Students accepted into the BUILD Control Group or “CG” are crucial to the success of the STEM BUILD at UMBC investigation because, as part of the randomized control trial, they help ensure that the overall study is a true exploration into the effectiveness of a variety of student success measures.
As explained by the initiative’s lead evaluator, a randomized control trial or RCT is the “gold standard” in both clinical and educational research.
RCTs help increase the confidence that outcomes obtained are the result of the planned interventions rather than other causes. CG students receive incentives for completing evaluation surveys.