Robert Stodden - US grants

The "Pacific Alliance" for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) project will increase the numbers of individuals with disabilities (IWD) in STEM postsecondary education programs and ultimately the STEM workforce in Hawai`i. The Pacific Alliance will employ a Community of Practice (COP) model as they provide students with disabilities (SWDs) STEM mentoring, academic skill interventions, research experiences, and internships. The primary institution, the University of Hawai`i at Manoa (UHM), will engage SWDs in feeder high schools on Oahu and Hawai`i Islands, SWDs at Honolulu Community College, Windward Community College and Hawai`i Community College, and SWDs at UHM and the University of Hawai`i at Hilo. The partnership team will employ evidence-based practices and promising interventions to advance students through critical junctures to degree completion and into the workforce or graduate STEM degree programs. The following objectives will be addressed by the Pacific Alliance:

1: Increase the recruitment of IWD in high schools on Oahu and Hawai`i Island who enroll in STEM degree programs at partnering 2 and 4 year institutes of higher education (IHE) by 20% per year (on Oahu, from 170 to 423 over 5 years; on Hawai`i Island, from 40 to 58 over 2 years).

2a. Increase the graduation rates (associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees) for STEM students with disabilities in Oahu based community colleges and university partner institutions by 10% per year from 10 graduates with Associates degree in STEM to 16; from 60 graduates with Bachelors degree to 97; from 12 graduates with Master?s or higher degrees in STEM to 19 over 5 years.

2b. Increase the graduation rates (associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees) for STEM students with disabilities in Hawai`i Island community colleges and university partner institution by 25% per year, from 5 graduates with Associates degree in STEM to 8; from 3 graduates with Bachelors degree to 5; and from 0 graduate with Masters or higher degrees in STEM to 1 over 2 years.

3: Increase successful entry (employed) rates of Alliance graduates (high school, associate, baccalaureate, and graduate) into STEM employment by 5% (from a baseline of 150 graduates to 191 over 5 years).

"A Cluster Randomized Study of Heuristic Teaching vs. Intelligent Tutoring for Community College Students with Disabilities in Algebra" is an investigation of the effectiveness of two intervention strategies for problem solving on the performance of community college students with disabilities in an Elementary Algebra I course and persistence in STEM coursework and degree programs. A heuristic math teaching method with an embedded content independent metacognitive strategy (HMTM) and a computer based individualized student intervention (ITS) will be compared. The University of Hawai`i Community Colleges will participate in the research study with Honolulu Community College and Windward Community College targeted for initial selection; these two schools currently participate in the NSF-funded Pacific Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM. The design involves using a cluster-randomized trial with a control group and repeated measures. The study will be conducted with 32 Elementary Algebra I classes and 128 SWD, focusing on the following three research questions:

RQ 1. To what extent does HMTM, as a single intervention component, improve student a): Algebra I course completion rate and b) persistence in the STEM related course work?

RQ 2. To what extent does use of ITS (specifically Cognitive Tutor), as a single intervention component,improve the two areas of student outcomes (successful completion of Algebra I and persistence in STEM)?

RQ 3. To what extent do the use of HMTM and ITS in combination, improve the two areas of student outcomes?

An independent evaluation of the project will be conducted by Dr. Crystal Mills, who is Professor and Chair of the University of Hawai`i's Master of Social Work program and an Emeritus Professor of Social Work at Eastern Michigan University.

The following dissemination strategies will be utilized:
1. A replication manual detailing project methods and results, based on the summative and formative findings, will be prepared and comprehensively disseminated on the project website.
2. Manuscripts will be published in professional journals.
3. The methodology and findings will be presented at national professional conferences.
4. Findings will be posted on the project website and presented at the Annual Meeting of the NSF investigators.