News & Events

When

Date - October 1, 2021
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

What

Associate Teaching Professor and Director of the Chemistry Center
Department of Chemistry
Wake Forest University
Talk Title: Recruitment, Performance and Retention of Underrepresented Groups in First-Semester General Chemistry

Abstract:

Students from underrepresented groups do not major in or graduate with a degree in STEM fields at the same rate as white students. College Chemistry is often an entry-point to STEM majors and thus a gatekeeper course. This talk will explore the rates of recruitment, performance, and retention of freshman in first-term general chemistry over a two-year period at Wake Forest University. Specifically, are there certain students more likely to earn a ‘repeatable grade’ based on IPED race categories, High School classification or resources, First-Generation College Student status along with other demographic variables? Are the rates of student re-enrollment into subsequent Chemistry courses dependent on race? How can results from this analysis be leveraged to reduce identified gaps at both the University and Department levels?