Experiments in Supporting A Diverse Community of Learners Tom Giblin and Aaron Reinhard Kenyon College

Who we are Graduate ~10-15 majors/year Frank Peiris Professor Gordon Loveleand Lab Director Aaron Reinhard Associate Professor Graduate ~10-15 majors/year Half go to graduate school (physics) About 10-15 students/year do summer research Teach about 5-6 non majors courses/year Tom Giblin Associate Professor Ben Schumacher Professor Maddie Wade Assistant Professor Tim Sullivan Professor Les Wade Assistant Professor Paula Turner Professor

Experiments in Support of Diversity Over the past few years, we have tried a set of strategies to recruit and retain a more diverse set of students We wish to present a sample of these strategies as a set of experiments that (may) have dramatically altered our current student body These strategies include: Inclusive Pedagogy: Active Learning and Blended Classrooms High-Impact Practices: Low- or no-barrier engagement opportunities Department Climate and Culture: co-curricular conversations and initiatives

First Year Enrollments and Active Pedagogy At Kenyon students don’t declare a major until second semester or later “Recruiting” happens in the first semester course What happens in the first semester class can have a big impact Inclusive pedagogy has always been a focus; however, recently have instituted a wide-range of research-validated practices

Transition to retention in the second year! This has only recently transitioned to the second year Increase in blended learning in second/third courses in sequence? Other effects High impact practices, improved department climate?

High-Impact Practices Alumni Survey, 2017 Did you Participate in Summer Research We have a long history of providing meaningful research experiences We have had an issue with access in summer research This trend was reflected in students taking independent studies, as well as other measures of scholarly engagement

High-Impact Practices Alumni Survey, 2017 Did you Participate in Summer Research We have a long history of providing meaningful research experiences We have had an issue with access in summer research This trend was reflected in students taking independent studies, as well as other measures of scholarly engagement

High-Impact Practices Alumni Survey, 2017 Did you Participate in Summer Research We have a long history of providing meaningful research experiences We have had an issue with access in summer research This trend was reflected in students taking independent studies, as well as other measures of scholarly engagement Narrative Response from one Alumna I recall many of my fellow male students working with a faculty member, but there never seemed to be an opportunity for female students. I do not know what that was. I truly enjoyed taking course from all my professors, so I would have enjoyed working with any one of them.

Low- to No-Barrier High Impact Practices The Radio and Optical Astronomy Research Group (ROAR) which includes the Arecibo Remote Control Observatory (ARC) group was the first to offer physics/astronomy research to first-year students and non-majors during their first year. Other groups followed (Cosmology, e.g.) to tie co-curricular practices into the first year.

Department Climate Most importantly we have dedicated ourselves to being willing to take responsibility for the problem and to engage in hard conversations This has led to a set of initiatives: Vera Rubin Day – a campus wide set of activities connected to the first-year seminar to tackle outstanding issues of Women in Physics SACNAS – attending the national conference for diversity in STEM with a group of students. This led to the creation of a local chapter APS Meetings – taking students to professional conferences Supporting Student Groups – The Society of Physics Students, oSTEM, etc

These campus wide activities have put Physics in the middle of the inclusion conversation We are developing a reputation as a department that cares about the issues of equity and inclusion Students have begun to see physics as one of the departments on campus committed to improving science climate.

From our recent experience Retention requires: innovative pedagogy, active learning and inclusive classrooms time investment in co-curricular, low- to no-barrier high impact experiences being willing to engage the student body in difficult conversations and to take ownership of the student experience