Karen Alfrey’s research while affiliated with Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis and other places

... Unlike a traditional recitation, the focus is on active, team-based problem-solving, with the peer leader providing guiding questions and hints on approaches to consider, rather than simply demonstrating the solution. PLTL has been shown to reduce DFW rates in large introductory Chemistry classes [16][17] -and, perhaps more importantly, to decrease performance gaps between demographic groups [18][19]. ...

Reference:

Board 420: Urban STEM Collaboratory: 5 Years of Lessons Learned

... In this work, the leadership from three separate but similar programs operating at independent urban research universities, collaborate in a Track 3 NSF S-STEM funded project with the overall goal of not only increasing student success but in studying and extending their programs to better reach student populations in need. This collaboration team refers to itself as 'The Urban STEM Collaboratory', and consists of three unique intervention programs, one from each university, that support student success and have demonstrated positive student outcomes throughout the duration of the project, [3,4,5]. Although there are three separate intervention programs, the collaboration provides a platform on which each university can extend their support structures to further meet the needs of diverse urban populations, as well as to study and understand the needs of these populations more nearly. ...

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Board 351: NSF S-STEM Track 3: Scaling Up Student Success through Broadening Participation Beyond our S-STEM Cohort

... To foster interaction among scholars across campuses and create a sense of belonging within the Urban STEM community, the program adopted CourseNetworking (CN), an academic social networking platform developed at IUPUI. Using social media to engage college students is not a novel approach and its positive impacts have been well-documented by numerous scholars [8][9][10][11][12]. The reason we chose to implement CN was its unique combination of social networking features, a gamification engine (Anar Seeds) that tracks and incentivizes participation, a digital badging system, and a robust ePortfolio tool. ...

Reference:

Board 420: Urban STEM Collaboratory: 5 Years of Lessons Learned

... In this work, the leadership from three separate but similar programs operating at independent urban research universities, collaborate in a Track 3 NSF S-STEM funded project with the overall goal of not only increasing student success but in studying and extending their programs to better reach student populations in need. This collaboration team refers to itself as 'The Urban STEM Collaboratory', and consists of three unique intervention programs, one from each university, that support student success and have demonstrated positive student outcomes throughout the duration of the project, [3,4,5]. Although there are three separate intervention programs, the collaboration provides a platform on which each university can extend their support structures to further meet the needs of diverse urban populations, as well as to study and understand the needs of these populations more nearly. ...

Reference:

Board 351: NSF S-STEM Track 3: Scaling Up Student Success through Broadening Participation Beyond our S-STEM Cohort

... End of year wrap-up, reflection, and celebration meeting, and a preview of summer electronic mentoring and cohort assignments and facilitation activities. Table 1: Example schedule of annual CLEAR Scholars activities As previously reported [2], a key feature of CLEAR Scholars has been engagement with both campus and industry partners to provide programming and opportunities to our Scholars. Through Career Development Workshops, the Engineering and Technology Career Services Office provides both regular presentations about their services and one-on-one professional development including résumé review and mock interviews. ...

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Board 3: CLEAR Scholars in Engineering: Academic, Career, and Leadership Development to Help Students with Financial Challenges Achieve their Full Academic Potential