For Europe to remain at the forefront of scientific and technological development, the current shortage of persons trained in these fields at secondary and higher education has to be overcome. While some progress has been made in increasing enrolment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs in most European countries as stipulated by the Lisbon Objectives, the most pressing problem is now that of low retention (i.e., high dropout) rates in STEM programs. This project aims to improve the retention rates of higher education STEM programs by focusing on the academic readiness of incoming STEM-students. We will identify among incoming STEM students those that are at high risk of dropout and may thus need additional support and we will support those students with the help of intervention programs in the early phase of their studies. To achieve the above goal three different objectives will be realized: We will identify the key STEM skills (objective 1). And once these are characterized, existing diagnostic tests are selected and their predictive power will be gauged in order to identify with high validity the at-risk students in need of extra support (objective 2). Finally, we will investigate which intervention tools can support these at-risk students and we will measure the effectiveness of current remediation programs (objective 3). Special attention will be paid during this project to first generation students (i.e., students who have parents without a degree in higher education) and the specific problems they may experience. Led by the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), the project will be carried out by three key partners (Hamburg University of Technology [TUHH], University of Zilina and KU Leuven), three supporting partners (Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Aalto University, and University of Birmingham) and the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) as a network partner. The three key partners have prior experience in STEM education research and will therefore organize and structure the required research activities. The supporting partners will provide additional relevant data and organize case studies at their universities. Our network partner will help to disseminate the results of the project. The above objectives are reflected in seven work packages, focusing on (1) survey of existing practice for identification and intervention, (2) qualitative research, (3) quantitative research (questionnaire), (4) quantitative research (case studies at the partner institutions), (5) dissemination and sustainability, (6) transnational meetings, and (7) project management and quality checks. The intellectual output of this project consists of several elements. The most important are (1) a final report on the project website in which the essential key STEM skills, the associated diagnostic test with predictive power and the effective intervention tools are included (as well as a critical analysis and a conclusion) and (2) a set of guidelines specifically dedicated to our stakeholders (secondary schools, staff of student advisory centers, instructors, and the management). The most important impact of this project is expected on the first-year students of the participating institutions since this project will offer them a test and clear view on the key skills required for STEM-studies, giving them the opportunity to anticipate and to select the right subject during secondary education and to participate in intervention programs that help them to develop these skills before or at the beginning of the academic year. This results in several longer term benefits such as an improved chance to succeed at the end of the first-year higher STEM education (especially for first generation students), a reduced dropout in STEM programs and an improved student orientation.
For Europe to remain at the forefront of scientific and technological development, the current shortage of persons trained in these fields at secondary and higher education level has to be overcome. While progress has been made in increasing enrolment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes in most European countries as stipulated by the Lisbon Objectives, the most pressing problem is now that of low retention rates (i.e., high dropout) in STEM programmes. This project aims to improve the retention rates of higher education STEM programmes by the identification of at-risk students in an early stage. To achieve this goal, three objectives were realized: We successfully identified a number of key skills that are essential for first-year achievement in a STEM programme (Objective 1). Second, we constructed an extensive inventory with more than 100 existing diagnostic tests to measure different skills and the predictive validity of three instruments was thoroughly evaluated (Objective 2). Finally, we investigated which intervention tools can support at-risk students and evaluated their effectiveness (Objective 3). Led by the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), the project was carried out by three key partners (Hamburg University of Technology [Germany], University of Žilina [Slovakia] and KU Leuven [Belgium]), three supporting partners (Budapest University of Technology and Economics [Hungary], Aalto University [Finland], and University of Birmingham [UK]), and one European network partner (European Society for Engineering Education - SEFI). The three key partners have a broad experience in STEM education research and organized the main research activities. The supporting partners provided additional relevant data and implemented case studies in their universities. The SEFI network was important dissemination channel for the outcomes throughout the project. In a first exploratory stage, focus group discussions with first-year students (KU Leuven) and observations at the LearnING Center (TUHH) were performed. These qualitative methods yielded a number of interesting observations. For example, first-year students indicated that they experienced problems with adjusting their learning strategies to the requirements of higher education. At TUHH, the observations showed that formula-based reasoning did not lead to in-depth conceptual understanding. Based on this input, the quantitative first-year experience survey focusing on stumble blocks in the first year was administered to 1451 students at the different partner institutions. Finding a study-life balance, developing efficient study strategies, and time management problems appeared to be the most common issues. Based on these results, a dual approach was deployed. First, at KU Leuven, UniZa, BME and University of Birmingham, the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), supplemented with educational background questions, was administered to over 9000 first-year students. Using student's ID, the outcomes were linked with achievement at the end of the first year. Our results showed a significant positive relation between the time management, test strategies, concentration and motivation scales and student achievement, supporting the predictive validity of the LASSI instrument. As such, students with poor time management skills show an increased risk for underperformance or dropout at the end of the first year. Students' educational background in secondary education (math background, type of school attended, effort levels) also played an important role for achievement, indicating that the identification of at-risk students is a complex issue. Second, at TUHH, epistemological beliefs of more than 700 first-year students were measured using a German version of the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey: 48% indicated that they applied a formula-based strategy when solving engineering problems. Additionally, TUHH researchers constructed an extensive inventory with more than 100 diagnostic tests and concept inventories to measure academic and non-academic skills. Most instruments focus on specific STEM course content. At KU Leuven and UniZa, new interventions were organised and evaluated. For example, at KU Leuven, student dashboards were developed in collaboration with the Erasmus+ STELA project. In 2017-2018, over 4000 students received personalized feedback on their learning skills. Additionally, infographics were developed and implemented in counseling practice. Stakeholders in secondary education emphasized the importance of the project outcomes. At the other institutions, we evaluated existing interventions: Tutorial sessions at TUHH; Math Support Center at the University of Birmingham; Math courses after math zero test at BME, and student guild activities at Aalto University. For example, at TUHH the tutorial sessions resulted in an increased conceptual understanding of students compared to traditional lectures.