Implementing Guided Inquiry Learning and Peer-Led Tutoring in Online Algebra and General Biology Laboratory Courses to Increase Student Retention and Degree Completion

The post-COVID movement of first-year courses to virtual environments led to increased underrepresented minority student enrollment but decreased student engagement. In this project Indian River State College aims to improve student engagement by piloting the use of high impact teaching practices, specifically in an online environment. In particular, the project seeks to increase enrollment, persistence, and successful completion of College Algebra and General Biology lab, two gateway courses that are fundamental for further progress in STEM disciplines. This project will modify techniques used in the in-person environment to improve online student success. Peer learning assistants will be placed in virtual courses to increase support for online learners. Content will be taught using process-oriented guided inquiry learning, a method shown to increase student engagement and improve processing skills in face-to-face courses. Using these practices, the college expects to increase the number of students retained through the next science and math classes and improve the likelihood that they will complete a STEM degree.

This project will explore how embedded peer learning assistants and guided inquiry methods can be used in virtual modalities to promote student engagement, persistence, and completion for students pursuing their degrees at a community college. Two goals guide the work of the project's investigators. First is to increase the percentage of students enrolled in online College Algebra and General Biology lab courses with embedded peer tutors and guided inquiry teaching techniques. Second is to increase the percentage of Hispanic students persisting from first to second semester Mathematics and Biology. The project will increase the number of minority students that pursue STEM careers and the number of graduates from groups whose participation in STEM is proportionately less than their representation within the general population. The project's results and pedagogical best practices will be shared through publications, a website, and the college's Open Education Resource depository. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity at HSIs. Achieving these aims, given the diverse nature and context of the HSIs, requires innovative approaches that incentivize institutional and community transformation and promote fundamental research (i) on engaged student learning, (ii) about what it takes to diversify and increase participation in STEM effectively, and (iii) that improves our understanding of how to build institutional capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also draw from these approaches to generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.