Collaborative Research: The Washington STate Academic RedShirt (STARS) in Engineering Program

该项目得到了STEP的特别资助重点“毕业生10K+”的支持，这是国家科学基金会的一项活动，部分由英特尔基金会和通用电气基金会捐赠，以刺激大学和学院的综合行动，帮助在未来十年中将工程和计算机科学专业的新学士学位毕业生的数量增加10,000。华盛顿大学（UW）和华盛顿州立大学（WSU）正在合作开展一项活动，以开发和实施华盛顿州学术红衫（STARS）计划，通过第一年的课程为这些有才华和高度积极性的学生准备工程预科课程，提高经济和教育上处于不利地位的工程新生的保留率。STARS计划每年为64名来自低收入（根据佩尔助学金资格定义）和教育弱势背景（根据华盛顿州50%或以上学生免费或减价午餐的高中定义）的学生提供获得工程学位的机会。该项目的目标是每年增加225名从华盛顿州立大学和华盛顿大学获得工程学位的经济和教育上处于劣势的学生。这个项目的智力价值在于创新和重点项目基于有效的循证干预，以提高一年级工程学生的成功。STARS项目改编自科罗拉多大学博尔德分校成功的GoldShirt项目。STARS正在加强学生的学术准备和学习技能，将学生与支持性的学术和社会社区联系起来，提供个人和有效的学术建议和咨询，建立对工程专业清晰而令人信服的理解，并提供重要的经济支持。在华盛顿州立大学和华盛顿大学的第一年，学生们通过第一年的学术准备课程和住宿生活学习社区等干预措施，获得了在工程领域取得成功所需的学术和学习技能的大力支持。在第二年，STARS学生将继续得到积极的支持，因为他们将过渡到标准的工程预科课程。STARS计划预计将显著提高高年级学生的保留率，使STARS学生能够完成工程学位。该项目的更广泛影响正在通过全面和协调的干预措施得以实现，这些干预措施增加了少数民族和经济困难学生攻读、成功并获得工程学位的人数。这项活动，以及正在进行的支持社区学院和转学生学习STEM的活动，为全州范围内的大学和社区学院合作提供了一个模式，以提高STEM的保留率和毕业率。此外，为招募代表性不足的少数民族、妇女和经济条件不利的学生，正在利用强有力的战略和与现有项目的牢固关系来招募STARS候选人。

This project is being supported under a special funding focus for STEP, "Graduate 10K+," an activity of the National Science Foundation, supported in part by donations from the Intel Foundation and the GE Foundation, to stimulate comprehensive action at universities and colleges to help increase the annual number of new B.S. graduates in engineering and computer science by 10,000 over the next decade.The University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU) are collaborating in an activity to develop and implement the Washington State Academic RedShirt (STARS) program to increase the retention rates of economically and educationally disadvantaged students who are incoming freshmen in engineering through a first-year curriculum that prepares these talented and highly motivated students for pre-engineering coursework. The STARS program is providing access to engineering degrees for 64 students per year from low-income (as defined by Pell Grant eligibility) and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds (as defined by high schools in Washington State with 50% or more of the students on free or reduced priced lunch). The project's goal is to increase the number of economically and educationally disadvantaged students graduating with engineering degrees from WSU and UW by 225 annually. The intellectual merit of this project lies in the innovative and focused program based on effective evidence-based interventions to improve the success of first-year engineering students. The STARS program is adapted from the successful GoldShirt program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. STARS is strengthening the students' academic preparation and learning skills, connecting the students to a supportive academic and social community, providing personal and effective academic advising and counseling, building a clear and compelling understanding of the engineering profession, and providing significant financial support. During the students' first year at WSU and UW, they are receiving intensive support for developing the academic and learning skills required to be successful in engineering through interventions such as a first-year academic preparation curriculum and residential living-learning communities. During the second year, STARS students are continuing to be actively supported as they transition to a standard pre-engineering curriculum. The STARS program is expected to significantly increase student retention to the upper division, allowing STARS students to complete engineering degrees. The project's broader impacts are being realized in the comprehensive and coordinated interventions that increase the number of minority and economically disadvantaged students pursuing, succeeding, and earning degrees in engineering. This activity, along with the ongoing activities focused on supporting community college and transfer students in STEM, presents a model for statewide collaboration across universities and community colleges to increase the retention and graduation rates in STEM. Moreover, robust strategies and strong relationships with existing programs for recruiting underrepresented minorities, women, and economically disadvantaged students are being leveraged to recruit STARS candidates.