Supporting Pathways to Success for Biology Scholars

该项目将为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做出贡献，方法是支持高成就、低收入、有经济需求的学生留在莱因哈特大学毕业，莱因哈特大学是一所私立文科院校。在为期五年的时间里，该项目将向14名攻读生物科学学士学位的全日制一年级学生提供四年奖学金。奖学金获得者将分两批被录取。该项目将为学者们提供教育经验，强调在导师的帮助下以问题为基础的学习，研究机会，以及通过使用电子档案袋进行职业指导。该项目旨在通过为学者提供增强的同行和教师指导以及一整套连贯的学生支持服务来增加他们在生物学领域的留住。一个主要的预期项目成果是培养一批不同的毕业生，他们准备作为STEM劳动力的领导者做出贡献。该项目智力价值的一个主要组成部分是它对理解ePortfolios如何有助于年轻科学家在培训中取得成功的潜在贡献。该项目的总体目标是增加低收入、高成就、有经济需求的本科生的STEM学位毕业率。项目目标包括：1)招聘并资助14名生物专业本科生；2)提供学术和其他支持，以增加学者的留存和毕业。项目组成部分包括早期指导研究经验、基于项目的学习、广泛的教职员工和同行指导，以及ePortfolio的使用。该项目的研究计划将审查ePortfolios对于促进科学认同和激发未来研究兴趣的价值。考虑到院校在成功留住STEM专业方面面临的挑战，这项研究可能值得注意。项目评估将量化整个项目及其个别组成部分对学者学术成功的影响。该大学希望将有希望的项目要素制度化，以便未来的学生将从所学到的经验中受益。项目成果将在大学网站、大学行政部门内部、国家会议和出版物上传播。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。

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 Reinhardt University, a private liberal arts institution. Over its five-year duration, the project will provide four-year scholarships to 14 unique first-year, full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in the biological sciences. The Scholars will be admitted in two cohorts. The project will provide the Scholars with an educational experience that emphasizes problem-based learning aided by mentors, research opportunities, and career guidance through the use of an electronic portfolio. The project intends to increase retention of Scholars in biology by providing them with enhanced peer and faculty mentoring and a coherent suite of student support services. A major expected project outcome is preparation of a diverse group of graduates who are prepared to contribute as leaders in the STEM workforce. A major component of this project’s intellectual merit is its potential contribution to understanding how ePortfolios may contribute to the success of young scientists in training. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Project objectives include to: 1) recruit and provide financial support to 14 undergraduate biology majors; 2) provide academic and other supports that increase retention and graduation of the Scholars. Project components include early mentored research experiences, project-based learning, and extensive faculty and peer mentoring, alongside the use of ePortfolio. The project’s research plan will examine the value of ePortfolios for promoting scientific identity and stimulating future research interests. Considering the challenges institutions face in successful retention of STEM majors, this study is potentially noteworthy. Project evaluation will quantify the effects of the overall project and its individual components on the academic success of the Scholars. The University expects to institutionalize promising project elements so that future students will benefit from lessons learned. Project outcomes will be disseminated on the University website, within the University administration, at national conferences, and in publications. 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.