Biology and Environmental Science Training (BEST)

该北方新墨西哥州学院生物学和环境科学培训（最佳）项目将提供年度奖学金，以25个全职学术人才和代表性不足的学生证明经济需要主修生物学或环境科学（ES）。 BEST项目将实施最佳实践支持性课程活动，包括同侪领导的团队学习研究小组、生物学系列研讨会、教师指导的本科生研究体验（URE）和会议参与;以及一系列非课程活动，包括每月的队列建设活动，所有这些都有助于提高保留率。BEST还将通过提供带薪暑期劳动力实习和URE，支持参与者进入STEM劳动力和研究生课程。 该项目对于科学知识的进步和对那些最有效地招募、保留和毕业STEM领域代表性不足的学生的实践和服务的理解非常重要，从而增加进入STEM劳动力队伍的代表性不足的学生的数量，并使该领域多样化。该项目的目标包括：1）通过加强招募和保留来增加生物学和ES课程的学生数量; 2）通过增加每学期的学生学分来提高学位进度; 3）提高毕业率;以及4）实施一项纵向研究，该研究将产生“离开STEM的风险”量表;分析STEM和非STEM专业的数学焦虑;分析与学生自我认同感和归属感增加相关的学生服务STEM计划;并分析暑期研究/劳动力实习和STEM职业生涯进入之间的相关性。研究将评估是否支持服务和活动的影响保留/毕业使用纵向队列设计。所采用的衡量标准来自国家科学基金会的《教育研究与发展共同准则》，涉及定性和定量部分。 在前四个学期，早期的流失点是重点目标，以获得比较样本和建立基线。将在关键点进行跟踪，以收集额外的措施，确定随着时间的推移发生的个别变化。分析将确定教师和同行指导，暑期实习和参与专业活动的影响，作为STEM离开或增强STEM自我认同的触发因素。 外部评价将提供形成性信息，以确保不断改进支助服务，确保它们促进保留和完成学位。总结性评估将衡量项目在实现其目标方面的有效性，并为长期规划提供信息。

The Northern New Mexico College Biology and Environmental Sciences Training (BEST) project will provide annual scholarships to 25 full-time academically talented and underrepresented students with demonstrated financial need majoring in Biology or Environmental Science (ES). The BEST project will implement best practice supportive curricular activities, including Peer-led Team Learning study groups, Biology seminar series, faculty-mentored undergraduate research experiences (URE), and conference participation; and a suite of non-curricular activities including monthly cohort building activities, all known to foster retention. BEST will also support the entry of participants into the STEM workforce and graduate programs by providing paid summer workforce internships and URE. This program is important for the advancement of scientific knowledge and understanding of those practices and services that most effectively recruit, retain and graduate underrepresented students in STEM, thereby increasing the number of underrepresented students entering the STEM workforce and diversifying the field.The project objectives include: 1) increasing the number of students in Biology and ES programs by enhancing recruitment and retention; 2) increasing degree progress by increasing student credit hours taken per semester; 3) increasing graduation rates; and 4) implementing a longitudinal study that will generate a 'Risk of Leaving STEM' scale; analyze math anxiety among STEM and non-STEM majors; analyze student services that correlate with increases in a student's self-identity and sense of belonging in a STEM program; and analyze correlations between summer research/workforce internships and STEM career entry. The research will assess whether the support services and activities impact retention/graduation using a longitudinal cohort design. The measures employed are derived from the NSF Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development and involve qualitative and quantitative components. Early attrition points are heavily targeted in the first four semesters to gain comparative samples and establish baselines. Tracking will occur at key points to collect additional measures to establish individual changes over time. Analyses will determine the effect of faculty and peer mentoring, summer internships, and engagement in professional activities as triggers for STEM leaving or enhanced STEM self-identification. External evaluation will provide formative information to ensure continuous improvement of support services to ensure they foster retention and degree completion. Summative evaluation will gauge the project's effectiveness in meeting its goals and inform long range planning.