COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LEARNing To Build STEM Research Communities- A Proposal to Strengthen, Expand, and Disseminate a Successful Retention Model

之前NSF支持的一个项目已经为中央佛罗里达大学的STEM专业带来了高保留率和更高的GPA。 为了扩大这项工作，该机构与北卡罗来纳州威尔明顿大学（主要是本科生，公共机构）和佛罗里达大西洋大学（研究-1，公共机构）的研究人员合作，研究建立在学科研究基础上的社区如何影响STEM一年级学生的保留。 参与者将共同生活在一个学习社区，一起学习课程，并在教师实验室担任研究学徒。 这一模式已被证明对代表性不足的群体和第一代专业的学生特别有效，将进行调整，包括留住转学生直到毕业的战略。UCF模式的核心要素是发展学术研究社区，为学生提供实践学习机会，获得教师和训练有素的研究生和同行研究导师，并通过各种各样的学术，社会和服务活动融入学生生活。 该项目将解决三个研究问题，这些问题对于增加高质量的STEM毕业生进入研究生院并进入劳动力市场的国家目标至关重要：（a）UCF研究社区模式能否成功适应转学生人口？(b)STEM研究社区中的哪些因素影响转学生的成功和影响转学生的保留？以及（c）在多大程度上，其他公共机构可以复制现有模式在留住人才方面取得的成功？ 形成性和总结性评估将侧重于不同学生群体（一年级和转学生）和不同机构的学生保留和STEM成功模式的功效。 该计划将采用混合方法，从教育者和参与者的角度评估拟议的教育工具和教育内容在实现预期学习成果方面的效力。 学生保留率和GPA将与匹配的队列进行比较。 该项目的研究结果将在州和国家会议上发表，如佛罗里达州本科生研究参与研讨会和本科生研究两年一度的理事会会议。 结果也将提交给大学科学教学杂志。

A previous NSF-supported project has resulted in high retention and improved GPA for STEM majors at the University of Central Florida. In an effort to expand on this work the institution has partnered with investigators at the University of NC-Wilmington (a primarily undergraduate, public institution) and Florida Atlantic University (a research-1, public institution) to study the ways in which a community built on disciplinary research will affect the retention of first-year students in STEM. The participants will live together in a learning community, take courses together, and work as research apprentices in faculty laboratories. This model, which has been shown to be particularly effective with students from underrepresented groups and first generation majors, will be adapted to include strategies for retaining transfer students through to graduation as well.The core elements of the UCF model are the development of an academic research community that provides students with hands-on learning opportunities, access to faculty and trained graduate student and peer research mentors, and integration into student life through a wide variety of academic, social, and service activities. This project will address three research questions that are central to the national goal of increasing the number of high quality STEM graduates who go on to graduate school and into the workforce: (a) Can the UCF research community model be adapted successfully to accommodate a transfer student population? (b) What factors within a STEM research community influence transfer student success and impact transfer student retention? And (c) To what extent is the retention success of a current model replicable at other, public institutions? Formative and summative assessment will focus on the efficacy of the model on student retention and success in STEM for the different student populations (first-year and transfer) and at different institutions. The plan will use a mixed-method approach to assess the effectiveness of the proposed educational tools and educational content in fulfilling the desired learning outcomes, from both educators' and participants' perspectives. Student retention and GPA will be compared to matched cohorts. The findings from this project will be presented at state and national meetings such as the Florida Statewide Symposium on Engagement in Undergraduate Research and the Council on Undergraduate Research biennial conference. Results will also be submitted to the Journal of College Science Teaching.