A major challenge for universities across the globe is to address the lack of diversity within higher education. Widening participation (WP) programmes can vary between in-reach and outreach programmes. Some initiatives focus on either pre-entry stage (primary or secondary schools) or post-entry stage (helping students adapt to university life).…

Manufacturers have expressed concerns about talent shortages, citing the perceptions held by students/parents of the industry as a major contributing factor. At the same time, policymakers/educational leaders continue to call for STEM education programming to maintain competitiveness in such industries. Accordingly, manufacturers have launched…

Science knowledge is deeply intertwined with Microorganisms, which play essential roles in healthcare, food production and environmental management, making their study crucial for understanding impacts on food safety, spoilage and disease prevention. This research introduces hands-on activities designed for high school students (aged 14-15) to…

Gaps in advanced high school coursework by socioeconomic status and geography persist in the United States, even among students with the ability and access to succeed in them. Lack of information on course availability and inaccurate self-perceptions may contribute to these inequities. We report on a large-scale experiment designed to increase…

The Anatomy Outreach Program (AOP) at The Ohio State University aspires to enhance anatomical knowledge and appreciation of the human body through interactive laboratory experiences. In May 2022, the AOP held a 3-day outreach event called Anatomy Outreach Days (AOD). AOD exposed more than 300 high school students across Ohio to various human…

Molecular School (MS) is an extracurricular initiative intended to show relevant and complex concepts of chemical sciences to precollege students. The main goal is to motivate the participants to expand their awareness of chemical sciences and to acknowledge its relevance in everyday life, in order to stimulate the students to engage in chemistry…

Dual enrollment programs have gained popularity as a way for students to earn college credits while still in high school. This professional practice dissertation explored the effectiveness of various strategies to promote dual enrollment to high school students, focusing on increasing enrollment rates among underserved populations and equitable…

Young people growing up in England from a poorer background are less likely to progress into higher education compared to their better off counterparts. This is especially true with respect to more selective universities. This study used government administrative data to gauge the effectiveness of the 'Realising Opportunities' programme, which…

We estimate the impact of one of the largest college-to-student outreach efforts in the nation, the College Board's Student Search Service. In an oversubscribed "order," colleges receive contact information of a randomly chosen subset of PSAT and SAT exam takers who opt into the service and meet colleges' search criteria from a larger…

The role secondary schools play in raising student aspirations for, and encouraging progression into, Higher Education through supported outreach is important but often overlooked by both colleges and universities alike. This article reports on our work within Uni Connect's 'Raising Higher Education Aspirations' programme in Lincolnshire which…

Workforce shortages in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have led to an increasing need for STEM outreach programs for high school students. This article presents an integrated approach to such efforts; government agencies, the host university, and local professional associations play meaningful roles in program design…

The Latino population is the fastest-growing community in the United States yet falls behind in the percentage of students who successfully graduate from college compared to other cultural groups. While trends of Latino students applying to college are on the rise, many cannot successfully obtain a degree due to detrimental barriers. These…

Kentucky ranks first in the nation in cancer incidence and mortality. The Appalachian region of the state experiences the highest cancer disparities due to inequities in many social determinants of health as well as poor health behaviors. As a strategy for addressing cancer and education disparities in the region, the Appalachian Career Training…

A massive open online course (MOOC), Exploring Everyday Chemistry (eeDc), was delivered four times between 2017 and 2019, attracting a worldwide audience of over 15?000 learners from a wide range of backgrounds. This 4-week course was designed to show a variety of everyday applications of organic chemistry, targeted at high school students seeking…

A one-hour guided discourse was designed to support developing the outreach communication skills of physics experts with middle school students. The participants consisted of 12 physics researchers who conduct research in the field of nanoscale science and technology (NST). The guided discourse consisted of a professional development task for…