Broadening the Net: Promoting Success in the Sciences for All Students

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To address regional and national STEM workforce demands, this NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas will provide access to quality science and math education for 16 students with demonstrated financial need. Enrollment in the institution's computer science, math and physics majors will be bolstered through intensive recruitment efforts in area magnet and college-preparatory high schools. The project will focus on making a variety of social supports available while at the same time providing students with a curriculum that integrate investigative learning strategies in introductory to upper-level courses. This approach, which is grounded in the literature, has been shown to have positive impacts on learning in general and to be empowering for students from underrepresented groups and women. Scholars will develop their scientific identities through project activities that focus specifically on inclusivity, inquiry, and community-building. Students will participate in two Summer Science Overnights, regular meetings with dedicated S-STEM faculty mentors, a two-credit course on less well-known career tracks in the sciences, cohort-building experiences, and clustered enrollment. The overnights are an innovative way to introduce students to the campus-wide STEM community and should help them create ties early on in their college experience. Further, all of the project components are examples of sustainable, transferrable tools for engaging STEM majors. The Evaluation Plan describes three key areas for assessment including, (a) project deadlines and benchmarks, (b)) formative assessment of individual S-STEM progress and likelihood of retention, and (c) overall project formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment will rely on student perceptions of academic performance and engagement and of social and family support logged in journals. The individual support structures will also be evaluated. Summative assessments will be done in part through an annual questionnaire on scholars' perceptions of their SSTEM academic and mentoring. The PI team will participate in the national conversation on STEM education by reporting its results through meetings of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Howard Hughes medical Institute. A project website will also be designed.