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Enhancing senior high school student engagement and academic performance using an inclusive and scalable inquiry-based program

Locke Davenport Huyer, Neal I. Callaghan, Sara Dicks, Edward Scherer, Andrey I. Shukalyuk, Margaret Jou, Dawn M. Kilkenny
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/822783
Locke Davenport Huyer
1Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Neal I. Callaghan
1Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Sara Dicks
4George Harvey Collegiate Institute, Toronto District School Board, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Edward Scherer
4George Harvey Collegiate Institute, Toronto District School Board, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Andrey I. Shukalyuk
1Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Margaret Jou
4George Harvey Collegiate Institute, Toronto District School Board, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Dawn M. Kilkenny
1Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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  • For correspondence: dawn.kilkenny@utoronto.ca
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Abstract

The multi-disciplinary nature of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers often renders difficulty for high school students navigating from classroom knowledge to post-secondary pursuits. Discrepancies between the knowledge-based high school learning approach and the experiential approach of undergraduate studies leaves some students disillusioned by STEM. We present Discovery, a semester-long inquiry-focused learning model delivered by STEM graduate students in collaboration with high school educators, in the context of biomedical engineering. Entire classes of high school STEM students representing diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds engaged in iterative, problem-based learning designed to emphasize critical thinking concomitantly within the secondary school and university environments. Assessment of grades and survey data suggested positive impact of this learning model on students’ STEM pursuits, notably in under-performing cohorts, as well as repeating cohorts that engage in the program on more than one occasion. Discovery presents a scalable platform blurring the divide between secondary and post-secondary learning, providing valuable learning opportunities and capturing cohorts of students that might otherwise be under-engaged in STEM.

Footnotes

  • This manuscript now reports on five consecutive semesters of implementation at a single high school. All figures have been revised to reflect the increased sample size and changes to results. A short results section on tracking longitudinal performance in repeating (multi-term; MT) students has been added. Given the slightly different results observed, discussion and conclusions have been updated.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted December 02, 2019.
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Enhancing senior high school student engagement and academic performance using an inclusive and scalable inquiry-based program
Locke Davenport Huyer, Neal I. Callaghan, Sara Dicks, Edward Scherer, Andrey I. Shukalyuk, Margaret Jou, Dawn M. Kilkenny
bioRxiv 822783; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/822783
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Enhancing senior high school student engagement and academic performance using an inclusive and scalable inquiry-based program
Locke Davenport Huyer, Neal I. Callaghan, Sara Dicks, Edward Scherer, Andrey I. Shukalyuk, Margaret Jou, Dawn M. Kilkenny
bioRxiv 822783; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/822783

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