Impacting Career Choices of Historically Underserved Secondary Students by Designing Near-Peer Directed Acid-Base Thematic Laboratory Activities to Enhance STEM Interest.

The current study describes preliminary findings from the Xavier University of Louisiana Mobile Outreach for Laboratory Enrichment (XULA-MOLE) project, which is a collaboration between Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA), a Historically Black and Catholic University, and participating 9th-12th grade classrooms in the central New Orleans area with a historically underserved student population. The project described here is geared toward providing laboratory enrichment to enhance student learning and impact student career interest in STEM fields, especially in classrooms with a much-needed "hands-on" laboratory experience which is unavailable due to a lack of resources. In this case study, we will present and discuss the inquiry-based laboratory modules for the topic area of acids and bases. These modules were created with careful thought and revision by XULA undergraduate STEM students. The experimental modules were based on the curriculum that participating teachers were discussing in the high-school classroom during the semester. The active-learning efforts were carried out during 6 weeks of the semester to provide a sustained and impactful resource for the participating classrooms. Since both groups of students (XULA-MOLE students and the high school students) were from underrepresented groups there was a strong sense of shared interest and dynamic near-peer mentorship. The project outcomes were measured using both formative and summative assessments indicative of preliminary successes in impacting career interests and increasing the content knowledge of participating high-school students.