Recruitment and Retention of STEM Majors in the First Year: A Pilot Project

该项目旨在增加泽维尔大学STEM领域获得学士学位的学生人数。该试点项目主要针对计算机科学、数学和物理专业的一年级学生。该项目的目标是：在第一年结束时，增加未申报专业的学生成为计算机科学、数学或物理专业的人数；提高在进入泽维尔大学时主修计算机科学、数学或物理的一年级到二年级学生的保留率；增加主修计算机科学、数学和物理的少数族裔人数，以及计算机科学和物理专业的女性人数；并评估这些努力的影响，以便在资助期结束后，成功的部分可以扩展到泽维尔大学的所有数学和科学部门。试点工作包括支持从未决定的专业中招聘STEM专业学生和保留即将入学的STEM专业学生的组成部分：面向未来专业的第一年STEM接触计划；一个本科助教项目，指派当前专业的学生担任一年级专业课程的导师/导师；一个资助项目，为计算机科学、数学和物理专业的学生提供资金，以开展学生计划的活动，旨在扩大校园内外的范围；夏季桥梁项目，帮助一年级和二年级之间有风险的学生获得继续主修所需的数学和科学技能；以及为STEM教师举办一系列研讨会，以提高对STEM招聘和保留问题的认识，特别是那些代表性不足的群体。目前的STEM专业在项目中被广泛使用。这种参与加强了现有STEM社区的联系，并为新生提供了重要的榜样。该项目提供了一个机会来测试在文科环境中增加STEM专业的几种方法，从而提供可以在全国范围内使用的结果。它特别侧重于为科学和数学领域代表性不足的群体创造支持性学习环境的方法。

This project seeks to increase the number of students receiving baccalaureate degrees in STEM fields at Xavier University. The pilot program focuses particularly on first-year students in computer science, mathematics, and physics. The objectives for the project are: to increase the numbers of undeclared majors who become majors in computer science, mathematics, or physics by the end of their first year; to increase the retention rate from first to second year of students who enter Xavier with a declared major in computer science, mathematics, or physics; to increase the number of underrepresented minorities majoring in computer science, mathematics, and physics, and the number of women in computer science and physics; and to assess the impact of these efforts so that the successful parts can be expanded to all mathematics and science departments at Xavier after the end of the grant period. The pilot effort includes components that support both the recruitment of STEM majors from the undecided majors and the retention of incoming STEM majors: a first-year STEM exposure program for prospective majors; an undergraduate teaching assistant program that assigns current majors to be tutors/mentors in the first-year, major-level courses; a grants program providing funds for computer science, mathematics, and physics students to do student-planned activities aimed at outreach both on- and off-campus; a summer bridge program to help at-risk students between the first and second years to acquire the mathematical and scientific skills necessary to continue in the major; and a workshop series for STEM faculty to raise awareness of STEM recruitment and retention issues, particularly those of underrepresented groups. Current STEM majors are used extensively in the project. This involvement strengthens the bonds of the existing STEM community and provides essential role models for incoming students. The project provides an opportunity to test several approaches towards increasing STEM majors in a liberal arts environment, thus providing results that can be used across the nation. It focuses particularly on approaches that create a supportive learning environment for underrepresented groups in science and mathematics.