Sustainable Summer Bridges from Campus to Campus: Retention Models for Transitioning Underrepresented Engineering Students

从校园到校园研究的可持续桥梁的动力是解决扩大科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）毕业生，特别是非洲裔美国人和西班牙裔学生的迫切需要。多样化STEM劳动力的长期改善始于维持有效的桥梁计划，可以产生更多的工程学士学位。为了提高工程专业的保留率，这项研究将在宾夕法尼亚州立大学的职业生涯中的三个点为种族代表性不足的工程专业学生开展学术充实计划-进入大一，大一和大三。这项研究的目标是（a）增加宾夕法尼亚州立大学系统中种族代表性不足的学生在工程学方面的保留率，（B）为这些丰富的课程制定长期可持续性计划，以及（c）根据夏桥的校园位置和学生在大学系统内的转学状态，比较工程学方面的保留率。指导这项研究的概念模型是，保留在工程是介导的网关课程的数学表现和队列学习社区的实力（基于Tinto模型和理论）。桥梁的设计旨在增强这两个因素。因此，为了评估学生的学习和数学密集型桥梁的有效性，对微积分前、微积分1和微积分2年级以及桥梁之后学期的学术社交网络的大小和质量进行了检查。比较匹配的组以评估干预。主要的成果措施是保留在工程在大三。

The impetus for the Sustainable Bridges from Campus to Campus study is to address the urgent need to expand the pool of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates, especially African American and Hispanic students. Long-term improvements in the pipeline of a diverse STEM workforce start with sustaining effective bridge programs that can produce more engineering baccalaureates. To improve retention in engineering, this study will conduct academic enrichment programs for racially underrepresented engineering students at three points in their career at the Pennsylvania State University--entering freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. The goals of the study are to (a) increase retention in engineering among racially underrepresented students in the Penn State system, (b) develop long-term sustainability plans for these enrichment programs, and (c) compare retention rates in engineering depending on the campus location of the summer bridge and the student's transfer status within the University system. The conceptual model guiding this study is that retention in engineering is mediated by math performance in gateway courses and the strength of the cohort learning community (based on the Tinto model and theory). The bridges are designed to enhance both factors. Therefore to evaluate student learning and the efficaciousness of the math-intensive bridges, pre-calculus, calculus 1 and calculus 2 grades, and the size and quality of the academic social network in the semester following the bridges are examined. Matched groups is compared to evaluate the intervention. The primary outcome measure is retention in engineering in the junior year.