Boosting Engagement and Retention: Adapting STEP UP Lessons for Undergraduate Physics Courses

Women and many people of color remain significantly underrepresented in physics and related fields. The STEP UP program, originally a high school intervention, utilizes counternarrative lessons (e.g., Careers in Physics and Women in Physics) that have been empirically shown to increase students' physics-related career intentions. Recognizing that many undergraduates arrive without exposure to these powerful lessons, we have adapted and implemented the core STEP UP content into a range of college-level courses.

This talk will present a brief overview of the two adapted lessons including the everyday actions guide and detail their implementation across various undergraduate contexts, including algebra-based physics, introductory physics major courses, and seminars for physics and engineering students.

Our preliminary findings suggest that integrating these counternarrative lessons demonstrably increases student engagement and positively correlates with an increase in the number of students enrolling in subsequent physics courses. These adaptations represent a scalable approach to fostering physics identity and are a critical strategy for improving the retention of students from diverse backgrounds—a vital goal as physics departments work to address enrollment and budget challenges.