D3207: Using a book club approach to create a learning community and develop science identity for STEM students during a pandemic

The US MASTER Program is an NSF supported scholarship program that seeks to increase success of STEM students from underrepresented groups at the University of North Dakota. To date, this program has involved over 50 students from five departments (Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences/Geography, Mathematics and Physics/Astrophysics) across eleven years of funding. One component of this scholarship program is a recommended seminar course that is offered each semester. In the past years, we asked students to read books related to subject areas involved with the scholarship program. In the past two years, the seminars in an academic year were linked experiences involving a common read or book club experience in the fall semester and a group research experience in the spring semester. In 2019-2020, students learned about microplastic environmental pollution and examined the prevalence of microplastics in North Dakota. In 2020-2021, students analyzed large datasets that spanned Geography, Physics, and Mathematics. We wanted to understand if these books and associated discussions increased student interest in STEM careers, and if students felt the books prepared them for subsequent research experiences. We also wanted to learn if students felt that these experiences were beneficial during the pandemic. We assessed student perceptions with interviews and Qualtrics surveys. We find that though students felt less connected and struggled during semesters that spanned the COVID pandemic, that the book club and student discussions seemed to allow students to form connections with their peers and to benefit from the associated group research classes.