STEM Course Transformation: Cultivating a Culture of Entrepreneurial Mindset and Undergraduate Research

在改善本科STEM教育：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI计划）的支持下，该项目旨在增加STEM学位和未被充分代表的少数民族（URM）学生的数量，同时改变STEM本科体验。在加州州立大学奇科分校，低年级课程的低通过率阻碍了学生在STEM领域的进步，urm学生的重复率高于非urm学生，尽管他们符合相似的入学标准。由于STEM学生在前两年流失最多，该项目针对的是通过率低的大型招生课程，以实施旨在提高学生成功的高影响力实践。高影响力的实践包括增加学生对研究经验和创业活动的参与，认识到这些经验可能会给urm带来不成比例的好处，同时支持STEM身份的形成、保留，并增加所有学生的专业准备和社会融入。科罗拉多州立大学奇科分校将实施基于课程的本科生研究体验（CUREs），包括将创业技能发展整合为基于课程的本科生研究体验和创业（CURE-E）模式。教师培训和发展是该项目的核心特征。暑期学院提供互动工作坊，向教师介绍探究式学习、评估策略、标准和教育技术。教职员工将参加正在进行的专业学习社区会议，而在以前的暑期学院接受过培训的教职员工将分享他们的经验和最佳实践。通过提高保留率和毕业率，该项目有可能通过增加训练有素的STEM专业人员的数量，帮助填补关键空白，扩大美国STEM劳动力的参与。该项目的具体目标是在15门STEM障碍课程中实施CURE-E模式；STEM创业工具包；教师和学生的研究和创新研讨会；CURE-E暑期学院的教师培训和发展；以及教育研究和项目评价活动。为了了解CURE-E模式如何改变STEM本科生的课堂体验，研究将重点关注使用LifeGrid方法重新设计和实施STEM障碍课程的教师。该研究工具用于收集和分析定性数据，特别是教师在实施CURE-E模型时的外部和内部经验。预期结果包括提高本科STEM教育的质量，缩小乌市理工大学学生与非乌市理工大学学生在STEM方面的成就差距；提高本科生留校率和毕业率；以及对采用CURE-E模式的教师专业发展的研究文献的贡献。HSI计划旨在加强HSI的本科STEM教育和能力建设。HSI计划支持的项目也将产生关于如何实现这些目标的新知识。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。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 1 project aims to increase the number of STEM degrees and underrepresented minority (URM) student representation, while at the same time transforming the STEM undergraduate experience. At California State University, Chico, low pass rates in lower division courses impede student progression in STEM, and URMs experience higher repetition rates than their non-URM peers despite having met similar admission criteria. With the largest attrition of STEM students occurring in the first two years, the project targets large enrollment courses with low pass rates to implement high impact practices designed to increase student success. High impact practices include increasing student participation in research experiences and entrepreneurial activities, recognizing that such experiences may yield disproportionate benefits to URMs while supporting STEM identity formation, retention, and increasing professional preparation and social integration for all students. CSU, Chico will implement Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) including the integration of entrepreneurial skills development as the Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience and Entrepreneurship (CURE-E) model. Faculty training and development is a central feature of the project. A summer institute offers an interactive workshop to introduce faculty to inquiry-based learning, assessment strategies, rubrics, and educational technologies. Faculty members will participate in ongoing professional learning community sessions, and returning faculty trained in previous summer institutes will share their experiences and best practices. By increasing retention and graduation rates, this project has the potential to help fill critical gaps and broaden participation in the US STEM workforce by increasing the number of trained STEM professionals.Specific aims of this project are the implementation of the CURE-E model into 15 STEM barrier courses; STEM entrepreneurship toolkit; faculty and student research and innovation symposium; faculty training and development in the CURE-E summer institute; and educational research and project evaluation activities. To understand how the CURE-E model transforms classroom experiences for STEM undergraduate students, the research will focus on the faculty leading the re-design and implementation of the STEM barrier courses using the LifeGrid methodology. This research tool is used to collect and analyze qualitative data, specifically the instructors’ external and internal experiences as they implement the CURE-E model. Expected outcomes include enhanced quality of undergraduate STEM education showing a decreased achievement gap between URM students and non-URM students in STEM; increased undergraduate retention and graduation rates; and contributions to the research literature on professional development of instructors adopting the CURE-E model. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.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.