Improvement Science as a Mechanism to Accelerate Change Across a Regional Network
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55632/pwvas.v97i3.1220Keywords:
STEM student success, improvement science, belongingAbstract
The First2 Network is a National Science Foundation-funded Networked Improvement Community (NIC) that engages nine higher education institutions in improvement science activities to improve the success of undergraduate STEM students in West Virginia and beyond. The aim of First2 Network is to double the graduation rate for rural, first-generation, and low-income STEM students, by changing systems within higher education.
In place since 2018, the First2 Network is essentially a learning community that consists of institutionally focused campus teams that test high impact practices on campus designed to address systemic barriers to success. Campuses measure progress and track intermediate persistence numbers across member campuses. For students who have engaged in First2 Network change ideas, persistence has increased to upwards of 60% across the institutions in our program. We describe the working structure of our network as an introduction to this special edition of the PWVAS. Change ideas centered on improving STEM student belonging are the focus of this special edition.
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