# Broadening Participation in the Biomedical Sciences with Utility Value Interventions

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2021 · $460,232

## Abstract

Broadening Participation in the Biomedical Sciences with Utility Value Interventions
ABSTRACT
The goal of this program of research is to broaden the participation of first-generation (FG) and
underrepresented ethnic minority (URM) students in biomedical fields with utility-value
interventions in gateway biology and chemistry classes. Using a theoretically grounded utility-
value intervention, PI aims to close achievement gaps for FG students, those for whom neither
parent obtained a 4-year college degree, and for URM students. A previously funded large-scale
double-blind randomized study in introductory biology courses at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison (UW) demonstrated that the utility value intervention (UVI), in which students write
about the personal relevance of course material, was successful in reducing the achievement
gaps for FG and URM relative to a control condition in which students summarized course
content. The proposed research will (1) test whether UVI effects documented at UW can be
replicated in different gateway courses and different universities, (2) test whether the UVI can
be adapted for a more diverse student sample, and (3) test the long-term effects of the UVI by
following students over time through graduation. PI will analyze the results of a recently
completed large-scale multi-site study conducted at three sites. Two versions of the UVI and
control writing assignments were tested with more than 7,000 students across 10 academic
semesters of biology and chemistry in 3 different institutions: UW, University of Maryland,
Baltimore County, and San Diego State University. By testing two versions of the UVI across
three universities, and following students through graduation, PI can answer three critical
questions. First, by testing a new prosocial version of the intervention and comparing it to the
established “personal” version, as well as a control group, PI can draw new inferences about the
impact of having students reflect on ways that they can use their education in biomedical fields
to help others, give back to their community, or make a contribution to society. Second, because
PI has collected data from large groups of students from diverse racial/ethnic, socioeconomic,
and cultural backgrounds, the data provide the best opportunity to date to test intervention
effects for different groups of students in gateway courses. Third, long-term follow-up of
students in the multi-site project will help us understand how and why this intervention can be so
powerful in broadening participation in the biomedical sciences.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10200524
- **Project number:** 1R35GM141556-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Judith M. Harackiewicz
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $460,232
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-06-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10200524

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10200524, Broadening Participation in the Biomedical Sciences with Utility Value Interventions (1R35GM141556-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10200524. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*