Getting to the root of why students leave STEM

Research at UNH is seeking to understand why many college students abandon STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects for other fields of study and how undergraduate programs can improve student engagement and retention. Given employer needs for highly skilled and technologically proficient workers in the Granite State and beyond, STEM training that meets workplace demands is critical. 

Melissa Aikens

Melissa Aikens, associate professor of biological sciences, studies how to improve undergraduate biology education, analyzing both teaching methods and how students respond. The field, known as discipline-based education research, is relatively new. 

Gateway courses can be key for STEM student retention, and Aikens puts her own research insights into action when she teaches introductory biology each fall. Group work and peer-led team learning have both been shown to lead to better student outcomes, so she works to incorporate these activities into her introductory class. 

“We know that group work and peer support tend to lead to better outcomes,” says Aikens. “We now need to do a deeper dive into how and why they do.”

While research can be challenging in what remains a small field, Aikens is quick to praise UNH’s environment and support for her work.

“The field’s motto is ‘show me the data,’ as it progresses beyond anecdotal observations in the classroom to showing the mechanisms underlying them,” she says. “I’m looking to bring the latest findings to our own classrooms and teaching practices here at UNH.”