Starting College Online: Strategies for Academic Success in STEM Freshman

Skylar Watson*, Randy Bryner, Brian Leary, and Miriam Leary

Division of Exercise Physiology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Presentation Category: Human Engagement (Poster Presentation #139)

Student’s Major: Exercise Physiology

In STEM programs, starting college with successful academic strategies can improve retention and persistence to graduation. The incoming freshman of fall 2020 experienced an unprecedented transition to college in an almost exclusively online learning environment. By understanding their expectations and intentions for college faculty could better prepare future incoming freshman with the academic skills and strategies necessary for scholastic achievement. Written responses of STEM freshman’s online learning and academic success strategies were collected and independently coded for major and minor themes using Grounded Theory for the whole group (n=266), Honors (n=47), Retention (low incoming math scores, n=74), and First Generation (n=49) groups. Overall, students had experience and familiarity with online learning, but preferred in-person courses. They expected to manage online but worried about the quality of teaching and navigating the new learning management systems. For study skills, all students indicated they would use a planner or white board to make a schedule in order to study and stay on top of due dates. Differences between groups suggested Honors students were concerned about not meeting other students and professors due to the online learning and planned to attend tutoring as an academic success strategy. Important study strategies were only minor themes including putting away phones, finding a quiet place to study, using study groups, going to office hours, and even attending class. These are key areas for intervention in future cohorts starting college with online courses.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: a WVU 497-level course