Publications
Technical Reports
Executive Summary
Program Context: Texas A&M International University implemented the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program in August 2019, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. The program, led by Dr. Khasawneh, has sought to increase research participation for STEM undergraduate students, by providing financial support for research presentations at state and national conferences. The program focuses on fostering achievement in minority, STEM students by aiding in the participation of enrichment activities and specific programs, such as undergraduate research and supplemental instruction, respectively. The research team is comprised of Dr. Mahmoud Khasawneh (PI), Dr. John Kilburn (co-PI), Dr. Jared Dmello (Senior Researcher and Program Evaluator), and Yahaira S. Franco (Program Specialist).
Research Activities: The TAMIU LSAMP research team developed and implemented a surveybased study to investigate STEM students’ perception of undergraduate research, their awareness of research opportunities, and barriers relevant to their participation in undergraduate research at TAMIU. The LSAMP Program Specialist assisted Dr. Khasawneh and the rest of the TAMIU LSAMP team, with participant recruitment and data collection. The survey was distributed to students who were STEM majors and who were of undergraduate classification. Findings from this study, entitled “Undergraduate Research Awareness and its Effect on Retention and Interest of STEM Majors,” was accepted for presentation at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Annual Conference and Expo in May 2021, through a competitive, peerreviewed process, and will be published in the conference proceedings.
Student Support: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many TAMIU students and faculty had disruptions in their research activities to adhere to safety guidelines. Additionally, many professional conferences were cancelled or moved to a virtual environment, impacting the number of students that were applying to receive financial support to attend conferences during the 2020 – 2021 academic year. Nevertheless, TAMIU anticipates the number of students who will benefit from LSAMP participation to increase in future semesters as the institution transitions back to normal classroom settings. Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions were transitioned to virtual SI sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020 and continued in this manner through Summer 2021. TAMIU LSAMP and the Dean of University College collaborated to create a fulltime Learning Support Specialist (LSS) position as of May 2021. TAMIU will continue to provide SI sessions for relevant STEM gateway courses with high rates of D/F/W grades.
Executive Summary
Program Context: Texas A&M International University implemented the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program in August 2019, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. The program, led by Dr. Khasawneh, seeks to increase research participation for STEM undergraduate students, by providing financial support for research presentations at state and national conferences. The program focuses on fostering achievement in minority, STEM students by aiding in the participation of enrichment activities and specific programs, such as undergraduate research and supplemental instruction, respectively. The research team is comprised of Dr. Mahmoud Khasawneh (PI), Dr. John Kilburn (co-PI), Dr. Jared Dmello (Senior Researcher and Program Evaluator), Alicia Segovia (Program Specialist), and Daphne Sanchez (Program Assistant).
Research Activities: The TAMIU LSAMP research team developed a survey-based study to investigate STEM students’ perception of undergraduate research, their awareness of research opportunities, and barriers relevant to their participation in undergraduate research at their institution. The LSAMP Program Specialist assisted Dr. Khasawneh and the rest of the TAMIU LSAMP team, with participant recruitment and data collection. The survey was distributed to students who were STEM majors and who were of undergraduate classification. Preliminary findings from this study, entitled “A Proposed Survey-Based Student-Centered Framework for Evaluation of Undergraduate Research Awareness in Minority-Serving Institutions,” was accepted for presentation at the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Annual Conference in June 2020, through a competitive, peer-reviewed process, and will be published in the conference proceedings.
Student Support: In Fall 2019, TAMIU hosted the 16th Annual Pathways Student Research Symposium, where 19 LSAMP students had the opportunity to attend or present their research and attend graduate school seminars. Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions were implemented in early Fall 2019 and transitioned to virtual SI sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020. TAMIU will continue to provide virtual SI sessions for relevant courses until it is safe to transition back to face-to-face sessions.
Impact of COVID-19: As a result of the global pandemic, many professional conferences were cancelled or moved to a virtual environment, impacting the number of students that were able to receive financial support to attend conferences in Spring 2020. Nevertheless, TAMIU anticipates the number of students who will benefit from LSAMP participation to increase in future semesters as the institution transitions back to normal classroom settings.
Executive Summary
Context: As the United States saw a rapid increase in COVID-19 positive cases, institutions took measures to comply with the recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a means to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus disease. The World Health Organization declared the disease a global pandemic, which forced institutions across the nation to transition to virtual learning environments as an emergency response. Although Texas A&M International University is familiar with online courses, the emergency transition presented a unique set of benefits and challenges, not previously experienced. The new learning environment is not equivalent to online classes but a transition of face-to-face courses to a virtual platform.
Because of disciplinary norms and approaches to pedagogy, the effectiveness of instruction post-transition likely varies across the campus community, impacting faculty and students alike. This study aimed to analyze individual impact of emergency transition to a virtual environment and provide recommendations to improve this experience for both faculty and students at Texas A&M International University amidst the ongoing pandemic.
Methodology: Following TAMIU Institutional Review Board approval, surveys were administered to all faculty and students to assess the impact of their emergency transition to a virtual learning environment post-Spring Break. Between April 24th and June 13th, a total of 381 valid responses were collected: 66 from faculty and 315 from students. The surveys administered included quantitative and open-ended qualitative questions with items such as demographic data, questions regarding reliable access to technology, experience with online courses, attitudes towards transition to virtual environment, and course administration.
