Impact of Peer-Assisted Learning and Leadership Development on Undergraduate Students

Julie Fogarty; Robin Altman; Jennifer Lundmark

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 12
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41968
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41968
Download Count: 288

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Paper Authors

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Julie Fogarty California State University, Sacramento

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Dr. Fogarty received her B.S. in Civil Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, M.S. degrees in both Civil & Aerospace Engineering, a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, and a certificate in Engineering Education Research from the University of Michigan. She is currently an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at California State University, Sacramento with research interests ranging from the seismic behavior of steel structures to improving/expanding the educational methods used in the formation of engineers.

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Robin Altman California State University, Sacramento

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Dr. Altman received her B.S. in General Biology from the University of California, San Diego and her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology from the University of California, Davis. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at California State University, Sacramento. Her research interests include the role of neurovascular dysfunction in diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease, and the teaching and learning of physiology at the undergraduate level.

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Jennifer Lundmark

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I am a Professor of Biological Sciences with a specialty in Physiology (Ph.D. from UC Davis in 1996) at California State University, Sacramento. I developed the Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) program in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in 2012, and have worked with many campus partners over the years to ensure its continued success, including this partnership with the College of Engineering & Computer Sciences.

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Abstract

With college advisory boards and potential employers consistently voicing their desire for engineers and scientists who can communicate well, work effectively in teams, and independently problem-solve, the Colleges of Engineering & Computer Science (ECS) and Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) at Sacramento State University, a large, public, primarily undergraduate institution, have deployed two programs to explicitly address these skills for undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. The goals of the NSF-funded Achieving STEM Persistence through Peer-Assisted Learning and Leadership Development (ASPIRE) project are to increase retention and decrease time to graduation for STEM students, as well as increase retention of women and underrepresented minorities (URM) in the STEM workforce by implementing evidence-based practices to promote student success during two critical transitions: 1) from lower-division to upper-division coursework in engineering; and 2) from upper-division coursework to an entry-level STEM career.

ASPIRE aims to achieve these goals by: 1) adapting and implementing the NSM Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program in gateway engineering courses; and 2) developing the Hornet Leadership Program which includes scaffolded opportunities for students to explore their leadership capacity and develop leadership skills. The main research questions for this study include: (1) Will the ECS PAL model and Hornet Leadership Program result in increased persistence and workforce readiness in STEM majors at a large, diverse university? (2) What attitude changes will this project have on students and faculty and the relationships between them? The first question is addressed through pre- and post-implementation student surveys and student course/GPA data. The second question is addressed through faculty surveys, faculty focus groups/interviews, and pre- and post-data from a faculty professional development workshop. In general, preliminary results from this study indicate the new ECS PAL program successfully attracts URM students and thus has the potential to support their persistence and STEM workforce readiness. Additionally, undergraduate students across both Colleges who participated in the inaugural Hornet Leadership Program gained non-technical skills and experiences directly linked to competitiveness and preparation for workforce entry and graduate programs. Finally, faculty surveys and the faculty professional development workshop indicate that faculty value student leadership development, but identify barriers to accomplishing this work.

Citation
Format

Fogarty, J., & Altman, R., & Lundmark, J. (2022, August), Impact of Peer-Assisted Learning and Leadership Development on Undergraduate Students Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41968

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - With college advisory boards and potential employers consistently voicing their desire for engineers and scientists who can communicate well, work effectively in teams, and independently problem-solve, the Colleges of Engineering & Computer Science (ECS) and Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) at Sacramento State University, a large, public, primarily undergraduate institution, have deployed two programs to explicitly address these skills for undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. The goals of the NSF-funded Achieving STEM Persistence through Peer-Assisted Learning and Leadership Development (ASPIRE) project are to increase retention and decrease time to graduation for STEM students, as well as increase retention of women and underrepresented minorities (URM) in the STEM workforce by implementing evidence-based practices to promote student success during two critical transitions: 1) from lower-division to upper-division coursework in engineering; and 2) from upper-division coursework to an entry-level STEM career. 

ASPIRE aims to achieve these goals by: 1) adapting and implementing the NSM Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program in gateway engineering courses; and 2) developing the Hornet Leadership Program which includes scaffolded opportunities for students to explore their leadership capacity and develop leadership skills. The main research questions for this study include: (1) Will the ECS PAL model and Hornet Leadership Program result in increased persistence and workforce readiness in STEM majors at a large, diverse university? (2) What attitude changes will this project have on students and faculty and the relationships between them? The first question is addressed through pre- and post-implementation student surveys and student course/GPA data. The second question is addressed through faculty surveys, faculty focus groups/interviews, and pre- and post-data from a faculty professional development workshop. In general, preliminary results from this study indicate the new ECS PAL program successfully attracts URM students and thus has the potential to support their persistence and STEM workforce readiness. Additionally, undergraduate students across both Colleges who participated in the inaugural Hornet Leadership Program gained non-technical skills and experiences directly linked to competitiveness and preparation for workforce entry and graduate programs. Finally, faculty surveys and the faculty professional development workshop indicate that faculty value student leadership development, but identify barriers to accomplishing this work.
AU  - Julie Fogarty
AU  - Robin Altman
AU  - Jennifer Lundmark
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Impact of Peer-Assisted Learning and Leadership Development on Undergraduate Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41968
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41968
ER  -