California State University (CSU) is receiving $7.5 million from the California Education Learning Lab to work on closing the gap in STEM and other disciplines by reimagining online courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields at six of their of campuses: Fullerton, Humboldt, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, San Marcos and Sonoma.
The number of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in STEM occupations continue to be disproportionately lower than non-URMs, with African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans accounting for only 11 percent of all STEM workers. Research found that increased diversity among workers drives greater creativity and innovation.
CSU San Marcos, for example, is teaming up with MiraCosta College to make introductory computer science courses less lecture-based and more student driven. Their project, “Giving the Ownership of Active Learning to Students (GOALS)," will breakdown the courses into online modules of short readings and activities.
The modules will assess students' understanding of the materials, allowing both students and lecturers to identify the areas that each student needs help with. Students will also have open access to online resources to help them further their understanding in target areas. The course will include culturally relevant content to increase the retention and academic performance of URM students.
“In a traditional lecture setting, students are passively listening to the instructors and taking notes instead of actively engaging and digesting new content," says Youwen Ouyang, professor of Computer Science at CSU San Marcos.
“The materials will be broken down into interactive modules so that students can figure out what they understand and what they don't. We believe in student-driven learning and will design the courses to help students clearly see and achieve the goals of their learning."
Humboldt State, in partnership with UC Irvine, Foothill-DeAnza Community College District and Modesto Junior College, will use their grant to address one of the main challenges to successful learning in an online environment: effective human interaction.
The team will implement the Humanizing Academy, a professional development program to help online instructors develop empathy, presence, awareness and human connections. Faculty will use tools and technologies to improve relationships with their students and build classroom community. The goal is to improve student interactions, strengthen students' sense of belonging and, ultimately, increase learning outcomes, especially for URM students.
The 2018-19 California Education Learning Lab awarded projects are:
Community Sourced, Data-Driven Improvements to Open, Adaptive Courseware - $1,300,000
CSU Fullerton, UC Berkeley, Santa Ana College
Eliminating Equity Gaps in Online STEM Gateway Courses through Humanized Instruction - $1,300,000
Humboldt State, UC Irvine, Foothill-De Anza Community College District, Modesto Junior College
Building and Testing a New Model for Continuous Improvement of High-Impact Online and Hybrid College Courses - $1,300,000
Cal State LA, UCLA, Los Angeles Pierce College
The Mechanics of Inclusion and Inclusivity in Mechanics - $1,300,000
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Santa Barbara, Allan Hancock College
Giving the Ownership of Active Learning to Students (GOALS) - $1,038,000
CSU San Marcos & MiraCosta College
Developing Student Identity and Self-Perception as Capable STEM Thinkers and Learners at the Community College Level - $1,300,000
Sonoma State, UC Berkeley, College of Marin, Diablo Valley College
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