Math and Technology Engagement for Commuter Students

旨在培养高质量STEM劳动力的学位课程是国家的优先事项，它支持科学进步，国家卫生计划的推进以及日益技术化的经济中的整体国家繁荣。 通勤学生数学和技术参与（MATECS）项目将解决这一劳动力需求，并提高在纽约布鲁克林圣约瑟夫学院攻读数学和计算学位的低收入学术天才学生的成功率。由NSF的STEM奖学金（S-STEM）计划支持的拟议MATECS项目将制定和评估指导，保留和毕业通勤学生的实用计划，这一人群现在构成了相当数量的中学后学生。获得高水平的学术和社会参与被广泛认为是通勤学生的一项挑战，可能对学业成绩和完成学位的坚持性产生负面影响。MATECS项目将通过实施辅导和社区建设活动以及调查这些活动对通勤学生的保留和毕业的影响来应对这一挑战。MATECS项目主要有三个目标：1）招收两批15名有经济需求的优秀学生; 2）达到93%的第一年保留率和86%的四年毕业率，毕业生将被安排在专业岗位或研究生课程;以及3）进行研究，以确定队列模型、教师指导和行业指导对通勤学生的参与以及数学和计算学科的职业意识的有效性。该项目将涉及一个新的教师指导设计，创建一个新的行业指导网络，具体到数学和计算，课程修改，以促进队列结构，以及跨学科活动的设计，旨在向学生介绍潜在的职业和合作项目。通过使用经过验证的调查工具和相关的访谈，研究将确定每个项目活动对通勤学生在数学和计算方面的社会和学术参与以及职业决策自我效能的相对有效性。

Degree programs aimed at producing a high-quality STEM workforce are a national priority that underpin progress in science, the advancement of national health initiatives, and overall national prosperity in an increasingly technical economy. The Math And Technology Engagement for Commuter Students (MATECS) project will address this workforce need and increase the rates of success of low-income academically talented students who are pursuing degrees in math and computing at St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn, New York. The proposed MATECS project supported by NSF's Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) program will develop and assess practical plans to mentor, retain, and graduate commuter students, a population that now constitutes a significant number of post-secondary students. Attaining high levels of academic and social engagement is broadly recognized as a challenge for commuter students that can have negative consequences on academic achievement and persistence to degree completion. The MATECS project will address this challenge by implementing mentoring and community building activities and investigating the effects of these activities on retention and graduation of commuter students. Aspects of the project deemed effective and sustainable may then be adopted by other institutions with confidence.The MATECS project focuses on three main goals: 1) recruit and enroll two cohorts of 15 academically talented students with demonstrated financial need; 2) attain 93% first-year retention rates and 86% four-year graduation rates with those graduating placed in professional positions or graduate programs; and 3) perform a research study to determine the effectiveness of a cohort model, faculty mentoring, and industry mentoring on the engagement of commuter students and career awareness in the math and computing disciplines. The project will involve a new faculty mentoring design, the creation of a new industry mentoring network specific to math and computing, curricular modifications to foster a cohort structure, and the design of interdisciplinary activities aimed at introducing students to potential careers and working collaboratively on projects. Through the use of validated survey instruments and associated interviews, the research study will determine the relative effectiveness of each project activity on social and academic engagement and career decision self-efficacy of commuter students in math and computing.