Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation

Executive Summary

Program Context: Texas A&M International University implemented the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program in August 2019, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. The program, led by Dr. Khasawneh, has sought to increase research participation for STEM undergraduate students, by providing financial support for research presentations at state and national conferences. The program focuses on fostering achievement in minority, STEM students by aiding in the participation of enrichment activities and specific programs, such as undergraduate research and supplemental instruction, respectively. The research team is comprised of Dr. Mahmoud Khasawneh (PI), Dr. John Kilburn (co-PI), Dr. Jared Dmello (Senior Researcher and Program Evaluator), and Yahaira S. Franco (Program Specialist).

Research Activities: The TAMIU LSAMP research team developed and implemented a surveybased study to investigate STEM students’ perception of undergraduate research, their awareness of research opportunities, and barriers relevant to their participation in undergraduate research at TAMIU. The LSAMP Program Specialist assisted Dr. Khasawneh and the rest of the TAMIU LSAMP team, with participant recruitment and data collection. The survey was distributed to students who were STEM majors and who were of undergraduate classification. Findings from this study, entitled “Undergraduate Research Awareness and its Effect on Retention and Interest of STEM Majors,” was accepted for presentation at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Annual Conference and Expo in May 2021, through a competitive, peerreviewed process, and will be published in the conference proceedings.

Student Support: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many TAMIU students and faculty had disruptions in their research activities to adhere to safety guidelines. Additionally, many professional conferences were cancelled or moved to a virtual environment, impacting the number of students that were applying to receive financial support to attend conferences during the 2020 – 2021 academic year. Nevertheless, TAMIU anticipates the number of students who will benefit from LSAMP participation to increase in future semesters as the institution transitions back to normal classroom settings. Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions were transitioned to virtual SI sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020 and continued in this manner through Summer 2021. TAMIU LSAMP and the Dean of University College collaborated to create a fulltime Learning Support Specialist (LSS) position as of May 2021. TAMIU will continue to provide SI sessions for relevant STEM gateway courses with high rates of D/F/W grades.

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Executive Summary

Program Context: Texas A&M International University implemented the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program in August 2019, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. The program, led by Dr. Khasawneh, seeks to increase research participation for STEM undergraduate students, by providing financial support for research presentations at state and national conferences. The program focuses on fostering achievement in minority, STEM students by aiding in the participation of enrichment activities and specific programs, such as undergraduate research and supplemental instruction, respectively. The research team is comprised of Dr. Mahmoud Khasawneh (PI), Dr. John Kilburn (co-PI), Dr. Jared Dmello (Senior Researcher and Program Evaluator), Alicia Segovia (Program Specialist), and Daphne Sanchez (Program Assistant).

Research Activities: The TAMIU LSAMP research team developed a survey-based study to investigate STEM students’ perception of undergraduate research, their awareness of research opportunities, and barriers relevant to their participation in undergraduate research at their institution. The LSAMP Program Specialist assisted Dr. Khasawneh and the rest of the TAMIU LSAMP team, with participant recruitment and data collection. The survey was distributed to students who were STEM majors and who were of undergraduate classification. Preliminary findings from this study, entitled “A Proposed Survey-Based Student-Centered Framework for Evaluation of Undergraduate Research Awareness in Minority-Serving Institutions,” was accepted for presentation at the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Annual Conference in June 2020, through a competitive, peer-reviewed process, and will be published in the conference proceedings.

Student Support: In Fall 2019, TAMIU hosted the 16th Annual Pathways Student Research Symposium, where 19 LSAMP students had the opportunity to attend or present their research and attend graduate school seminars. Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions were implemented in early Fall 2019 and transitioned to virtual SI sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020. TAMIU will continue to provide virtual SI sessions for relevant courses until it is safe to transition back to face-to-face sessions.

Impact of COVID-19: As a result of the global pandemic, many professional conferences were cancelled or moved to a virtual environment, impacting the number of students that were able to receive financial support to attend conferences in Spring 2020. Nevertheless, TAMIU anticipates the number of students who will benefit from LSAMP participation to increase in future semesters as the institution transitions back to normal classroom settings.

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2020 - Khasawneh, M., Kilburn, J. C., Dmello, J. R., Sanchez, D. E., & Segovia, A. A Proposed Survey-based Student-Centered Framework for Evaluation of Undergraduate Research Awareness in a Minority-Serving Institution. Proceedings of the American Society of Engineering Education's 2020 Virtual Conference.

Abstract

The purpose of this work in progress study is to present a survey-based framework to evaluate the awareness of and participation in undergraduate research experiences (URE) by students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors in Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). MSIs, which include historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and Hispanic serving institutions (HSI), recruit and admit underserved, low income, minority students in various disciplines, including STEM. While MSIs attempt to bridge educational gaps seen in these students with pre-college resources, first year mentoring, and tutoring sessions, awareness and participation in URE is not prevalent at a MSI. Participation in such activities, however, has been linked to improved career prospects and an increase in the number of students seeking graduate degrees. Past studies have suggested that an initial interest in STEM does not necessarily continue throughout undergraduate education with a higher number of students requesting major changes and/or prolonging their graduation timeline. This paper proposes to

identify current notions and perceptions surrounding undergraduate research of STEM students at a mid-sized MSI along the U.S.- Mexico border. The proposed design for this study will include an online survey to identify which students are more likely to be aware of and participate in undergraduate research and which students are not. Our model will focus on remediation to increase participation in URE, retention in STEM majors, and progression towards career prospects and graduate study.

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Khasawneh, M. T., Dmello, J. R., Franco, Y. S., & Kilburn, J. C. (2021). Campus undergraduate research awareness and its effect on retention and interest of STEM majors. IIE Annual Conference. Proceedings,127-132.*

Abstract

Despite efforts to increase interest and retention of STEM students to meet the demand for STEM professionals, science and engineering degrees account for only 35% of all bachelor’s degrees in the nation. Minorities and women account for even smaller percentages of STEM degrees. Studies report that undergraduate research participation helps bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and real-world application for students. The objectives of this study are to discuss the impact of undergraduate research participation on STEM majors and to identify the factors deterring students from participating. Through undergraduate research, factors such as lack of mentoring, lack of self-efficacy, lack of academic preparation and stigmas associated with STEM fields may be addressed to provide a more diverse and inclusive environment for underrepresented minorities and women in STEM careers. This study employed survey methods to measure student awareness of undergraduate research opportunities at a mid-sized minority-serving regional institution. A total of 96 responses were collected and the survey administered included quantitative and open-ended qualitative questions regarding interests in research, participation in research, student college classification, and factors deterring interests or participation in research. Preliminary findings suggest that while 84% of students are interested in undergraduate research, only 18% participate in it. Participants cited lack of awareness of research opportunities and lack of knowledge on how to get involved as reasons for low research participation. Identifying the factors that keep STEM students from engaging in undergraduate research opportunities is important for the retention of STEM majors, especially for women and underrepresented minorities.

*This study won second place in the IISE Engineering Education Track for best paper.

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