By Jana Talley, Co-Editor of DUE Point, Jackson State University

STEM courses can be challenging, particularly Calculus I which is known as the gateway math course to most STEM majors. Community college students and those from vulnerable backgrounds (such as first generation, underrepresented, or financially disadvantaged students) are especially prone to struggle with this critical course. The Math Acceleration for STEM Students (MASS) project is designed to increase diversity in STEM fields by addressing this issue. I spoke with the program director Gwen Gilinger at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) to find out more about the project.

What inspired you to apply to NSF’s S-STEM grant program?

Our institution has a long history of implementing successful NSF grants. Building on that previous work and an existing STEM CORE program, we developed MASS. Recipients of semester-long MASS scholarships simultaneously enroll in two developmental math courses to enhance connections across content as well as build student confidence. These course sequences may consist of Pre-Algebra and Introductory Algebra or in some cases Intermediate Algebra and Pre-Calculus I. Participants in the program are additionally supported through faculty mentorship.

How is your work with MASS extending that of the STEM Core program?

STEM Core is a program that started in California where the nonprofit firm, Growth Sector, partnered with community colleges to facilitate accelerated math courses, wrap-around student support, and opportunities for internships. STEM Core was brought to Maryland by our Assistant Dean of Mathematics. We have used it to create cohorts of STEM majors who enroll in accelerated math courses together. Some of our students start in Pre-Calculus courses and only require one accelerated sequence to finish Calculus I. On the other hand, those who start in developmental math require two accelerated sequences. When successful, STEM Core supports students who start in developmental math in passing Calculus I within one year.

Data from other studies has shown that accelerated math courses can improve pass rates in Pre-Calculus I (previously College Algebra) when developmental math and Pre-Calculus I are combined and taught in one semester. However, the level of success that these students achieve going forward is less well understood. Also, there’s no real data on success rates with the accelerated sequence consisting of Pre-Calculus II and Calculus I. Our MASS project is designed to both support the work of STEM Core and address these inquiries. More specifically, our research focuses on accelerated math and the impact of student support specialists on success rates in the accelerated courses. I am hoping that the knowledge we gain will allow us to further improve our student support process as well as strengthen our accelerated math courses.

How has the management of this program been different from previous S-STEM grants on your campus?

There is no question that COVID has impacted this project. Between Spring 2020 and Fall 2020, many of our students struggled to adjust to online instruction. Though we had a decline in the number of students participating in MASS, we updated our workshops and meetings with student support specialists to virtual formats that adhere to COVID safety guidelines. We have also made significant adjustments to our recruitment strategies. With previous S-STEM grants we were able to take students at any point in their CCBC career. With this grant our target population is students who are at the Pre-Calculus level. While this limits our potential participant pool, we have been able to use developmental math class lists to target students via text messaging to make them aware of the scholarship opportunity.

How do students feel about the Math Acceleration for STEM Students program?

The following is one of our student’s stories, in their own words:

“I’ve been in STEM Core for almost 2 years, signing up during my first semester at the recommendation of an academic advisor. By my second semester I was fully initiated in the program, and I had a scholarship, a mentor, weekly advising, and I was well on my way to completing my prerequisite math classes thanks to AMP [Accelerated Math Program] math courses that were offered. Out of everything I’ve experienced in STEM Core, I value how comfortably I’m able to seek out advice and guidance from everyone who is a part of it. I really do believe the meetings I’ve had have given me direction when I needed it the most. As I come closer to completing my Associates and transferring to a four-year university, I realize I owe a lot to my time in the program. I’ve excelled academically holding a high GPA, established my first professional connections, and built a resume with actual real-world experience thanks to a paid summer internship.”

Learn more about NSF DUE (#1833839)

Full Project Name: Accelerated Courses S-STEM CCBC

Abstract Link: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1833839&HistoricalAwards=false

Project Contact: Gwen Gilinger (Principal Investigator), The Community College of Baltimore County, ggilinger@ccbcmd.edu

• Responses in this blog were edited for length and clarity.