CITRAL Resource Library

Evidence suggests the microclimate of the classroom is an important factor influencing female course grades and interest, which encourages retention of women in STEM fields. The study varies the gender ratios in small groups in two biology courses (from 0% female to 100%) and finds that as the percent of women increases so does the overall course performance for all students regardless of gender.

This article describes several strategies for group-level mentoring of undergraduates to foster research productivity and simultaneously provide valuable high-impact educational experiences for students. Three types of strategies for group level-mentoring which encourage cohort building which increases sense of  belonging which impacts student performance and health.

What specific teaching strategies might we instructors, as architects of the learning environment in our classrooms, use to structure the classroom learning environment? Article suggests  21 simple teaching strategies (under 5 categories) that biology instructors can use to promote student engagement and cultivate classroom equity.

How is student success defined in research and by students? This paper examines five years of quantitative studies to analyze how "success" was defined, comparing these definitions to studies that bring in student definitions of "success" as a contrast.

Authors administered an attitudes and approaches to problem solving  survey in two large introduction to physics courses, physics PhD students and physics faculty. They find that many introductory students have a shallow understanding of the mathematics involved in physics problems. They also find that introductory students are in general less expert-like than the physics faculty and PhD students.