GEMS Learning Communities (LC)• A unique and innovative learning environment

that is personal, supportive, and focused on making the educational experience productive and fun.

• LC integrates First Year English Composition, Frontiers in Science, Pre-calculus and Calculus I, Chemistry or Biology or Geology, Economics and/or Political Science.

Research Fellowships• 17 first and second year students participated in

the Summer of 2005 and five students participated during the academic year.

• Research projects provided students an opportunity to

explore current scientific topics, gain hands-on experience, and become proficient in advanced laboratory techniques.

• Six students have presented their research at Regional or National Conferences and two students

co- authored research papers.

First-year Seminar Courses• Themes - CSI:UWG and Space Science• Interdisciplinary courses with a topic too broad

for any one discipline to answer reinforcing the interrelationship of the STEM disciplines.

• Introduce students to the scientific method using a problem- and inquiry-based learning approaches to foster motivation and independence.

• Stimulate the students to learn more about the relevance and applications of STEM in a real life problems and current affairs.

• Students learn skills useful for studying science, careers as scientist, and success in life.

• Eighty-three first-year students enrolled in the courses over the past two year.

• Academic performance of GEMS students after their first semester (average GPA 2.6) was better compared to other incoming students.

• First year retention of the 2004 class was also better (75%) that the first-year class as a whole.

Acknowledgments: NSF STEP grant # DUE-0336571

Generating Enthusiasm for Math and Science at the University of West GeorgiaJulie K. Bartley, Sharmistha Basu-Dutt, Rebecca Dodge, James Espinosa, Victoria J. Geisler, Javier E. Hasbun, G. Richard Larkin,

Deborah Lea-Fox, Dusty Otwell, Muhammad Rahman, Karen H. Smith, Scott Sykes, S. Swamy-MruthintiCollege of Arts and Sciences, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA 30118

CSI Learning Community pose for a photo after the Mock Trial at the end of the semester

LC was productive, successful and fun!

Course Reform15 Course Reform Projects • Supplemental Instruction and peer-led workshops in Pre-calculus and Calculus

I• Peer-led workshops in Biology I• Interactive lecture demonstration in Physics I• Case-based projects in Environmental Studies • Inquiry based laboratory activities in Principles of Chemistry I and II• Technology-based activities in Physical Geology • Case-based projects in Computer Science

Peer-Led Workshops and Supplemental Instruction

Peer-led Workshop in Math

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Peer-led Workshop in Biology

GEMS Program ObjectiveIncrease retention, progression and graduation (RPG) of STEM majors.

Keith Rice and Bryan Victor won 1st prize for their poster at the ASPRS Mid-South Region Conference

Ajay Pillai co-authored a paper published in the Proceedings of the NCUR

Heather Dahlin and Jalpa Patel presented a poster at the National Meeting of the ACS

Anna Hix presented her paper at the Midwest AI & Cognitive Science Conference. She also won 1st prize at UWG – Sigma XI student presentation

67% students in workshop-supplemented Pre-calculus were eligible to move on to Calculus I

compared to 49% from the other sections

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Workshop No workshop

Only 5% students withdrew from workshop-supplemented Pre-calculus compared to 27% from

other sections

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Workshop No workshop

Workshop helped C students the most in Biology I

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Workshop No Workshop

Fewer students in workshop-supplemented sections had D's or failed Principles of Biology I

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Workshop No Workshop

• Biology workshops were not as effective.

• Workshop materials are being evaluated and will be improved this Summer.

• Quality of workshop leaders will be monitored.

Introductory Physics

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Velocity Accel Force (1,2) Force (3) Energy

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Increase understandingof chemistry concepts

Increase interest inchemistry

Increase interest inSMET

GEMS non-GEMS

Dissemination of GEMS Program Gordon Conference on Chemical Education Research and Practice Georgia Science Teacher Association Conference National Meeting of the American Chemical Society Biennial Conference on Chemical Education Southeastern Mathematical Association of America Meetings National Conference on Undergraduate Research Midwest Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science Conference Mid-South Region Meeting of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

• Pre-calculus workshops were very effective.

• Math workshops next Fall will be led by GEMS learning community students from 2004 and 2005 cohorts.

Physics: Students in both classes gained substantially in all areas on pre- and post-FMCE after Interactive Learning Demonstrations (ILD) exposure.ILD exposure improved performance on Force(3) pre/post FMCE test (32% compared to 6% in Principles of Physics) .

Chemistry: Student satisfaction survey (Spring 2005) showed that inquiry-based laboratories in GEMS reformed course helped students understand chemistry concepts better and increased their interest in chemistry and SMET.

Principles of Physics

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Velocity Accel Force (1,2) Force (3) Energy

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N = 36 students

2004 Cohort

UWG, 63%

UWG, 23%

UWG, 71%

GEMS, 61%

GEMS, 36%

GEMS, 75%

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Female African/Black American 1st Year Retention

Ethnicity of the 20 Research Fellows

African American

Asian

Caucasian