Data Literacy Institute (DLI) group research findings

Research Findings

Performance of students enrolled in MTH 0661 – Elementary Algebra in Fall 2020 was used to explore gaps between URM and non-URM students, student retention and persistence in STEM fields.

Females were more likely to pass MTH 0661 than males, regardless of whether they were URM (Figure 1).

Both URM and non-URM students who passed had higher average SAT scores than students who did not pass (Figure 2).

After not passing MTH 0661, 91% of STEM majors left the university and 9% switched majors – none remained in their STEM major (Figure 3).

Providing additional support and intervention to at-risk students enrolled in MTH 0661 has the potential to positively impact student retention at Oakland University as well as retention and persistence in STEM fields.

Data Literacy Institute

Oakland University participated in the Data Literacy Institute (DLI) - a partnership between APLU and the Association for Institutional Research with funding from Ascendium during the 2021-2022 academic year. OU’s cross-divisional team consisting of faculty, administrators, and staff with diverse data literacy backgrounds actively engaged in this data literacy training.

They meet weekly throughout the academic year to participate in class lessons, webinars, discussion boards, virtual seminars, and group activities. Oakland’s DLI participants teamed up on three capstone research projects, all around student success.

The findings from DLI projects are featured in this third of three Grizz Facts with the intention of sharing the research findings broadly and building interest in data literacy across the university community. Contact the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment for more information about OU’s Data Literacy Initiative.