The STEM Student Success Team – Meeting Students Where They’re At

A team of staff and graduate students in the College of Science student services coordinates a STEM tutoring program. At the end of the year, they convene to review the reach and impact of their academic coaching and supplemental instruction programs. During the review, they become aware of a racial disparity in student access to the programs and reporting positive outcomes.

In response to these findings, the team invites consultation with campus stakeholders to explore mitigating factors. After thorough review, institutional partners recommend exploring whether the centralization of their programs prohibits student participation and whether the team should offer outreach to spaces and programs where students of color frequent and congregate, such as cultural centers or particular residence halls.

Outreach work is unprecedented for the STEM tutoring program, and many team members share concerns about cost, efficiency and organizational stress. Feeling overwhelmed by the prospect change, the team decides to take time to reflect and imagine changes over summer. After thorough dialogue and additional learning and exploration, many team members grow their confidence to expand their work and advocate for changes to realize their mission and commitment to inclusive excellence. Subsequently the team decides to pilot an outreach program in the fall term.

Key Take-Aways
  • The Issue: The STEM student success team engages in an evaluation of its programs and discovers a disparity in access and outcomes for students of color.
  • The Deliberation: The team consults with institutional stakeholders and receives recommendations about expanding services to decentralized locations.
  • The Growth: The team works through its ambivalence about outreach education and invests in dialogue and professional development. Team members are able to grow their confidence and skills to imagine their work in new ways and agree to pilot an outreach program in the upcoming semester.