Announcement of Ph.D. in Higher Education Dissertation Proposal Defense Mark Walzer: “Interactions between underrepresented students and STEM faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic”

Concerns over the retention and graduation of female and underrepresented minority science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students (National Science Board, 2022) have led to research on improving student-faculty interactions (Fries-Britt & White-Lewis, 2020). The adoption of emergency remote teaching (ERT) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to further questions about the experiences of these students (Buttler et al., 2021; Gillis & Krull, 2020). The proposed research involves analyzing data from a national student survey and interviews with students to consider the possible relationships between students’ interactions with faculty and persistence in STEM programs or perceptions of their programs. Interviews with faculty will also be used to determine their views of the effect of emergency remote teaching on their ability to engage with students.

To access the Zoom link required to attend this defense, please contact academic.services@gse.rutgers.edu.