Author(s):
Motivating STEM Undergraduates at a Minority Serving Institution Using Hands-on LearningNeed: Teaching and learning geared towards motivating students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, particularly those learning at minority serving institutions (MSI), is crucial for building an inclusive and diverse technical workforce capable of addressing modern national and global challenges. Making core STEM concepts more engaging and easily relatable through a student-centered pedagogy is one of the keys to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce of the future. Hands-on, experiential learning can increase engagement and comprehension of abstract STEM concepts. However, there is a need for more research on effective pedagogical techniques to motivate undergraduates in STEM disciplines.Guiding Questions: Therefore, this study explores how experiment-centric pedagogy, a hands-on learning approach, influenced STEM undergraduates’ motivation. This study was conducted to answer the following questions about the impact of experiment-centric pedagogy (ECP): 1) Can ECP lead to an improvement of STEM undergraduates’ understanding of foundational STEM concepts, 2) Can ECP cause a significant difference between the motivation of STEM undergraduates pre- and post-implementation of module? and (3) Does self-identified gender mediate STEM undergraduates’ motivation pre- and post-implementation of experiment-centric pedagogy?Outcomes: The preliminary result of the implementation of ECP was assessed across 92 undergraduates learning concepts related to stress/strain in bridges, sound for noise barriers, moisture content for compaction, and degradation from environmental exposure. Results showed ECP increased students’ motivation, self-efficacy, curiosity, cognitive understanding of concepts, and academic performance. Specifically, students’ high motivation levels rose from 50.9% pre-ECP to 55.9% post-ECP. More female students (58.8%) exhibited high motivation post-ECP than males (54.8%), though not statistically significant. Qualitative classroom observations also revealed greater engagement and interaction with ECP.Broader Impacts: This study shows how STEM undergraduates, particularly at minority serving institutions, may be taught and motivated by adopting experimental learning pedagogy like ECP into future STEM workforce. By using this proven pedagogy to increase underrepresented minority engagement in technical professions, the talent pool for tackling emerging challenges is expanded. These results shed light on how practical educational trainings might improve STEM learning and motivation across a range of demographic groups. This study shows how important it is to provide students with experiences that go beyond traditional lectures in order to enhance their conceptual understanding, retention of the content, and interest in STEM disciplines.
Coauthors
Pelumi Abiodun, Morgan State University, Baltimore MD; Uttam Gaulee, Morgan State University, Baltimore MD; Krishna Bista, Morgan State University, Baltimore MD; Md Rahman, Morgan State University, Baltimore MD
