Implementation and Investigation of a Holistic Student Support Learning Environment for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors

在国家科学基金会科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金(S-STEM)项目的资助下，该项目将支持北卡罗来纳州阿什维尔大学24名有经济需求的优秀学生的成功。在整个项目的五年中，该项目将为四组六名正在攻读化学学士学位的学生提供奖学金。该项目将把全面的学生支持融入化学课程和部门文化中。预计这种支持将帮助学生：克服学业、社交和情感方面的挑战；获得本科化学学位；并促进预科到研究生教育。从第一年开始，学生将加入一个化学学生社区，并获得包括教师和同行指导、队列建设活动、学术课程支持、职业专业发展和本科生研究在内的支持。通过与大学学生事务处的合作，该项目将把重点支持整合到化学专业中，帮助学生应对成为大学生的挑战。这个项目将调查这种方法对学生参与度的影响，以及这种参与度与学生成绩和学位完成的关系。该项目将使用一个三阶段的整体支持结构，包括所有化学专业的学生，从他们进入到学位完成。虽然支持系统将针对第一代大学生的需求，但它将根据学生的个人需求进行调整。该项目旨在构建一种学习环境，以激励和发展学生在化学专业取得成功所需的学术、社交和情感技能。通过提高学生的学业成绩、毅力、参与度和幸福感，该项目预计将有更多的学生毕业并进入研究生院或进入化学职业生涯。一项建立在先前招聘工作基础上的长期招聘计划，将吸引有前途的低收入第一代学生攻读化学专业。对学习环境、学生参与度和项目结果的评估将被用来确定整体支持系统如何影响学生的成绩和幸福感。这项研究将产生关于整体支持性学习环境对化学学生参与度和幸福感影响的新知识。因此，该项目有可能为化学和STEM教育的未来方向提供信息。支持结构和招聘计划可以被其他旨在支持其学生的学术、社交和情感技能的部门或机构采用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, this project will support the success of 24 high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout its five years, this project will fund scholarships to four groups of six students who are pursuing baccalaureate degrees in chemistry. The project will integrate comprehensive student support into the chemistry curriculum and departmental culture. It is expected that this support will help students: overcome academic, social, and emotional challenges; earn undergraduate chemistry degrees; and promote matriculation to graduate education. Beginning in their first year, the students will join a chemistry student community and have access to support including faculty and peer mentoring, cohort building activities, academic course support, career professional development, and undergraduate research. By partnering with the University's Student Affairs Office, the project will integrate focused support into the chemistry major to help students meet the challenges of being a college student. This project will investigate the impact of this approach on student engagement, as well as how that engagement correlates with student achievement and degree completion.The project will use a three-phase holistic support structure that includes all chemistry majors, beginning with their entry and extending through completion of their degree. Although the support system will target the needs of first-generation college students, it will be adaptable to individual student needs. The project aims to construct a learning environment that motivates and develops the academic, social, and emotional skills students need to be successful in the chemistry major. By improving students' academic achievement, persistence, engagement, and well-being, the project expects that more students will graduate and matriculate into graduate school or enter a chemistry career. A long-term recruiting plan, built upon prior recruiting efforts, will attract promising low-income, first-generation students to pursue chemistry majors. Assessment of the learning environment, student engagement, and project outcomes will be used to determine how the holistic support system affects student achievement and well-being. This research will generate new knowledge regarding the impact of a holistic supportive learning environment on chemistry student engagement and well-being. As a result, this project has the potential to inform future directions for chemistry and STEM education. The support structure and recruiting plan could be adopted by other departments or institutions that aim to support the academic, social, and emotional skills of their students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.