Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-16
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-16
04 Mar 2022
 | 04 Mar 2022

Building confidence in STEM students through breaking (unseen) barriers

Philip Joseph Heron and Jamie A. Williams

Abstract. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects have historically struggled to be inclusive and accessible to students from diverse backgrounds. The field of geoscience, in particular, has also had challenges in diversity with respect to staff and student recruitment. The consequence of non-inclusive practices still propagates today, with certain demographics not engaging in STEM activities. As a result, there needs to be conscious efforts to adopt equity, diversity, and inclusive (EDI) initiatives for subjects such as geoscience to grow. In this article, we outline the steps we have taken to break down known (and unknown) barriers to education in the teaching of a science outreach course to a diverse student body. Our outreach course, Think Like A Scientist, has been running in a number of UK prisons since 2019. Although the program is tailored to the restrictive prison environment, the application of its core principles to education are fundamental EDI practises that could be beneficial to a wide audience. In this paper, we outline our reasoning for specific pedagogical choices in the classroom when working with students that have low confidence in STEM education, and highlight the need for engagement that is relatable, accessible, inclusive, and offers encouragement.

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

14 Nov 2022
| Highlight paper
Building confidence in STEM students through breaking (unseen) barriers
Philip J. Heron and Jamie A. Williams
Geosci. Commun., 5, 355–361, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-5-355-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-5-355-2022, 2022
Short summary Executive editor
Philip Joseph Heron and Jamie A. Williams

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-16', Lucy Beattie, 09 Apr 2022
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Philip Heron, 27 Jul 2022
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-16', Scott King, 12 May 2022
    • AC2: 'Reply on CC1', Philip Heron, 27 Jul 2022
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-16', Julie Jebsen, 16 May 2022
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Philip Heron, 27 Jul 2022

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-16', Lucy Beattie, 09 Apr 2022
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Philip Heron, 27 Jul 2022
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-16', Scott King, 12 May 2022
    • AC2: 'Reply on CC1', Philip Heron, 27 Jul 2022
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-16', Julie Jebsen, 16 May 2022
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Philip Heron, 27 Jul 2022

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (further review by editor) (19 Aug 2022) by Stephanie Zihms
AR by Philip Heron on behalf of the Authors (29 Aug 2022)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
EF by Ariane Baumbach (30 Aug 2022)  Supplement 
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (07 Sep 2022) by Stephanie Zihms
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (further review by editor) (15 Sep 2022) by John K. Hillier (Executive editor)
AR by Philip Heron on behalf of the Authors (30 Sep 2022)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (14 Oct 2022) by Stephanie Zihms
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (further review by editor) (14 Oct 2022) by Sam Illingworth (Executive editor)
AR by Philip Heron on behalf of the Authors (14 Oct 2022)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (14 Oct 2022) by Sam Illingworth
ED: Publish as is (18 Oct 2022) by Sam Illingworth (Executive editor)
AR by Philip Heron on behalf of the Authors (26 Oct 2022)

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

14 Nov 2022
| Highlight paper
Building confidence in STEM students through breaking (unseen) barriers
Philip J. Heron and Jamie A. Williams
Geosci. Commun., 5, 355–361, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-5-355-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-5-355-2022, 2022
Short summary Executive editor
Philip Joseph Heron and Jamie A. Williams
Philip Joseph Heron and Jamie A. Williams

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Latest update: 26 Jan 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

Great to highlight this again to show what the support from the Outreach Award did and to showcase the lessons from this work.
Short summary
’Think Like A Scientist’ is a geoscience course designed to improve critical thinking and encourage independent thought for people in prison. Based on course feedback, we outline practical advice when dealing with students who do not engage in formal education – specifically for students who have no confidence in themselves or the education system. To tackle this, we focus on how to create a classroom dynamic that is accessible, inclusive, and relatable to students from all backgrounds.