Barbara Means

Every year, more than a half million college students enroll in an introductory statistics course they have to pass with an A, B, or C to earn their degree. And almost a third of them don’t succeed, getting a lower grade or dropping the course. They say every system produces the outcomes it was designed to produce.

Key Ideas Digital Promise is leading evaluation research on how students experience statistical courses at minority serving institutions and non-minority serving Institutions. It is less common for instructors at minority serving institutions to express verbal care in students’ completion of their course, potentially impacting course success rates. STEM instructors can learn where growth is needed by understanding students’ statistical course experiences at the varied institutions.

Student course engagement is key to course success, with implications for college retention and persistence. Unfortunately, levels of student engagement are lower for online courses than for in-person and blended courses.