A Tale of Two Sections (at the same time): Student achievement outcomes and the student-faculty experience in simulcasted STEM courses

Program Abstract: At a large, minority-serving, research-intensive institution in the Southeastern U.S., more students seek online learning opportunities in efforts to balance their studies with familial responsibilities and off-campus employment than ever before. We currently face challenges in engaging remote learners with classroom-level experiences that contribute to a sense of belonging to the institutional community. Belongingness is a predictor of student persistence across demographic backgrounds, and lower measures of belongingness disproportionately impact students from historically marginalized communities, thus negatively affecting their persistence (Gopalan & Brady, 2020). Cultivating remote and in-person environments that foster belongingness is paramount to broadening participation in STEM. We offered introductory biology classes in which sessions were simulcasted, or livestreamed, so students could attend synchronously online or in person. Using a mixed-methods approach, we investigated learner engagement, achievement, and overall experiences. We will share our findings and discuss our pedagogical approaches to maximize in-class engagement and attendance across modalities.