The Impact of Supplemental Instruction on the Performance of Male and Female Engineers in a Freshman Chemistry Course

Abstract

Emily is a senior chemical engineering student at Northeastern University with a minor in biochemical engineering. She has been a chemistry tutor for freshman engineering students for the past three years. Miss Rachel Lauren Shapiro, Northeastern UniversityRachel Shapiro is a third year undergraduate student studying chemical engineering at Northeastern University. She has been involved in the Connections Chemistry Review program for the past 2 years. Rachel works in a chemical engineering lab on campus, has held a co-op position at Davol, Inc. and will be completing another co-op with Entrega Biosciences. Ms. Emma Kaeli, Northeastern UniversityEmma Kaeli is a second-year undergraduate student at Northeastern University, majoring in chemical engineering and pursuing a minor in mathematics. Outside of class, Kaeli works as a chemistry tutor and class grader, and she participates in undergraduate research in a materials science laboratory on campus. She also has held an engineering co-op position with Rogers Corporation's Innovation Center. Ms. Kristen Barbara Coletti, Georgia Institute of TechnologyKristen Coletti is recent graduate of Northeastern University. She received her BS in Chemical Engineering in 2014 and was involved in the Connections Chemistry Review program for over 5 years. Kristen is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech, while working full time as an engineer in the Edison Engineering Development Program at GE Power & Water.Dr. Paul A. DiMilla, Northeastern University Paul A. DiMilla is an Associate Academic Specialist in Chemistry & Chemical Biology and Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University. During his academic career at Carnegie Mellon University, Boston University, and Olin College he has been the recipient of the first Whitaker Young Investigator Award from the BMES, a Searle Scholar Award, and an Early Career Development Award from the NSF as well as a three-time recipient of the Omega Chi Epsilon Outstanding Faculty Award from the Northeastern Student Affiliate of AIChE. He also has led industrial R&D teams at Organogenesis Inc. and Polymerix Corporation developing tissue-engineered medical products and drug-generating biodegradable polymers, respectively, and has co-founded Automated Cell, Inc. In addition to being an inventor on 11 issued US patents, he has published the textbook General Chemistry for Engineers with Cognella Academic Publishing. Ms. Rachelle Reisberg, Northeastern University The Impact of Supplemental Instruction on the Performance of Male and Female Engineers in a Freshmen Chemistry Course AbstractThis study investigates the connection between the use of supplemental instruction (SI) by engineering students and their performance in a required first year general chemistry course. SI includes group and one-on-one peer tutoring as well as instructor and teaching assistant office hours. Previous research has shown that participation in SI correlates with higher course grades, more confidence in course material, greater ma...

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Pre-College Preparation and Use of Supplemental Instruction during the First Year on GPA and Retention for Women in Engineering

“…Female students with between 0 and 20 pre-enrollment college credits had a 2.10-times higher odds than students entering with 20 or more college credits of using first-year SI two or more times (p=0.0004, 95% CI: 1.39, 3.16). These results also corroborate our previous findings that students who were more confident that they would receive a high grade in a first-year general chemistry course at the beginning of the course had a higher average grade threshold for seeking SI [26] and that females had a higher trigger point for seeking SI than males [27]. Our current findings suggest that students with less pre-matriculation exposure to rigorous college engineering curricula are less academically prepared to excel in college compared to those with greater exposure to collegelevel studies.…”

Role of Gender and Use of Supplemental Instruction in a Required Freshman Chemistry Course by Engineering Students on their Course Grades and Subsequent Academic Success

“…[17] Data from previous studies of the effect of SI on success of females and males in a first-semester freshman chemistry course support these claims. [18] [14] [19] Many studies also suggest that female students not only have a more positive attitude towards their studies but also are more intrinsically interested in learning and coursework. [20] …”

The Impacts on Peer Tutors of Leading Group Supplemental Instruction for First-Year Engineering Students

“…Studies have shown that academic help, among other types of support, has a positive impact on the retention of women in engineering. Our previous research has shown that female tutees are more responsive to peer tutoring and take the initiative to seek tutoring more often than their male counterparts [2] - [4]. From the tutor's perspective, Espinoza and Cole have reported that peer tutoring enhanced the academic performance of female tutors, but not male tutors within a group of 229 students in STEM [15].…”