STEM data reveals it’s just as important to measure behavior and engagement in different fields as it is to measure outcomes to increase STEM student retention.
STEM is often lumped into a broad category of learning with specific fields overlooked in general research. But recent STEM data research into behavioral differences within specific subjects reveals that not all STEM classes are created gender equal—and some colleges and universities are better at supporting female engagement than others.
“We went into this research with no preconceived notion of how the dynamics within a biology class or computer science class should be,” explained Jessica Gilmartin, head of business and lead researcher at Piazza—a STEM platform designed to connect teachers and students to those in the STEM field. “But we did know there’s a dearth in data when it comes to measuring behaviors within STEM. There’s lots of information on outcomes, and that’s also needed, but we need data on student/teacher interaction within class; such as asking questions, posting on class forums, interacting with other students, et cetera.”
Piazza’s research focused on 976,000 college and graduate STEM student enrollments at traditional college and graduate programs within the U.S. and Canada (1.126 million total student enrollments, including humanities and social sciences). Researchers tracked students over nearly four terms: Spring 2012, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, and Fall 2014 through November 10th. Data collected involved more than 2.3 million questions asked and answers given, 2.1 million of which involved STEM and computer science coursework.…Read More