This article illustrates the potential for hackathons to serve as an innovative educational tool in addressing the underrepresentation of minority communities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Using Merced, California--a region recognised for its agricultural economy, socioeconomic disparities, and diverse…

While the field of economics lacks diversity, there is little consensus on the underlying causes of or most effective solutions to this problem. The authors of this article combine data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) with data from their own survey of U.S. economics departments to identify institution and…

Women are underrepresented among American legislators and political science majors. One explanation is that gender imbalances propagate through space and time. In this paper, we introduce a paired experiment aimed to assess the downstream attitudinal effects of priming the issue of women's representation. At one predominantly male university and…

This retrospective quasi-experimental design research compared student achievement of students in two active learning environments. One is referred to as Student Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-Down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP), and the other is referred to as traditional classroom environments. Student final course grades of physics…

There is a wide variety of ways for instructors to seek to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) in chemistry through their instruction. One way is to talk with students explicitly about equity and injustice in science. We propose a curricular framework for teaching about equity as a way to improve DEIR in science classes at the…

Firms often make marketing missteps that offend minority consumers. Such missteps are attributed to the lack of diversity within the marketing field. This paper presents a corporate engagement program that partners minority students with a national company as an innovative approach to this problem. Leveraging both passive and active learning,…

Attracting and retaining students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics majors, particularly those who are underrepresented, is a national concern. While undergraduate research experiences have been shown to increase retention and engagement, inequities in access exacerbate disparities. Understanding what hinders or facilitates the…

Underrepresentation of some populations in STEM fields occurs because these students experience achievement gaps with performance lower on average than their overrepresented peers. Interventions to reduce achievement gaps and increase the retention of underrepresented students in STEM courses include approaches found both inside and outside of…

Regional comprehensive universities with access-oriented missions provide critical pathways for increasing the number and diversity of STEM graduates. The BOND program at California State University, Fresno supports the transition to college for first-time, full-time freshmen in selected STEM majors. BOND incorporates a learning community, active…

This work describes the implementation of a hierarchical team model, the Integrated Peer Leadership Program (IPLP), in a calculus-based college introductory physics classroom. Using this model, in which students in the course engage with their peers throughout the semester, we observe a significant increase in the students' likelihood of…

Human physiology is a foundational course for future health practitioners. Previous research suggests case studies may improve students' critical thinking and comprehension, but little is known about how case studies affect student interest, motivation, and belonging. The current quasi-experiment investigates the impact of integrating case studies…

Mechanobiology is an interdisciplinary field that aims to understand how physical forces impact biological systems. Enhancing our knowledge of mechanobiology has become increasingly important for understanding human disease and developing novel therapeutics. There is a societal need to teach diverse students principles of mechanobiology so that we…

Background: Project-based learning has shown promise in improving learning outcomes for diverse students. However, studies on its impacts have largely focused on the perceptions of students and instructors or students' immediate performance. This study reports the impact of taking a project-based introductory engineering course on students'…

This Research-to-Practice paper, a work-in-progress, describes work supported by the First in the World program at three different universities in California. A consortium of three California State Universities (CSUs)- San Jose´ State University, California State University- Los Angeles, and Cal Poly Pomona - have a four-year grant from the U.S…

On average, active learning improves student achievement in college science courses, yet may present challenges for students with disabilities. In this essay, we review the history of accommodating students with disabilities in higher education, highlight how active learning may not always be inclusive of college science students with…