Low student enrollment and high attrition rates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education are major challenges in higher education. Many STEM entrants end-up switching their majors to non-STEM fields, perform poorly relative to their peers in other programs, and/or drop out of college without earning any academic qualification. Therefore, it is important to examine strategies for reducing attrition in STEM programs. This paper reviews the major factors impeding student interest, success, and persistence in STEM programs, and current institutional practices aimed at addressing these issues. Suggested institutional strategies to improve persistence in STEM programs and their implications that are discussed in this paper include: provision of orientation programs, adoption of early warning systems, Mathematics review sessions, creation of student learning communities, professional development of faculty, as well as collaborative and outreach programs. It is hoped that this review will encourage debate toward solving the major challenges facing STEM education.

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Research on online education has predominantly focused on issues related to student attraction, attrition, retention, and motivation, among others. Little attention has been paid to online instructors and yet, the quality of online education requires educators who understand the expectations of online instruction. Using an online survey, this study examined the expectations and challenges for online instructors and the suggestions for improving online instruction. Based on the data collected from seventeen faculty who teach online courses at four mid-western universities in the US, facilitation, instructor presence, and technical support stood out prominently among the expectations. The major challenges for online instructors were: large class sizes, academic dishonesty, lack of connection with students, too many emails, and lack of student self-discipline. The study recommends viable professional development for online instructors as a pre-requisite to teaching online courses.