Hands-On Approach Boosts Graduation Rates, STEM Retention

Students in the Freshman Research Initiative practice discovery from soon after they arrive on campus. A study finds the program increases graduation rates and retention in STEM majors. Credit: Marsha Miller AUSTIN, Texas - In a positive sign for efforts to boost U.S. competitiveness in science and technology, a new study finds that courses that engage college students in conducting scientific research early on can dramatically increase students' odds of completing a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) degree. The study, published in today's edition of CBE-Life Sciences Education , is the largest and most carefully controlled analysis to date of how participating in course-based undergraduate research experiences affects students' outcomes. It found that across all demographic groups students who participated in a program called the Freshman Research Initiative were more likely to graduate college and to earn degrees in STEM disciplines at The University of Texas at Austin.   "We've been able to increase STEM retention by almost 25 percent," says Erin Dolan, executive director of the Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science at UT Austin and senior author on the new study.