In the United States truancy prevention is lacking two key elements to success; research that explains the causes of truancy and empirical evidence for best practices of truancy prevention. Truancy has been a problem in academics since the early 1900's, when truancy became illegal. Since then, truancy rates have continued to see a steady increase,…

This study explores the effectiveness of video demonstrations compared to live classroom visits for promoting writing center services to students in first-year writing courses. Using a randomized cluster experimental design, the researchers implemented either an in-person demonstration, a video demonstration, or no intervention (control). Pre- and…

Heartwheels! STEM Mobile Outreach is a scientist-led collaborative, innovative, and reproducible experiential educational program and mobile lab developed to engage people young and old in the cardiovascular sciences, improve health literacy and awareness of heart-healthy living, and spark curiosity in the science, technology, engineering, and…

A major challenge for universities across the globe is to address the lack of diversity within higher education. Widening participation (WP) programmes can vary between in-reach and outreach programmes. Some initiatives focus on either pre-entry stage (primary or secondary schools) or post-entry stage (helping students adapt to university life).…

The Women Owning Woodlands Network was launched in 2005 as a way to provide collaborative and hands-on peer learning education to women who felt uncomfortable participating in traditional Extension programs. Since its inception the program has grown to provide education and resources for over 300 women. We surveyed these women to identify if the…

Manufacturers have expressed concerns about talent shortages, citing the perceptions held by students/parents of the industry as a major contributing factor. At the same time, policymakers/educational leaders continue to call for STEM education programming to maintain competitiveness in such industries. Accordingly, manufacturers have launched…

Outreach and communication with the public have substantial value in polar research, in which studies often find changes of global importance that are happening far out of sight from the majority of people living at lower latitudes. Seeking evidence on the effectiveness of outreach programs, the U.S. National Science Foundation sponsored…

Wildflower seeds have been distributed by zoos and other organizations to facilitate native plant gardening and promote pollinator conservation, but the effectiveness of these campaigns has not been formally evaluated. We use Toronto Zoo members as a sample population to assess the efficacy of distributing wildflower seeds versus informative…

Gaps in advanced high school coursework by socioeconomic status and geography persist in the United States, even among students with the ability and access to succeed in them. Lack of information on course availability and inaccurate self-perceptions may contribute to these inequities. We report on a large-scale experiment designed to increase…

Purpose: This study examines the educational gaps of Latinx students at the community college level. The Puente outreach program is evaluated as a possible exemplary program to improve retention and success in completing degree-applicable and transferable classes. Puente's goal is to encourage Latinx students to attend college and provide support.…

Background: This paper presents the effectiveness of a multi-component elementary school-based nutrition education program, the Integrated Nutrition Education Program (INEP), which has been in existence for over 25 years. INEP includes components to address multiple layers of influence: hands-on nutrition education lessons in the classroom…

This study investigated how a STEM outreach program, focused on promoting adolescent girls' interests in STEM, augmented parents' and teachers' (adults) perceptions of doxa (socialization that enhances or stymies girls' STEM interests) after the event, at home and school, respectively. To this end, we provided participating adults with in-event…

The Anatomy Outreach Program (AOP) at The Ohio State University aspires to enhance anatomical knowledge and appreciation of the human body through interactive laboratory experiences. In May 2022, the AOP held a 3-day outreach event called Anatomy Outreach Days (AOD). AOD exposed more than 300 high school students across Ohio to various human…

Anatomy outreach is a well-documented practice by many academic institutions, defined here as when anatomy-related services are provided to external communities. However, most of the current literature on this topic is largely descriptive, focusing on the 'what' of anatomy-related outreach, rather than the generalizable 'why' or 'how'. There…

The STEM Public Outreach Team (SPOT) at the University of Washington Bothell (UWB) provides training and community building opportunities for diverse STEM students that impact their persistence in STEM majors and careers. The University of Washington Center for Evaluation and Research for STEM Equity (CERSE) evaluated the experiences of SPOT…