**3. Data collection and research methodology**

The time period under analysis is between the Fall 2015 and Spring 2020 academic semesters. For a course to meet the requirement of a gateway course, Trinity University's QEP titled *Starting Strong* defined the course as a gateway class during

*Perspective Chapter: The Case of Trinity University – An Examination of Vulnerable Students'... DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108621*

its development phase. After all, one of the central reasons Trinity chose *Starting Strong* is to reduce deficient grade rates in the most notoriously challenging classes. The classes included in the analysis are in the subject areas of Math (Calculus 1 and Calculus 2), Life Sciences (Integrative Biology 1, General Chemistry, Introduction to Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry), the Physical Sciences (Introduction to Mechanics, Introduction of Electricity, Magnetism of Waves) and the Social Sciences (Principles of Microeconomics 1). The total enrollment of students taking STEMrelated gateway classes during the Fall 2015 and Spring 2020 semesters is 9070. The data were ascertained from the Office of Trinity University's Institutional Research and Effectiveness with the permission of the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs: Student Academic Issues and Retention.

Appendix A conceptualizes and operationalizes the independent and dependent variables. The study uses the following methods. The three independent variables are binary (dummy): First, if the student is first generation or PELL eligible, the independent variable is coded as a 1; otherwise, it is coded as a 0. Second, if the student takes more than one gateway class in the same semester, it is coded as a 1; if the student takes only one gateway class, it is coded as 0. Third, if the QRS Director and the creation of his Center are present (spring 2019–spring 2022), it is coded 1; otherwise, it is coded as 0 (fall 2015–spring 2019). The dependent variable is also dichotomous. If a student earned a deficient grade in or taken a withdrawal from a course (D/F/W), the dependent variable is coded as a 1; otherwise, it is coded as a 0. To discern the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable, the study will use descriptive statistics.

### **4. Results**

**Table 1** reveals the results for FGUS' deficient grade rates in Trinity University's gateway courses during the Fall 2015 and Spring 2020 academic semesters. Overall, the average deficient grade (D/F/W) rate is 19 percent for all students taking gateway classes. However, among FGUS, the deficient grade rate spikes 7 percentage points to 26 percent—over one-quarter of the students. By contrast, if the student is a non-FGUS, the deficient grade rate drops to 18 percent. The study's findings are consistent with the findings in the literature. FGUS face daunting challenges when tackling the most challenging academic pathways [11, 12]. It may be due to lack of preparation of college-level work. And, FGUS do not always have similar support systems as their non-FGUS counterparts.

Like FGUS, **Table 2** shows that PELL eligible students also face difficulties in gateway classes. While it is not as pronounced as for FGUS, PELL eligible students have an overall deficient grade rate of 23 percent. In comparison, non-PELL eligible students


#### **Table 1.**

*The deficient grade rates of students who are first generation.*


#### **Table 2.**

*The deficient grade rates of students who are PELL eligible.*

only have a deficient grade rate of 18 percent—a 5 percentage point difference between being Pell and non-PELL eligible. The study's findings are also consistent with the literature regarding PELL eligible students [12, 13]. The purpose of PELL grants is to equalize the playing field among those who apply to and attend college, creating access and upward mobility for less affluent students. While it is a noble policy, the findings here show that PELL eligible students are less likely to succeed than traditional college students. The reasons for PELL eligible students not succeeding at the same rate as non-PELL eligible ones may be due to the choice of the schools attended. The findings indicate that PELL eligible students are more likely to choose schools with lower retention rates than non-PELL eligible students. However, even in the case of attending universities with higher retention rates, PELL eligible students are more likely to fail out than traditional students, which may also be due to college preparatory issues ([17], p. 1). With higher deficient grade rates in gateway classes, FGUS and PELL eligible students do not graduate at the same rates as traditional college students. In many instances, it means that FGUS and PELL eligible students often must pay back student loans when they have not received the return on investment of those who have graduated from college.

**Table 3** focuses on whether taking multiple gateway courses in the same semester is likely to cause higher deficient grade rates than only taking one gateway class. The logic is that too many gateway classes taken at the same time affects overall performance, because the students may be overwhelmed by the challenging course work—something they were not accustomed to when in high school (e.g., [12]). In the case of Trinity University, taking multiple gateways courses (as opposed to one) in the same semester slightly increases the likelihood of earning a deficient grade. As **Table 3** indicates, Trinity students who took more than one gateway course (21 percent) during the semester were 4 percent more likely to earn a deficient grade than those who only took one gateway class (17 percent). If possible, it is prudent to spread out gateway courses over a longer period of time. At the very least, students should avoid taking multiple gateway classes during their first year of college when they are learning the norms and expectations of college.


#### **Table 3.**

*The deficient grade rates of students taking multiple gateway courses in the same semester between Fall 2015 and Spring 2020.*

*Perspective Chapter: The Case of Trinity University – An Examination of Vulnerable Students'... DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108621*


#### **Table 4.**

*The deficient grade rates of students before and after the creation of the QRS center in STEM-related gateway classes.*

Due to the struggles of students in STEM-related gateway courses, Trinity chose its QEP titled *Starting Strong* to strategically and intentionally help firstyear students academically succeed. One of the featured strategies of the QEP was to create a QRS Center with a director who has a background in higher education pedagogy and STEM. Employing best practices, the objective was to decrease deficient grade rates in our STEM-related gateway courses. Our director started the QRS Center in the Fall 2019 academic semester. **Table 3** compares the deficient grade rates before and after the creation of the QRS Center. Prior to creation of the QRS Center, the average deficient grade rate for students in gateway classes was 21 percent between the Fall 2015 and Fall 2019 academic semesters. After the creation of the Center, the deficient grade rate precipitously dropped to 10 percent between the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 academic semesters. This dramatic drop of 11 percentage points occurred during a global pandemic. COVID-19's disruption affected all areas of the globe in a myriad of ways, including higher education. Yet, the QRS Center's strategies helped mitigate one of Trinity's most challenging academic issues (**Table 4**).

