Resumen de Disaggregated General Chemistry Grades Reveal Differential Success among BIPOC Students in Partial Flipped Team Learning Classrooms
US colleges and universities have known for decades that higher percentages of racial and ethnic subgroups leave STEM majors, contributing to racial inequality in STEM professions. Many interventions have been developed, yet the disparity persists. A partial flipped pedagogical model is presented for a General Chemistry 1 (GChem1) course that is delivered in a team learning format (PFTL). In the PFTL classroom, students are placed in diverse teams of 5–6 students who then work through activities and quizzes to engage with the material and to identify misconceptions. Using a Socratic lecture format as a baseline, students experiencing the PFTL format were less likely to withdraw and more likely to achieve grades sufficient to progress toward degree completion. The success of BIPOC and non-BIPOC groups using PFTL became evident by disaggregating BIPOC into subpopulations. PFTL instruction resonated with non-BIPOC and Black/African American (B/AA) students, who posted the greatest increases in course retention and overall success. The LatinX student response was more modest. LatinX withdrawals declined by 8% points compared to double-digit declines for non-BIPOC and B/AA students (14 and 33, respectively). Additionally, LatinX student success increased primarily in the C/D categories while B/AA and non-BIPOC student gains were in B/C categories. Overall, PFTL instruction supports student completion in GChem1. A deeper understanding of the student, faculty, and society perspectives that are driving these results will help to address the persistent grade disparity within STEM education.
