Creating Pathways from College to Careers in Mathematics and Science

创造从大学到数学和科学职业的途径

• 批准号: 1930507
• 负责人: Yongwen Lampert
• 金额: $ 99.99万
• 依托单位: Portland Community College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-11-01 至 2024-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1930507&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Creating; Pathways; College; Careers; Mathematics

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 at Portland Community College (PCC). PCC is the largest institution of higher education in Oregon. Over its five-year duration, this project will fund one-year scholarships to 108 students who are pursuing associate degrees in the biological, physical or mathematical sciences, with the expectation that 36 students (3 cohorts of 12 students) will receive these scholarships for two years, with 36 one-year scholarships awarded to these scholars transferring to Portland State University (PSU). The project will implement evidence-based project activities from recruitment to degree completion and transfer, such as targeted recruitment from local high schools, a comprehensive mentoring program from high school to PSU, enhanced faculty-student interactions, academic excellence workshops, and use of peer tutors. In addition, the project team will embed hands-on activities in PCC's mathematics curriculum related to culturally responsive teaching/learning that lower barriers to participation for women and other underrepresented students in STEM fields. The project will investigate the effectiveness of recruitment and retention strategies and other evidence-based approaches in broadening participation of underrepresented students by designing activities for a diverse pool of scholars. Furthermore, it will create a bridge between high school, PCC, and PSU, thus providing students with consistent exposure to STEM academic fields and careers and a built-in cohort for peer networking and support.The aim of this project is to increase success of students pursuing STEM degrees by implementing evidence-based strategies, such as 1) collaborating with local high schools to provide additional support and encouragement of participants in entering post-secondary education, and 2) embedding peer mentors in introductory PCC math courses to begin cohort-building activities that continue throughout the scholarship program as most community colleges are not residential, thus effecting students' ability to persist in STEM. The project will make curricular changes to two introductory math courses taken by students majoring in STEM, and will investigate the degree to which these changes impact retention, with an expectation that there will be an overall increase in the percentage of students passing the course. It is anticipated that 85% of scholars will be retained from their first to their second year due to the curricular changes and intensive supports provided to them. The project will be assessed using qualitative methods such as surveys, guided interviews, and focus groups with scholars and faculty; and quantitative measures such as pass rates of targeted math courses and scholar retention and transfer rates. This project is funded by 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 to 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.

该项目将通过支持波特兰社区学院(PCC)有经济需求的高成就、低收入学生的留校和毕业，来促进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。PCC是俄勒冈州最大的高等教育机构。在为期五年的时间里，该项目将为108名正在攻读生物、物理或数学副学士学位的学生提供为期一年的奖学金，预计将有36名学生(3组12名学生)获得为期两年的奖学金，其中36名一年期奖学金颁发给这些转到波特兰州立大学(PSU)的学者。该项目将实施从招聘到学位完成和转移的循证项目活动，例如从当地高中定向招聘，从高中到PSU的全面指导计划，加强师生互动，学术卓越研讨会，以及使用同行导师。此外，项目组将在PCC的数学课程中嵌入与响应文化的教/学有关的实践活动，以降低妇女和其他STEM领域代表不足的学生的参与门槛。该项目将通过为不同的学者群体设计活动，调查招聘和保留战略以及其他基于证据的办法在扩大代表性不足学生的参与方面的有效性。此外，它将在高中、PCC和PSU之间建立一座桥梁，从而为学生提供持续接触STEM学术领域和职业的机会，以及内置的同伴网络和支持队列。该项目的目标是通过实施循证战略，增加学生攻读STEM学位的成功，例如：1)与当地高中合作，为参与者提供更多的支持和鼓励进入高等教育；2)在PCC数学入门课程中嵌入同伴导师，开始队列建设活动，这些活动在整个奖学金计划中持续进行，因为大多数社区大学不是住校生，从而影响学生坚持STEM的能力。该项目将对STEM专业学生所选的两门数学入门课程进行课程改革，并将调查这些变化对保持能力的影响程度，预计学生通过这门课程的比例将总体上升。由于课程的变化和向他们提供的密集支持，预计85%的学者将从一年级到二年级继续留任。该项目将使用定性方法进行评估，如调查、有指导的访谈和学者和教师的焦点小组；以及定量指标，如目标数学课程的通过率和学者留存率和转化率。该项目由NSF的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，该项目旨在增加在STEM领域获得学位的低收入学术天才学生的数量。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并产生关于低收入学生的学业成功、留住、转移、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。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。