2025 Student Academic Success Research Grants Awarded

The Student Success Research Lab is pleased to announce four new grantees under the Student Academic Success Research (SASR) Grants program. Winning proposals received top marks for methodological quality and practical importance from a panel representing multiple colleges, units, and campuses across the university, with a focus on ensuring that each funded project has clear and practical implications for the design, implementation, engagement, or scale-up of practices to improve Ohio State student success. This year’s topics range from chemistry and STEM tutoring to transfer student pathways and agricultural education.

Based on Ohio State’s increased focuses on areas such as workforce development, STEM, and transfer students, these studies will provide momentum in driving institutional change through data-driven insights across distinct populations, disciplines, and mechanisms of support. Each recipient is dedicated to digging into their specific discipline and excited to pursue ways of improving student success; read on for more information about each project.

Amplifying Peer Tutoring to Advance Student Success in STEM (Jennifer Collins, associate director, STEM Gateway Learning Center)

This mixed-methods research study will examine the perspectives, experiences, and realities of tutors and administrators housed in 15 tutoring program units across the six campuses that offer support to students in STEM. Collins says, “The SASR grant will empower change agents to look beyond just faculty teaching practices and place more emphasis on out-of-classroom support services such as peer tutoring to increase student learning and retention in STEM. I am thrilled that my work on uplifting peer tutors and their impact on student success will strategically support Ohio’s and the nation’s pressing need for more outstanding STEM professionals.”

 Examining the Educational Pathways and Experiences of Transfer Students in the College of Education and Human Ecology (Edward C. Fletcher Jr., distinguished professor and assistant chair, and Donna Rutledge, co-principal investigator, graduate research associate and PhD student, Department of Educational Studies)

This study will examine the unique lived experiences of transfer students and their successful/non-successful pathways in the College of Education and Human Ecology while adjusting to a different institutional environment. Fletcher and Rutledge are excited to work together saying, “We are interested in learning from the experiences, challenges, and successes of OSU Education and Human Ecology transfer students as they navigate higher education with the goal to develop programmatic recommendations for the college to ensure the transition from two-year colleges to OSU is smooth for future generations.”

An Exploration of the Climate in Chemistry Graduate Programs (Josie Nardo, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry) 

This study will be using longitudinal and case study methods to explore how institutional structures, departmental climates, and disciplinary norms shape chemistry graduate students’ possible selves and academic citizenship, and how these processes vary across students with differing sexual orientations and gender identities. Nardo says, “Mentoring graduate students to conduct research that reflects both their passions and identities, while also advancing our collective goals in chemistry education, is incredibly fulfilling. This SASR grant offers a chance to document how institutional policies shape graduate student well-being, visibility, and success in STEM.”

CFAES Supports & Barriers Related to Career Choice: A Mixed-Method Study (Kellie Claflin, assistant professor, Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership)

Kellie will use a mixed-methods study to investigate the supports and barriers impacting career choice among students in Columbus and Wooster within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

There is an increasing demand for professionals in agricultural fields, and Claflin’s work and SASR grant study will be timely in informing CFAES programs, enhancing student support services, career development initiatives, and retention strategies. With a background in agricultural education since 2011 and roots in America’s Dairyland, she is continuing that work as a current teacher educator in agriscience education. Claflin focuses on improving teacher learning to boost student achievement and ways in which to spark interest in agriculture. This includes increasing students’ agricultural literacy and helping them recognize the wide range of opportunities in the field, from food, fiber, and fuel.

She says, “I'm excited about expanding our research through this SASR grant, especially as we continue to explore Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) with first-year CFAES students.” The study will continue the work to understand career behavior and how to better support students to pursue in-demand careers in food, agriculture, and environmental science. “With the grant, we can gather more in-depth data through interviews and track students’ persistence into their second year. I’m also looking forward to including Wooster students alongside those in Columbus to capture a broader range of experiences and insights that will help inform our support strategies.”

For more information about the SASR Grants Program, including a list of past grantees, visit the Student Success Research Lab website.