Improving retention and graduation rates for undergraduate STEM students via PRIME

Abstract

TWU-PRIME (Partnerships, Research, Innovation, Mentoring, & Engagement) is a project designed to improve retention and graduation rates for undergraduate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students at Texas Woman’s University through capacity building for both students and faculty. It is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and addresses critical transitions for students in STEM foundation courses (General Biology 1 and 2, General Chemistry 1 and 2, College Algebra, and other courses) through immersive faculty training and course redesign. A specifically designed TWU-PRIME Academy helps TWU STEM faculty gain experience with innovative, evidence-based, and culturally relevant teaching approaches involving active learning techniques and thus addresses the needs of our 21st century students. TWUPRIME participants engage in a Community of Practice that creates strong bonds and partnerships between students and faculty and emphasizes innovative cross-sector partnerships with external partners. These mutually beneficial partnerships result in meaningful STEM experiences and collaborations including mentored research internships for our student participants and the development of faculty relationships with industry and research partners. Our paper will provide a deeper insight into the initial set up of this galvanizing mentorship program, the development of the PRIME Academy that embeds faculty within a group of reflective practitioners, and reports on the first results we can see now that we are in the second year of the PRIME program.