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  • Community Conversation: Math as a Gatekeeper to STEMM

    By: Helen Burn Helen Burn , one year ago

    I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer. I know so many us and so many of our institutions are struggling with multiple challenges as we head into the next academic year. Despite this, we need to continue to build on the great work we’ve been doing to improve the math pathways at our colleges to the benefit of students.

    Below is an invitation to a Community Conversation hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in partnership with NSF’s IUSE (Improving Undergraduate Science Education) program. The focus is of the conversation is on advancing racial equity in the STEM Math pathway, and I’m proud to be part of the panel to highlight the final products of my NSF grant Transitioning Learners to Calculus in Community Colleges.

     Registration is still open for the event, which is next Thursday 9/8 at 10AM PDT.

     If you are not able to attend, I would encourage you to check out the research by Dr. Leyva around how students experience classroom interactions in college math classrooms. It’s powerful stuff. 

    Community Conversation: Math as a Gatekeeper to STEMM
    September 8, 2022 at 1:00 PM ET


    It is a well-known phenomenon that introductory mathematics courses, such as calculus, act as “gatekeeping” mechanisms for the other STEMM fields. Students who receive low grades or fail these courses are less likely to complete their STEMM degree. In fact, evidence shows that these types of gatekeeping courses contribute to the disparities in STEMM degree completion for historically excluded groups in STEMM.

    Join the SEA Change and IUSE communities for a conversation about how we can overcome these barriers and support the full inclusion of all in STEMM education, in our classrooms, and within our institutions.

    Speakers: 

    • Luis Leyva, PhD, Vanderbilt University
    • Sastry Pantula, PhD, California State University, San Bernardino
    • Helen Burn, PhD, Highline College

     

    Register Here