Successful Interventions to Eliminate Achievement Gaps in STEM Courses

Abstract

At our institution equity gaps persist between student subgroup populations in STEM courses, mirroring a nationally recognized trend in higher education. This research applies backward design to explore the size of those gaps and reasons for differences in achievement between 1) female versus male, 2) first generation versus non-first generation, 3) LatinX versus non-LatinX, and 4) EOP versus non-EOP student groups. During her career, the first author of this paper designed and applied a comprehensive teaching approach to her large, undergraduate, Computer Science theory course. Careful analysis reveals three main categories of pedagogical practice used during lecture: role modeling, demonstrating productive failure, and illuminating stereotype threat. Five quarters of experimentation, revision, and application of these practices produce promising results for reducing equity gaps. Course design and learning theories from the educational literature are explored and provide the framework the authors use to explore and explain findings.