s commitment to supporting success. The School is also in the initial stages or participating in the Gateways to Completion project — a collaboration with the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in 本科 Education. The research goal is to increase student success in gateway courses, 一年级的保留, 和 6-year graduation rates.