Research experiences are not only resume-boosters for scientific jobs, but they’re also becoming almost necessary for getting into graduate schools and medical schools. Students’ experiences in these research experiences often depend on their relationship with their research mentor. Students with marginalized identities can struggle to feel understood and respected by their mentors, especially if their mentors don’t share their identities. One group that may particularly struggle with a cultural disconnect from their mentors is Muslim students. Most academic scientists are not religious, and specifically less than 1% of science professors identify as Muslim. This secular culture in academic science may prevent Muslim students from feeling comfortable bringing their religious identity into research spaces. In a recent essay published in CBE-Life Sciences Education, a research team of Muslim mentees and non-Muslim mentors describe how one can navigate this cultural gap. The research tea...
How many of your students are first-generation? How many of your students work more than 15 hours a week? How many of your students want to become doctors? If you teach a small college class, then it’s easier for you to get to know who your students are, but this is much harder in a large class. Also, the impersonal nature of large science classes makes it difficult for students to feel like they relate to the instructor, which can negatively impact student learning and engagement, especially for members of marginalized groups. One simple strategy that has been recommended for helping instructors get to know their students is to distribute a “get to know you” survey at the beginning of the semester, but there’s a lack of data on how this might affect students. So, a recent study explored whether an instructor collecting and sharing aggregated student demographics in a large biology course could positively impact students. Below are some of the main findings: Most students appreciated ...