Can learning communities boost success of women and minorities in STEM? Evidence from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
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| Institution: | 1. Education Northwest and Community College Research Center, United States;2. University of California-Irvine and Community College Research Center, United States;1. School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States;2. The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036, United States;3. Michigan State University, College of Education, Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI, United States |
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| Abstract: | I study the impacts of a freshman learning community at MIT called the Experimental Study Group (ESG) which has features aligning with the National Academies’ recommendations for expanding the representation and success of women and minorities in STEM fields. I exploit the lottery-based admission system to estimate causal treatment effects. I find no statistically significant effects on academic outcomes for ESG enrollees generally, but women who participate in the program have higher GPAs and complete more credits of coursework. Minority students are more likely to major in math, computer science, or electrical engineering after participating in the program. Though quite noisy, the results are suggestive that women and minorities in STEM may benefit from learning communities. |
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