College of Science Diversity Fellows grant to fund new Math Studio Experience
Students prepare for final exams on Reading Day. Photo by Luke Hayes for Virginia Tech.
A one-year grant awarded to a team of faculty and staff at Virginia Tech is set to reshape the experience of mathematics majors.
A College of Science Diversity Fellows grant was awarded to faculty Fanny Jasso-Hernandez and Jessica Schmale, and Veronica Montes, the director of the El Centro Hispanic and Latinx Community and Cultural Center, for a proposal that starts with math and adds in community.
Jasso-Hernandez and Schmale, instructors and faculty advisors in the mathematics department, investigated data on student performance in a course that transitions students into upper division mathematics. Team members found that transfer students, particularly those identified as underserved, experienced poorer performance outcomes in this course compared with their peers who were admitted as first-time freshmen. After additional discussion and observation, they realized that community building could make a positive difference.
The Diversity Fellows Grant will fund a project called Math Studio Experience, which is loosely modeled on the studio experience found in Virginia Tech’s architecture programs. This project establishes a more robust support system for students by creating an informal environment to talk about math and build community around shared interests. By creating a network of peer communication and enhancing the exchange of ideas, team members hope to remove some of the intimidation, make the experience more fun, and allow students more space to ask questions.
The overall goal of the Math Lab Experience is to train and support peer mentors, to reinforce fundamental mathematical reasoning concepts, and ultimately lead to better results in math courses. The team hopes this approach also will allow students to the build stronger community ties, leading to improved emotional health and better student outcomes overall.
Both professors on the project feel a direct connection to the students allows for open discussions and enables a more holistic view of the issues students face.
“For other students who have started together at Virginia Tech, their first semesters help them feel more comfortable in the environment and build a foundation before moving on to more advanced classes,” Schmale said. “The transfer students don’t have those same opportunities.”
“One of the biggest obstacles for transfer math students is inclusion,” Jasso-Hernandez said. “Coming in after the first year makes it more difficult to develop a cohort or get to know professors.”
The team behind the grant also aims to connect students with community beyond the mathematics department. Jasso-Hernandez’s experience working with Montes and El Centro as a faculty fellow inspired this combination of a strong community connection with academic goals at the forefront.
Once students are embedded in the Math Studio Experience, they will be introduced to El Centro and eventually the other Community and Cultural Centers in hopes that it may motivate them to seek ongoing support there.
Montes noted the importance of centering a cultural perspective.
“Having El Centro and the other Cultural and Community Centers as a resource allows students to connect in a cross-cultural way and helps them find other students like them,” Montes said. “Sharing stories of life, and struggles in general, lets them know they’re not alone and takes a little bit of the stress and fear away.”
A soft launch of the program is happening this spring, and the team plan to allow the student experience to drive and shape the program.
“The idea is to connect more meaningfully outside of the classroom,” Jasso-Hernandez said. “We want to help and serve as many students as possible.”
For more information on the program, please contact Fanny Jasso-Hernandez, Jessica Schmale, or Veronica Montes.
