Cyber Generation Tech Stars: Supporting Student Success in Computer Technology, Industrial Technology, and Engineering Technology

该项目将通过支持表现出经济需要的成绩优异的低收入家庭学生的保留和毕业，满足国家对受过良好教育的科学家、数学家、工程师和技术人员的需求。在四年时间里，该计划将为至少120名在学业上有天赋的低收入学生提供为期一年的奖学金，这些学生将攻读应用科学副学士学位，主修计算机技术/网络系统管理、工业技术或工程技术。该项目包含一个创新的可变奖学金金额，旨在满足每位学者的全部未满足需求。此外，它还包括一种无线连接的笔记本电脑技术模式，为学生提供互联网服务和具有虚拟现实功能的高质量计算机。通过支持更多的学生留在全日制大学，该项目预计将增加学生保留率，提高学位完成率，并增加转学到四年制大学的技术教育学生的数量。因此，该项目直接支持提高中学后教育成就的国家政策目标，同时通过解决有关“数字鸿沟”对学生成功影响的研究问题来推进知识。该项目的总体目标是提高低收入，有经济需求的高成就本科生的STEM学位完成率。该项目建立在先前S-STEM资助的基础上，该资助建立了一个全面的学生支持结构，该结构已被证明在提高STEM领域代表性不足群体的保留率和成功率方面取得了成功。该项目将扩展现有的支持模式，包括为学者提供具有虚拟现实功能的笔记本电脑，以及教师导师，定制的虚拟学生支持和社交媒体连接。预计该项目提供的资源和支持将缩小不同学者之间的数字鸿沟，并提高学生对STEM职业和熟练技术工作场所的认识。外部评估人员将提供形成性和总结性反馈。项目传播计划包括新闻稿、社交媒体信息、会议出版物和同行评议期刊出版物。该项目由美国国家科学基金会的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，该项目旨在增加低收入、有学术天赋、有经济需求的学生在STEM领域获得学位的人数。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并为低收入学生提供有关学业成功、留校、转学、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need. Over four years, the project will provide one-year scholarships to at least 120 low-income, academically talented students who are pursuing Associate of Applied Science degrees, with majors in Computer Technology/Network Systems Management, Industrial Technology, or Engineering Technology. The project incorporates an innovative variable scholarship amount that aims to cover each Scholar's entire unmet need. In addition, it includes a loan-to-own laptop technology model with wireless connectivity to provide Scholars with access to internet service and high-quality computers with virtual reality capabilities. By supporting more students to stay in college full time, this project expects to increase student retention, improve degree-completion rates, and increase the number of technical education students who transfer to four-year institutions. Thus, this project directly supports national policy goals to improve post-secondary education attainment, while advancing knowledge by addressing research questions concerning the impact of the "digital divide" on student success. The overall goal of this project is to increase the STEM degree completion of low income, high achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The project builds on work from a prior S-STEM grant, which established a comprehensive student support structure that has proven successful in increasing retention and success among underrepresented groups in STEM fields. This project will expand the existing support model to include providing Scholars with laptops that have virtual reality capability, as well as faculty mentors, customized virtual student support, and social media connections. It is expected that resources and supports provided by the project will close the digital divide for diverse scholars and advance students' knowledge of STEM careers and the skilled technical workplace. An external evaluator will provide formative and summative feedback. Project dissemination plans include news releases, social media messaging, conference publications, and publications in peer-reviewed journals. The project is funded by the NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low income, academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low income 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.