Upcoming Events
Computational and Data Sciences Seminar Series
Mar 29, 2024, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Center on Social Complexity Suite (3rd floor, Research Hall) and online via Zoom
Speaker: Amira Stine, CSS Ph.D. Program, CDS, GMU
Title: Retention in higher education: An agent-based model of social interactions and motivated agent behavior
Abstract: In the United States, educational attainment and student retention are some of the areas of greater focus in higher education research. Institutions are constantly looking for new ways to identify areas of improvement across different aspects of the student experience on university campuses. By using an agent-based model, and tools from computational social science, this work combines several datasets form the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and uses data from a ten-year period to understand which variables impact retention, and whether there are any social interactions and environmental components that can be measured, and tested, to better understand the issues with student retention. This work looks at some of the underlying theories of learning, and suggestions for new ways of structuring campuses to accommodate learning needs to promote better student outcomes.
For Zoom link contact Robert Axtell