Findings: We first present findings from quantitative measures, followed by a detailed thematic analysis of qualitative data. Overall, we find that the TAMIU campus community was resilient in its migration to a virtual learning environment. Although faculty only had the week after Spring Break to transition their courses for virtual delivery, instructors completed the task at hand. TAMIU’s E-Learning team provided extensive training and support throughout the migration process, continuing to assist for the duration of the term. Several faculty respondents commented on the significant impact that the E-Learning team had on learning experiences post-transition, noting that E-Learning went above and beyond to guide faculty forward during uncertain times. While student experiences were largely positive, they also provided feedback on how the University could better improve inclusion and equity for a diverse group of learners.
Executive Summary
Context: While the pandemic raged on, in the Fall 2020 semester, TAMIU implemented a FlexLive course administration modality as a mechanism for “returning to normal” after the abrupt transition to a purely virtual learning environment in the Spring 2020 semester. The decision to be ‘on campus’, ‘online’, or some combination thereof was highly contested across the nation, with many pathways arising. Some institutions moved fully remote. Others provided faculty with the option to choose if they wanted to remain online or to return to campus. As a seeming compromise, TAMIU implemented the FlexLive modality which provided students with the option; however, faculty on-campus presence was mandated.
Methodology: Following TAMIU Institutional Review Board approval, surveys were administered to all faculty and students to assess campus experiences with FlexLive courses during the Fall 2020 semester and related perceptions of campus safety. Between March 10th and May 24th, a total of 381 valid responses were collected: 52 from faculty and 259 from students. The surveys administered included quantitative and open-ended qualitative questions with items, such as demographic data, questions regarding reliable access to technology, perceptions regarding access to recordings, attitudes towards the FlexLive environment, campus safety, and course administration.
Findings: We first present findings from quantitative measures, followed by a thematic analysis of the qualitative data. In general, we found that TAMIU professors were largely seen as accessible during FlexLive courses. However, faculty agreement that TAMIU provided timely updates decreased between the Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 semesters (see Dmello et al., 2020), with approximately one-third of faculty respondents being more critical of the lack of updates. Conversely, student agreement largely increased during this period. The FlexLive decision was incredibly popular with students and received somewhat popular reception from the faculty. There was a mixed response with regards to perception of course quality in FlexLive; however, the vast majority of both faculty and students were in strong support of access to recordings after a live lecture. Finally, despite the multitude of measures adopted by TAMIU to ensure on-campus safety, there were a substantial number of students and faculty that did not feel safe on campus. This safety concern was largely reinforced by their family and friends.
Conference Publications
2020 - Khasawneh, M., Kilburn, J. C., Dmello, J. R., Sanchez, D. E., & Segovia, A. A Proposed Survey-based Student-Centered Framework for Evaluation of Undergraduate Research Awareness in a Minority-Serving Institution. Proceedings of the American Society of Engineering Education's 2020 Virtual Conference.
Abstract
The purpose of this work in progress study is to present a survey-based framework to evaluate the awareness of and participation in undergraduate research experiences (URE) by students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors in Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). MSIs, which include historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and Hispanic serving institutions (HSI), recruit and admit underserved, low income, minority students in various disciplines, including STEM. While MSIs attempt to bridge educational gaps seen in these students with pre-college resources, first year mentoring, and tutoring sessions, awareness and participation in URE is not prevalent at a MSI. Participation in such activities, however, has been linked to improved career prospects and an increase in the number of students seeking graduate degrees. Past studies have suggested that an initial interest in STEM does not necessarily continue throughout undergraduate education with a higher number of students requesting major changes and/or prolonging their graduation timeline. This paper proposes to
identify current notions and perceptions surrounding undergraduate research of STEM students at a mid-sized MSI along the U.S.- Mexico border. The proposed design for this study will include an online survey to identify which students are more likely to be aware of and participate in undergraduate research and which students are not. Our model will focus on remediation to increase participation in URE, retention in STEM majors, and progression towards career prospects and graduate study.
Khasawneh, M. T., Dmello, J. R., Franco, Y. S., & Kilburn, J. C. (2021). Campus undergraduate research awareness and its effect on retention and interest of STEM majors. IIE Annual Conference. Proceedings,127-132.*
Abstract
Despite efforts to increase interest and retention of STEM students to meet the demand for STEM professionals, science and engineering degrees account for only 35% of all bachelor’s degrees in the nation. Minorities and women account for even smaller percentages of STEM degrees. Studies report that undergraduate research participation helps bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and real-world application for students. The objectives of this study are to discuss the impact of undergraduate research participation on STEM majors and to identify the factors deterring students from participating. Through undergraduate research, factors such as lack of mentoring, lack of self-efficacy, lack of academic preparation and stigmas associated with STEM fields may be addressed to provide a more diverse and inclusive environment for underrepresented minorities and women in STEM careers. This study employed survey methods to measure student awareness of undergraduate research opportunities at a mid-sized minority-serving regional institution. A total of 96 responses were collected and the survey administered included quantitative and open-ended qualitative questions regarding interests in research, participation in research, student college classification, and factors deterring interests or participation in research. Preliminary findings suggest that while 84% of students are interested in undergraduate research, only 18% participate in it. Participants cited lack of awareness of research opportunities and lack of knowledge on how to get involved as reasons for low research participation. Identifying the factors that keep STEM students from engaging in undergraduate research opportunities is important for the retention of STEM majors, especially for women and underrepresented minorities.
*This study won second place in the IISE Engineering Education Track for best paper.
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation
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