LSAMP: Puerto Rico-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, Phase III: Constructing Permanent Pathways to Graduate Studies

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The Puerto Rico Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PR-LSAMP) is an alliance of the Resource Center for Science and Engineering of the University of Puerto Rico, the University of Puerto Rico System, the Inter American University System, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, and Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.During the academic year 1999-00, these institutions had a SMET enrollment of 27,441,or 90% of the SMET undergraduate population on the Island. Ninety-nine percent of the student population is Hispanic and 80% are low-income students. The goal of thePR-LSAMP is to increase the quantity and quality of minority college students who successfully complete a BS/BE degree and enter and complete a graduate degree ina SMET field. During Phase I and II (1991-92 to 1999-00), PR-LSAMP institutionsawarded 21,878 BS degrees in SMET, with a 62% annual increment from baseline year,from 1,709 annual degrees in 1991 to 2,771 in 1999-2000. This was achievedfollowing a two-prong approach: (1) increasing enrollment in SMET disciplines, and(2) improving retention and graduation rates by implementing a series of strategies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of SMET programs. In Phase III, PR-LSAMPwill build upon these achievements to: (1) further increase the SMET production curve from 2,771 to 3,600, which more than doubles the Phase I baseline figure of 1,709; (2) increase to 50% the percent of BS SMET graduates from UPR institutions who entergraduate school, and to 25% for those graduating from the private institutions, and (3) increase the number of BS graduates from PR-LSAMP institutions that complete a PhDdegree in SMET, either locally or nationally, from 239 to 300 by the end of year 5.During Phase I and Phase II the core of PR-LSAMP was the revision of the SMETcurriculum to emphasize for depth of understanding with a "less is more approach",to promote active learning based on inquiry and the use of interactive demonstrations, to incorporate technology to the learning process, and the development of broad-based mathematics skills. Teaching strategies such as cooperative learning and thedevelopment of Study/Learning Skills within the Context of a Course were alsoimplemented across SMET disciplines. Jointly with this curriculum revision,PR-LSAMP offered undergraduate SMET students mentoring and research opportunitiesto increase their motivation to remain in SMET careers and enhance their qualificationfor pursuing graduate studies. During Phase I and II a total of 2,363 research stipends were awarded, for an average of 262 stipends per year. As a result of these sustainedefforts, the Index of Course Efficiency (the average number of times students have to take a SMET course to satisfactorily pass it), was reduced from an average of 2.5 to 1.7. The average graduation rate at UPR institutions increased from 48% to 62% in science, while the average graduation rate for engineering at UPR increased from 53% to 81%. At private institutions the average graduation rate increased to 49%.Also the weighted average for satisfactory grades in science and mathematics courses increased from 47.5% to 59.3%. In the case of Engineering courses, the weighted average increased from 74% to 83%.For Phase III PR-LSAMP proposes the following additional strategies to completethe construction of permanent pathways to graduate studies in SMET: 1) thedevelopment of interactive web-based learning to master hard to teach concepts in science and mathematics; (2) the development of electronic modules to expand theinterdisciplinary capabilities of undergraduate SMET students to further enhancetheir preparation for graduate studies; 3) the scaling-up of the teaching/learning strategies that have proven successful in improving student performance inSMET courses, through ongoing academic and technical assistance to faculty and an Annual Best Practices Conference; and 4) the development of Information Technology skills in SMET students so they are capable of making effective and more critical use ofaccurate and valid information in their professional lives. To increase the number ofstudents pursuing undergraduate degrees in SMET, PR-LSAMP will develop a Pre-Collegeto College Bridging Component that will induct students into research experiences, and to further enhance the number of students entering graduate school and completing a PhD in SMET, PR-LSAMP will expand its research and mentoring program toprovide a larger number of students with key skills and guidance to improve their preparation and motivation for graduate studies, in coordination with the Alliancefor Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Program. The results of theproject will be disseminated widely in the professional community through presentationsat regional and national scientific meetings. Curricular materials developedwill be available to other institutions through CD format and the WWW. The generalpublic will have access to updated information on the PR-LSAMP through its website.