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Summary

First2 Network PDSA Experience

First2 Institutional Team Liaison: Erica Harvey and Deb Hemler

First2 Student Director/Co-Chair: Alyssa Pettry

SciTech Social PDSA

Photo Highlights

Funding

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Poster presented May 2023 at First2 Network Spring Conference, Stonewall Resort, Roanoke, WV 26447

  • The benefit of pre-”DO” coaching was clear when we tried to use data that didn’t address our learning questions for the 2022 Summer Research Immersive PDSA
  • Campus Club met every other week and survey indicated success for the limited number of attendees.
  • Falcon Fresh Start - intended to provide low-stakes academic support in math and science at key times like 4 week grades and midterms - suffered both semesters from lack of attendance.
  • College Readiness Ambassadors - great program. How can we make it even more powerful for recruiting and student success?

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Next Steps: Expand our campus club to be more inviting and welcoming to all first-gen and underrepresented students, not just the limited number of First2 scholars. We hope to create something that can last beyond the next school year. We also want to help the scholars grow in their leadership skills and play a key role in the improvement science process on our campus.

  • General systemic problem: Key support resources exist on our campus but students don’t uptake them.
  • Goal: involve First2 students as leaders in helping to figure out how to change that dysfunctional part of the system.

Survey Data

Tips for Other Institutional Teams

Discussion and Conclusion

  • 25% of student attendees filled out post-event survey.
  • 62% of respondents were freshmen and sophomores.
  • 85% of respondents within the target STEM audience.
  • 90-95% of respondents reported that because of this event they were
    • more comfortable approaching faculty
    • less intimidated by professors
    • knew where to go for assistance
    • were more aware of STEM clubs
  • All survey respondents found the event worthwhile.
  • Faculty response favorable at post-event meetings.

We will repeat the event next year, but adapt it to…

1) reach more first and second year STEM students and

2) gain more survey responses so that a more detailed study can be performed.

Plan early and include a team in the development of all PDSAs. Many eyes and planners make for a better “plan”.

Make sure you are not generalizing or inflating the success of your PDSA. Look carefully at your respondents and how representative they are of your population when summarizing successes or failures.

Encouraging students to respond to a questionnaire at an informal event such as a SciTech Social is difficult. Our response rate was low. We need something attractive to improve response rates. We are still brainstorming on how to do this better next year. Any ideas?

  • Coaching received prior to the implementation of PDSAs helped us simplify the learning questions and assessment instruments.
  • Coaching helped us better align our learning questions, activities, and evaluation.
  • Coaching after the initial submission reminded us that a “champion” needs to take charge of a PDSA to ensure that all evaluation instruments are administered as outlined in the “Plan”.

Learning Questions: Will a casual, social-style event at the beginning of the semester…

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1) help students feel more connected to their professors?

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2) help students communicate with faculty about issues they may face in courses?

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3) build student awareness of and increase first-semester utilization of campus resources like student clubs and career services?

2022-23 PDSAs

2023-24 Planned PDSAs

PDSA Process

PDSA Coaching Experience

  • Research Immersive Program
  • SciTech Social
  • Campus Club
  • Falcon Fresh Start
  • College Readiness Ambassadors�
  • Immersive Bridge Program
  • SciTech Social
  • Campus Club
  • Falcon Fresh Start
  • College Readiness Ambassadors

New:

  • Mentoring Program
  • Student Leaders as Change Liaisons�

The “Act” step is very important when trying to enact systemic change. When a PDSA like the SciTech Social is successful, it is still important to look deep at the data to learn how we can continue to improve and make deeper, more lasting change. When a new PDSA, like our Falcon Fresh Start, is not as successful as we hoped, we can still learn from the experience and modify the approach for the next year so that the second iteration can be more impactful.

Presentations and Awards

Campus Club

SciTech Social

Research Immersion Program