INCLUSIVITY | DIVERSITY | EQUITY | ACCESSIBILITY | LIBERAL ARTS
IDEAL STEM is a project at Occidental College that began in the Summer of 2016 to address the issues regarding racial diversity in science and mathematics classes at the College. The focus of this project is to research how other institutions have combated this issue, and to implement effective practices into Occidental College. On this website, there are resources for both faculty and student to learn about evidence-based practices that are conducive to the success of underrepresented minorities in STEM. In the future, we hope to conduct research on practices used at Occidental College specifically and see how they fit into the literature.
Inclusivity
Increasing diversity in STEM begins with the student experience in the classroom. Inclusive practices aim to encourage and enforce the engagement of all students in the classroom, and to produce a collaborative environment in traditionally competitive subjects.
Diversity
Diversity in STEM has been an ongoing issue in the United States, and manifests itself in STEM classes in colleges across the nation. Diversity is a valuable aspect of classroom settings, and IDEAL STEM aims to increase diversity in STEM classrooms but suggesting methods that may help increase a student’s persistence in STEM. At Occidental College, attrition of students of color is a concerning issue after the initial introductory classes.
Equity
Diversity in the sciences does not stop with simply the inclusion of more people of color. Equity is an essential aspect to combating issues regarding diversity. Students of color who pursue STEM majors need to be treated justly and should have access to resources, support, and opportunities to help them pursue their goals. Underrepresented minorities disproportionately come from backgrounds that are low income and are often first-generation college students. Therefore, it is important to especially support these students who may not have resources at their disposal to persist in STEM.
Accessibility
Although there are several resources available to students at Occidental College, there is a lack of communication to expose such tools. In order to combat diversity in STEM, students should know about all resources at their disposal. This includes academic help and supportive student organizations.
Accessibility also means that STEM majors offered at Occidental College are viable options for students of color, regardless of their high school preparation or lack thereof. Because of nationwide attrition problems regarding STEM attrition among underrepresented minorities, it is important to provide support for all students, regardless of their educational background, making STEM majors accessible to all.
Liberal Arts
Even though the focus of this project is diversity in STEM, Occidental College is a small, liberal arts college. Therefore, the ways in which certain practices are implemented may be different between Occidental College and other larger, research institutions. The populations and the way classes are taught are incredibly different, so this project keeps in mind the context of a liberal arts education.
In addition to the logistics of the implementation of high-impact practices, this project also takes into account the sociological reasons behind why there is a disparity in diversity in STEM to begin with, and acknowledges that this issue is not isolated to college but rather is a manifestation of a larger social justice issue.
Ideal Stem 