Evaluating a science diversity program at UC Berkeley: more questions than answers.

Area of Science:

• Biological Sciences
• Higher Education
• Diversity in STEM

Background:

• Diversity programs aim to boost academic success for underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.
• Ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in science majors and careers.
• The Biology Scholars Program (BSP) at UC Berkeley targets biological sciences participation and success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess the impact of the Biology Scholars Program (BSP) on student success in biological sciences.
• To compare graduation rates and GPAs of BSP participants versus non-participants.
• To investigate program effectiveness across different racial/ethnic groups.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative comparison of students in and out of the BSP.
• Analysis of biology degree graduation rates.
• Comparison of high school GPAs and SAT scores.
• Evaluation of UC Berkeley biology GPAs by race/ethnicity.

Main Results:

• BSP students graduate with biology degrees at significantly higher rates than non-BSP students, irrespective of race/ethnicity.
• BSP students have lower high school GPAs and SAT scores compared to non-BSP students.
• African-American and Hispanic BSP students achieve higher UC Berkeley biology GPAs than their non-BSP counterparts.
• Majority (Asian and White) BSP students achieve similar UC GPAs to non-BSP students despite lower SAT scores.

Conclusions:

• The Biology Scholars Program (BSP) demonstrably improves biology degree completion rates.
• The program appears effective for diverse student populations, including those with lower initial academic indicators.
• Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind the BSP's success and its differential impact.