STEPUP Mission
KCC STEM / STEPUP Mission Kapi‘olani Community College’s STEP-UP goals are:
Increase the number of students in the College’s STEM pipeline.
Increase the number of students who have completed the Associate of Science in Natural Science (ASNS) degree.
Increase the number of students matriculating to two four-year institutions in Hawai‘i.
Institutionalize STEP initiatives and provide ongoing support for STEM students through precollege recruitment (Summer Bridge); support their learning through mentoring, tutoring, and Peer-Led-Unit-Study (PLUS) sessions; and provide Undergraduate Research Experiences (URE)
For more information please contact: Kapi‘olani Community College STEM Center - Koki’o 202 4303 Diamond Head Road Honolulu, HI 96816 STEP-UP Principal Investigator Louise Pagotto, PhD STEP-UP Program Coordinator Ms. Amy Patz, M.S. Phone: (808) 734-9175 Fax: (808) 734-9151 E-mail:[email protected] Kapi‘olani Community College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
PLUS Peer-Led-Unit-Sessions
In case of optional PLUS sessions: Incentives may be given (letting students know that the types of problems solved during PLUS are the ones needed to master and to succeed in tests). Extra credits might also be provided as an incentive (attendance must be taken during PLUS sessions).
Through PLUS sessions, students:
Obtain guidance from their peers
Learn good study habits
Perform better than their peers who do not attend PLUS sessions.
Gain self-confidence Develop strong bonding experience with their peers Organize their own study groups outside of the PLUS sessions
http://stem.kcc.hawaii.edu/index.php? option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=71
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree / Agree /
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
6) Any other feedback you may have regarding your experience as a PLUS leader at KapCC would be valuable to us.
Optional and conducted outside of class time (students must be polled at the beginning of the semester and several sessions may need to be scheduled in order to reach the maximum number of students)
Outcomes
5) I felt supported by the faculty member who recruited me to provide the PLUS sessions.
Required and conducted during class time (use of complementary Online resources posted on the Internet may help allocating contact hours for PLUS by having students benefit from lecture content outside of class time).
Observe these sessions at the beginning of the semester if needed
4) Being a PLUS leader motivated me to get involved in other STEM related programs and activities.
PLUS sessions may be implemented in two ways:
Make sure that the leader understands and emphasizes previously identified aspects of the problem solving process.
3) Reviewing key concepts/methods increased my confidence in my ability to be successful in upper level courses in this subject at a 4 year institution. Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
Discuss outcomes of previous sessions
Clarify all important aspects of the material
Disagree / Strongly Disagree
Provide clear material to the PLUS leader
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
Meet with the PLUS leader once a week
1) My involvement as a PLUS Leader enhanced my STEM learning experience at KapCC.
Evaluation of PLUS Leaders (at the end of each semester)
Choose their PLUS leader (student enrolled in their course in previous semesters, etc.)
A B C D F
Please provide any additional comments if appropriate
Implementation
Faculty engagement is a key to success! Faculty must be involved in this process on a regular basis. They must:
Evaluation of STEM students attending the PLUS sessions (at the end of each session)
Gatekeeper courses are heavy in content, and students may be challenged to identify the important concepts and methods they need to master and demonstrate throughout the semester. PLUS sessions help students recognize the most important aspects of the course, and help them to deepen their understanding of how to apply these important theories and methods. PLUS sessions also help students realize how much time they need to spend studying for these challenging gatekeeper courses.
What is your estimated grade for the course at the moment (Circle the closest grade):
Value
Was this Recitation session useful to help you gain a better understanding of the topics covered?
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
PLUS sessions are created to allow STEM students to review scientific theories and methods through problem solving exercises. These sessions are conducted by students, for students and are supervised by the faculty teaching the related course.
2) My experience as a PLUS Leader helped me to deepen my own understanding of key concepts/methods covered in the sessions.
Description
Increase the number of students in the College’s STEM pipeline.
Increase the number of students who have completed the Associate of Science in Natural Science (ASNS) degree.
Increase the number of students matriculating to two four-year institutions in Hawai‘i.
Institutionalize STEP initiatives and provide ongoing support for STEM students through precollege recruitment (Summer Bridge); support their learning through mentoring, tutoring, and Peer-Led-Unit-Study (PLUS) sessions; and provide Undergraduate Research Experiences (URE)
For more information please contact: Kapi‘olani Community College STEM Center - Koki’o 202 4303 Diamond Head Road Honolulu, HI 96816 STEP-UP Principal Investigator Louise Pagotto, PhD STEP-UP Program Coordinator Ms. Amy Patz, M.S. Phone: (808) 734-9175 Fax: (808) 734-9151 E-mail:[email protected] Kapi‘olani Community College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
PLUS Peer-Led-Unit-Sessions
In case of optional PLUS sessions: Incentives may be given (letting students know that the types of problems solved during PLUS are the ones needed to master and to succeed in tests). Extra credits might also be provided as an incentive (attendance must be taken during PLUS sessions).
Through PLUS sessions, students:
Obtain guidance from their peers
Learn good study habits
Perform better than their peers who do not attend PLUS sessions.
Gain self-confidence Develop strong bonding experience with their peers Organize their own study groups outside of the PLUS sessions
http://stem.kcc.hawaii.edu/index.php? option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=71
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree / Agree /
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
6) Any other feedback you may have regarding your experience as a PLUS leader at KapCC would be valuable to us.
Optional and conducted outside of class time (students must be polled at the beginning of the semester and several sessions may need to be scheduled in order to reach the maximum number of students)
Outcomes
5) I felt supported by the faculty member who recruited me to provide the PLUS sessions.
Required and conducted during class time (use of complementary Online resources posted on the Internet may help allocating contact hours for PLUS by having students benefit from lecture content outside of class time).
Observe these sessions at the beginning of the semester if needed
4) Being a PLUS leader motivated me to get involved in other STEM related programs and activities.
PLUS sessions may be implemented in two ways:
Make sure that the leader understands and emphasizes previously identified aspects of the problem solving process.
3) Reviewing key concepts/methods increased my confidence in my ability to be successful in upper level courses in this subject at a 4 year institution. Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
Discuss outcomes of previous sessions
Clarify all important aspects of the material
Disagree / Strongly Disagree
Provide clear material to the PLUS leader
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
Meet with the PLUS leader once a week
1) My involvement as a PLUS Leader enhanced my STEM learning experience at KapCC.
Evaluation of PLUS Leaders (at the end of each semester)
Choose their PLUS leader (student enrolled in their course in previous semesters, etc.)
A B C D F
Please provide any additional comments if appropriate
Implementation
Faculty engagement is a key to success! Faculty must be involved in this process on a regular basis. They must:
Evaluation of STEM students attending the PLUS sessions (at the end of each session)
Gatekeeper courses are heavy in content, and students may be challenged to identify the important concepts and methods they need to master and demonstrate throughout the semester. PLUS sessions help students recognize the most important aspects of the course, and help them to deepen their understanding of how to apply these important theories and methods. PLUS sessions also help students realize how much time they need to spend studying for these challenging gatekeeper courses.
What is your estimated grade for the course at the moment (Circle the closest grade):
Value
Was this Recitation session useful to help you gain a better understanding of the topics covered?
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
PLUS sessions are created to allow STEM students to review scientific theories and methods through problem solving exercises. These sessions are conducted by students, for students and are supervised by the faculty teaching the related course.
2) My experience as a PLUS Leader helped me to deepen my own understanding of key concepts/methods covered in the sessions.
Description
