Success with EASE: Who benefits from a STEM learning community?

Area of Science:

• STEM Education
• Higher Education Pedagogy
• Student Success Initiatives

Background:

• Nationwide efforts focus on improving STEM undergraduate performance and persistence.
• Addressing social-psychological needs alongside course content delivery is crucial for student success.
• Learning communities offer a multifaceted approach to enhance cognitive and social-psychological aspects of learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of the Enhanced Academic Success Experience (EASE) learning community on first-year biological sciences majors.
• To assess the effects of the EASE program on academic outcomes, sense of belonging, and academic integration.
• To identify differential impacts of the learning community intervention across student subgroups.

Main Methods:

• The study evaluated the Enhanced Academic Success Experience (EASE) program, a learning community for first-year biological sciences students.
• Student assignment to EASE was based on SAT/ACT Math scores, a predictor of academic success.
• Outcomes measured included STEM course grades, cumulative first-year GPA, sense of belonging, academic integration, and intention to persist in the major.

Main Results:

• Enrollment in EASE correlated with higher STEM course grades and a 0.25 increase in cumulative first-year GPA.
• Participants reported gains in sense of belonging and academic integration.
• The EASE program positively correlated with students' intention to remain in the biological sciences major, with the most pronounced effects seen in under-represented students.

Conclusions:

• Discipline-specific learning communities like EASE can improve academic outcomes for STEM undergraduates.
• The EASE program demonstrates potential in supporting students at risk of leaving STEM, particularly those underprepared for college-level work.
• Learning communities effectively address both cognitive and social-psychological needs, fostering greater student engagement and persistence in STEM fields.