Introductory STEM courses have been demonstrated to drive minoritized students out of STEM career pathways at rates higher than their peers. There is a moral imperative to ensure that STEM career pathways are inclusive and accessible to all. Furthermore, increasing the size and diversity of the STEM workforce is critical for supporting our society in a way that not only provides the right amount of skilled workers, but also a diversity of perspectives, skills, and passions. One way to improve retention in introductory courses and eventual STEM careers is in the laboratory. The laboratory is the ideal setting to help students develop a sense of community, their self-efficacy and their science identity, all while solving real world problems.<br/>Through the redesign of laboratory courses, students gain important first hand experience of what it is like to work in a field conducting interesting and important research as part of a collaborative team. The laboratory components of both semesters of an introductory organic chemistry course sequence have been redesigned to focus on transferable skills such as hypothesis generation, experimental design, data analysis and interpretation, collaboration, and scientific communication. In the first semester, an inquiry-based spectroscopy unit combined with other inquiry-based exercises were used to introduce students to these skills. The second semester featured a course-based undergraduate research experience in which students worked in groups to optimize a reaction in terms of green-ness and yield. In both courses, students’ growth in self-efficacy and science identity were evaluated along with responses to reflection questions and performance on assessments. The outcome of the redesign was growth in students’ self-efficacy and science identity, two key predictors of STEM persistence. This growth was especially large for students from minoritized groups. Students also reported increased STEM career interest, and had positive feedback about their experiences in the laboratory.

Laboratory courses are opportunities to arm students with increased self-efficacy and science identity with the goal of increasing diversity in STEM

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.