Transfer students face many challenges integrating into a 4-year college that affect their retention and success, yet very little research has documented how to create wraparound programming to support them. There remains a need to establish retention models that are adaptable and can serve a variety of students and institutions. The Learning Environment and Academic Research Network (LEARN) Consortium, a partnership of Florida Atlantic University, University of Central Florida, and Western Carolina University whose focus is on engagement in undergraduate research, addressed this need by developing and testing T-LEARN, a new model for a sustainable science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) retention program specifically for transfer students who have transitioned to a university setting after receiving their associate’s degree at a community college. The new model was developed by adapting a successful retention model for 1st-year students at the University of Central Florida centered around three main pillars: (1) academics/research, (2) mentoring, and (3) community building. In this paper, we describe the development of the T-LEARN model, outline the adaptations made to accommodate the specific needs of transfer students, and present 3 years of implementation data we analyzed to determine what factor(s) most impact transfer student retention and success. Our findings indicate that T-LEARN students’ involvement in research during their 1st year was the most significant factor within the T-LEARN program that contributed to their academic success. Additionally, the majority of these students had continued to do research with the same LEARN program faculty mentor 1 year after the program ended.

Faculty from the chemistry and English departments have developed a combined second-semester honors general chemistry and college writing course that fosters critical thinking through challenging writing assignments. Examples of case-study writing assignments and guidelines are provided that faculty at other institutions can adapt in similar small-enrollment lower-division chemistry classes. Recommendations for the writing assignments are provided based on our experiences in developing and implementing them. These recommendations include (i) considering pedagogical principles that define instructional objectives, audience, interest and relevance, critical thinking, clarity, document design, scaffolding, scheduling, and evaluation; (ii) providing appropriate references which students use to formulate their arguments; (iii) posing ill-formed problems for students to engage course content and think critically; and (iv) staging these assignments in multiple drafts throughout the semester with detailed grading criteria provided. This guidance is necessary for such lower-division students to strengthen their college-level academic writing skills and increase their knowledge of chemistry content.

Classroom demonstrations have been widely used to engage students’ interest in chemistry. The challenge, however, is to also involve students in science practices and ensure that the demonstration does not become merely a spectator activity. We have developed a framework for creating pedagogically sound demonstrations that allows for easy implementation and flexibility. SQER3survey, question, experiment, recite, reflect, and reviewis an interactive, question-driven framework that draws clear parallels to science practices. The framework also allows students to extend their investigations through cyclical rounds of additional questions and experiments. Examples of demonstrations formatted in the SQER3 framework are presented, and preliminary data on the effectiveness of utilizing this framework in high school classrooms is discussed.

Environmental & Geomatics Engineering. His area of specialization is Environmental Engineering, specifically water and wastewater engineering, water quality, solid and hazardous waste management, and pollution prevention. Dr. Meeroff is the founder and director of the Laboratories for Engineered Environmental Solutions (Lab.EES) (http:\\labees.civil.fau.edu). His Ph.D. in civil/environmental engineering was received from the University of Miami.

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