**Table 5** compares the difference in deficient grade rates between FGUS and non-FGUS before and after the creation of the QRS Center. Prior to the creation of the QRS Center between the Fall 2015 and Fall 2019 academic semesters, the deficient grade rates for FGUS were 27 percent. In comparison, for non-FGUS during the same period, the deficient grade rate drops by 7 percentage points to 20 percent. After the hiring of the Director and the creation of a QRS Center between the Spring 2019 and Fall 2020 academic semesters, the deficient grade rate for FGUS decreased by 13 percentage points to 14 percent. And, similarly, for non-FGUS, the deficient grade rate dropped 11 percentage points to 9 percent, the lowest percentage for either group during the time period studied.


#### **Table 5.**

*The deficient grade rates of FGUS before and after the creation of the QRS center in STEM-related gateway courses.*


#### **Table 6.**

*The deficient grade rates of PELL eligible students before and after the creation of the QRS Center in STEM-related gateway courses.*

**Table 6** shows a comparison between PELL eligible and non-eligible PELL eligible students prior to and after the creation of a QRS Center and the hiring of the Director. Prior to the creation of a QRS Center between the Fall 2015 and Fall 2019 academic years, the deficient grade was 25 percent for STEM-related courses. For non-PELL eligible students, the deficient grade drops 5 percentage points over the same period. After the hiring of the Director and the creation of a QRS Center between Spring 2019 and Spring 2020 academic semesters, the study finds the most marked decrease among PELL eligible students in their deficient grades by 16 percentage points to 9 percent in STEM-related courses. In fact, the PELL eligible group of students outperformed the non-PELL eligible students (10 percent) by 1 percentage point during the same period.

In an interview, this researcher asked the QRS Director what factors contributed to the improvement in student performance in Trinity's STEM-related gateway courses. He attributed the initial success to three factors. First, while STEM peer tutors are not centralized, departments that have bought into the QRS Center's strategies have helped create a minimum quality standard for the performance of peer tutors. The QRS Director noted that peer tutors are a high-impact educational practice, and that peer tutors need to be properly trained prior to helping struggling students succeed. Second, the QRS director created a peer-tutoring advisory board for STEM-related fields. This makes faculty members stakeholders in peer tutoring and academic student success [18].

Third, the Summer Bridge Math program has also been a valuable strategy in helping students in STEM-related fields with preparatory issues prior to beginning of the student's first semester. Summer Bridge Math is a one-credit hour class that provides a review of the math skills used most often in STEM-related courses. The QRS Director collected data on the 1-week Summer Bridge program for incoming first-year students prior to the beginning of their first semester. He found that those students who accepted the invitation to attend the Summer Bridge Math program did better in STEM-related gateway courses than those who did not attend [18]. Research has reaffirmed the QRS Director's impressions that Summer Bridge programs are an effective strategy in preparing students for the rigors of college [19].

### **5. Conclusion**

Consistent with the literature on gateway courses, the study finds that students at Trinity University struggle with gateway courses in STEM-related fields. Academic

#### *Perspective Chapter: The Case of Trinity University – An Examination of Vulnerable Students'... DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108621*

performance varied among the student cohorts. FGUS and PELL eligible students faced more daunting challenges in gateway classes compared with non-FGUS and non-PELL eligible students. One of the central findings of the study is that students who took multiple gateway courses struggled with deficient grades more than those who took only one gateway course. Additionally, the creation of a QRS Center helped to mitigate deficient grade rates among all groups in STEM-related gateway classes in its first three semesters. The findings regarding the Director and his QRS Center are still in its preliminary stages. The findings, however, reveal that universities are not powerless to help students succeed in its most challenging academic pathways. It requires financial and personnel resources coupled with a strategic and intentional plan that uses best practices with an understanding of the academic culture of the university.

Even though Trinity has made progress in decreasing the deficient grade rates in its STEM-related gateway courses, there is still notable room for improvement. There are three strategies that may help student performance in gateway courses in the future. First, course redesign with a special focus on student preparatory issues, particularly at the beginning of STEM-related gateway courses, could prove fruitful. Three immediate tweaks to a syllabus may include more low stakes assignments, early alerts, and learning objectives/student-learning outcomes. Second, Supplemental Instruction (SI) has demonstrated to help reduce high deficient grade rates in gateway courses. SI was created by Deanna Martin at University of Missouri, Kansas City, in 1973. It uses peer-assisted study sessions to improve student success and retention within targeted historically challenging courses [20]. As Dawson et. al. ([21], p. 609) point out, "SI is correlated with higher mean grades, lower failure and withdrawal rates, and higher retention and graduation rates."

Third, co-requisite instruction is another long-term solution, which requires students enrolled in a class "to also attend a 1–3 credit hour co-requisite course that is aligned with, and offered alongside, the appropriate college-level course" [22]. Some students enrolled in gateway courses do not need to take a remedial course before taking a gateway course. Yet, they are still not yet prepared to take the class without a meaningful intervention. Co-requisite instruction appears to resolve this issue. In highly sequential majors, such as Physics at Trinity University, co-requisite instruction seems to be a strategy that holds promise.

Given the exorbitant cost of higher education, it is vital that universities prepare students for the rigors of college once accepted to the institution. It is not only a student-centered approach. It also helps universities retain students and provides upward mobility for students from underrepresented backgrounds.
