Concurrent – Institutional Initiative Session
General Information:
Program Chair: Yes
Session Topic: Academic Success in STEM
Session Title: Interactive Teaching and Advising Support STEM Success
Institution: Boston University
Institution Affiliation: Private, not for profit
Institution Type: Four-year
Institution Enrollment: More than 20,000
Special Serving Institution: No
If other, please specify:
Position Title: Chair, Boston University Science & Engineering Program
First Name: Carla
Last Name: Romney
Address: 808 Commonwealth Avenue Room 243
City: Boston
State: MA
Zip: 02215
Country: United States
Phone: 617-358-5959
Fax: 617-358-4484
E-mail: romney@bu.edu
Biographical Sketch of Program Chair:
Carla holds BSEE, ME, and DSc degrees in STEM fields, serves as Chair of the Science and Engineering
Program, and is Assistant Dean at Boston University School of Medicine. She mentors and advises
undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields and teaches introductory mathematics courses. She
has developed the tablet PC enriched learning environment and an integrated approach to teaching and
advising that are the hallmarks of the Science and Engineering Program.
Audio/Visual Equipment Needed:
LCD (Data) projector
Screen
Session Abstract:
SEP’s two-year transitional program provides enhanced academic support to students who are interested
in STEM fields but lack credentials for direct admission into these majors at our institution. The session
will demonstrate the use of tablet PCs to enhance academic success in STEM and discuss SEP's integrated
approach to teaching and academic advising within a tight-knit supportive community. This integrated
approach improves the academic performance of these at-risk first-year students.
Evidence of Assessment:
While we appreciate the challenges in conducting educational research, we have made a concerted effort
to develop the tablet PC implementation project using a matched case-control study design with a mixed
methods (i.e., quantitative and qualitative) assessment. We have controlled for student-level variables
such as prior academic preparation, initial academic interest, and male:female ratio. We also controlled
for staff-level variables since the same instructor and advisor worked with these students. We controlled
for course-level variables such as class size, textbook, content coverage, examinations, and grading
rubric.
We are expanding this study in Fall 2009, since the same instructor and advisor are working with a new
cohort of 30 students. We are also conducting a longitudinal analysis of the outcomes from the first
tablet PC cohort and will have data on these students at the end of the fall semester. If the reviewers
have suggestions for additional assessments that they would like to see us include, we will administer
them and present the findings.
Detailed Summary:
Boston University’s Science and Engineering Program (SEP) is a two-year transitional program that
provides academic support to students interested in STEM but who lack credentials for direct admission
into these majors. SEP is unique because it has a dedicated Academic Counselor who teaches a required
first-year seminar and students see the Academic Counselor as a faculty member.
SEP’s faculty members are outstanding teachers and they teach the introductory courses to ensure
exemplary classroom experiences. SEP recently received a grant to transform its introductory
mathematics course by incorporating Tablet PCs for note-taking and in-class problem solving, including
the display of student work so that students learn from one another. Class recordings are posted as
Flash files on the course website.
Since SEP faculty members share observations about student performance with the Academic Counselor,
academic interventions are made prudently. Data from the Tablet PC implementation suggest that
student engagement is higher in Tablet PC classes than in conventional "chalk talk" classes of the same
size offered by the same instructor in prior years. "Hits" on the website increased (4884 hits with Tablet
PC class vs. an average of 2307 hits in prior three years). Attendance was slightly improved (99% vs.
96%) and academic performance was also better (0 withdrawals and 1 C- out of 20 students in Tablet PC
course vs. 5 withdrawals, 5 D, and 3 C- grades out of 56 students in prior three years).
SEP’s success in retaining first-year students in STEM derives from its integration of academic advising,
STEM instruction, and community building. Retention in STEM is a major national challenge, especially
for at-risk first-year students who might abandon STEM for non-technical majors. SEP addresses this
urgent need by providing coordinated academic advising and an innovative learning environment to
engage first-year students and promote their academic success.
Implications for Institutional Improvement or Advancement:
The data included in this presentation will advance institutional programs because the results indicate
that a coordinated advising and innovative technology-rich learning environment can retain first-year
students in introductory mathematics and thereby STEM fields. As tablet PCs become more affordable
and widespread later this year as a result of the introduction of Windows 7 (completely pen-enabled) and
the anticipated launch of an $800 Apple tablet PC in December 2009, we expect that many educators, IT
staffers, and higher education administrators will look at these computers and their role in providing a
better means of note-taking and lecture-delivery. We expect that these stakeholders will also be forced
to consider their existing computer requirements for first-year students. Many will consider tablet PCs,
since they are more powerful and useful than netbooks and conventional laptops and will cost no more
than these machines. This presentation will likely be one of the only sessions to present data on the
impact of this technology. Ideally, we would like to create a hands-on session during the meeting so that
participants can try the technology for themselves. If internet access is available, we propose to make
this session an interactive one by using the tablet PC classroom software to present the session.
Additional Presenters:
Yes
Presenter 1
First Name: Cathy
Last Name: Lysy
Title: Senior Academic Counselor, Science and Engineering Program
Institution: Boston University
Address: 808 Commonwealth Avenue Room 245
City: Boston
State: MA
Zip Code: 02215
E-mail Address: clysy@bu.edu
Phone: 617-353-0935
Country: United States