Evaluation of the AGEP Collaborative Research Training: North Carolina Alliance to Create OpportunityThrough Education

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Intellectual Merit This proposal is for the evaluation of a currently-funded NSF program: The AGEP Collaborative Research Training: North Carolina Alliance to Create Opportunity Through Education (OPT-ED). In evaluating the program, the OPT-ED alliance administration and partners seek to accomplish two objectives: 1. Assess the extent to which OPT-ED has been successful in meeting the goals of AGEP and its specific objectives; and 2. Inform the OPT-ED alliance about effective strategies in accomplishing AGEP goals as it moves forward. As the OPT-ED alliance implements strategies that are designed to increase the enrollment and retention of URM students in STEM disciplines and advance into the professoriate, it is important to assess the impact of each program component and the strategies that are most effective in producing the desired outcomes. Evaluation results are intended to inform OPT-ED alliance partners as they plan future strategies and activities. It is also intended to inform the alliance about additional partners that may be included (e.g., community colleges, early childhood educators, etc.); existing and new resources to tap into; and potentially new concepts to incorporate. Broader Impact The OPT-ED alliance strategies are designed to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups; namely, URM doctoral graduates and faculty in STEM fields. The evaluation of OPT-ED seeks to identify those strategies that have proved to be most effective in raising the interest of URM students in STEM majors; retaining them through their college years up to receiving the doctorate degree; and impacting their decision to pursue STEM faculty positions. Successful strategies have the potential for replication across other universities at a national level. Moreover, the evaluation will serve to assess the extent to which the alliance serves as a model for replication. One of the questions the evaluation seeks to answer is the role each partner plays in enhancing the enrollment and retention of URM students in STEM majors. Evaluation results will identify the most critical type of partners, the type and level of networking and collaboration across partners, and the barriers that must be overcome for implementing a successful alliance. The national concern over the small presence of URM groups in STEM fields is clearly warranted. The OPT-ED alliance is established to implement strategies and activities that raise URM student interest in STEM disciplines and help them overcome obstacles to their retention until completion of doctoral degrees. This evaluation will identify critical partnerships and successful strategies in enhancing URM student enrollment and retention in STEM majors and careers.