Increasing Student Engagement and Retention in Biology by Using Outdoor Projects


Meeting Abstract

20-2  Friday, Jan. 4 10:15 – 10:30  Increasing Student Engagement and Retention in Biology by Using Outdoor Projects KISSANE, KC; Blinn College kelly.kissane@blinn.edu

Student retention in the STEM fields currently have a 52% retention rate in 4 year degree programs and only 31% retention rate in 2 year degree programs according to the US Department of Education. One way to increase both student engagement and student retention in biology is extra curricular activities that provide students opportunities to interact with nature. This talk will discuss three partnerships I developed at Blinn College to provide nature projects for students and the student reactions to these projects.

the Society for
Integrative &
Comparative
Biology