The success of students in STEM disciplines during undergraduate years depends on numerous factors including access to research opportunities, availability of mentoring, peer networking and the students’ own mindset. This project will better identify and define the critical factors, including student learning attitudes, in the development of STEM research professionals at the college level. This study will help identify the facets and characteristics that may correlate to students’ persistence in, or their abandonment of, a STEM research professional track during college. To accomplish this project goals, we will study and track students that are participants in an already existing campus-wide program STEM-development program at the University of Oklahoma: The Four-Year Research Engagement (FYRE) program. The FYRE program provides mentoring, coursework and advising to place undergraduates in authentic research experiences starting in their first-year of college. The four-year nature of the FYRE program will allow students interested in possible STEM research professional paths to be assessed and followed through their college experience and post-graduation. Successful implementation of this program will define the individual characteristics and factors important for developing STEM professionals at the college level across multiple disciplines.<br/>This program will highlight information that could be employed to develop more effective and successful STEM curricula and programs throughout U.S. higher education. Therefore, the proposed research may broadly impact the perception of STEM development outside of colleges and universities, including in secondary education, graduate-level education and career-development education. Thus, the proposal will help increase the number of STEM professionals produced from American colleges and universities, which is a national strategic priority.

Four year research engagement (FYRE) program at the University of Oklahoma: Integrating research in undergraduate curriculum

255th National Meeting (2018)

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