Using Mid-Semester Evaluations for Increasing Success of STEM Students: A Case-Study

Abstract

Increasing persistence and graduation of post-secondary STEM students is a topic of significant focus and research, as are strategies for identifying barriers to success and intervening to bridge related gaps. In the case of underrepresented students, there are many challenges that may impact persistence in STEM majors, many of which, while manifesting as academic failure, are not directly related to academics. Thus, it is important not only to develop mechanisms for recognizing when students are in danger of failing courses, but to also establish a support structure for intervention that ascertains and addresses a variety of possible causes. This article describes a strategy for increasing student success and indicates some of the successes, some of the failures, and some of the challenges involved in conducting a mid-semester evaluation as part of a National Science Foundation Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) project. Students for our S-STEM project were selected from juniors and seniors with significant unmet financial need primarily on the basis of academic ability with specific effort placed on supporting students from demographic groups under-represented in STEM majors.