Within Our Reach: Leveraging Scholarships and Supports to Increase Community College Student Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity in STEM

该项目将有助于对受过良好教育的科学家，数学家，工程师和技术人员的国家需求，通过支持高成就，低收入学生的保留和毕业，证明在奥罗拉社区学院，西班牙裔服务机构的经济需要。在五年的时间里，该项目将为至少80名全日制和非全日制学生提供长达三年的奖学金。 这些学者将在追求科学学位（化学，工程，地质学，数学，物理学）或追求应用科学学位（计算机信息系统，计算机科学，网络安全，IT技术支持，计算机网络和计算机编程）副学士的学者队列的支持。该项目旨在通过提供财政资源，支持学术成功和发展STEM身份来解决STEM学生的关键流失点。该项目将通过纳入新的同行支助内容，扩大以往国家基金会支助项目的成果和经验教训。该项目的潜在更广泛的影响包括：增加STEM学生转移到四年制院校并取得成功的人数;增加当地STEM劳动力的多样性;以及为科罗拉多高等教育委员会的总体规划战略做出贡献，以增加STEM证书的获得，特别是在西班牙裔和黑人学生中。该项目的总体目标是提高低收入，高成就的本科生的STEM学位完成证明经济需要通过授权学生采取重点突出，深思熟虑的方法来实现他们的人才潜力所需的学术和职业准备步骤。 为了实现这一目标，该项目将利用基于证据的战略，并建立在现有的举措，包括参与，能力和连续性的ECC三部曲模型，作为学院整体STEM编程和课外活动的框架。因此，学者将有机会获得一套基于队列的支持服务，旨在扩大对STEM职业机会的认识，并提高他们追求STEM教育和职业途径的能力。该项目将实施一种新的点对点支持模式，包括助教和同伴指导，旨在培养学者的领导技能，培养积极的STEM身份，并增加与大学社区的联系。 项目结果预计将通过评估同伴支持，咨询和课外活动对社区大学学生学位完成和转学结果的影响，为STEM教师和学生支持策略的改进提供信息。 项目资源和成果将通过介绍会、讲习班和出版物在地方和全国传播。 该项目由NSF的科学，技术，工程和数学奖学金计划资助，该计划旨在增加低收入学术人才的数量，这些学生表现出经济需求，并获得STEM领域的学位。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术成功，保留，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 at the Community College of Aurora, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Over its five-year duration, this project will fund scholarships of up to three years to at least 80 unique full time and part time students. These Scholars will be supported in a cohort of Scholars pursing Associate of Science degrees (Chemistry, Engineering, Geology, Mathematics, Physics) or a cohort of Scholars pursuing Associate of Applied Science degrees (Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Cyber Security, IT & Tech Support, Computer Networking, and Computer Programming). The project aims to address critical attrition points for STEM students by providing financial resources, supporting academic success, and growing STEM identity. The project will expand on outcomes and lessons learned from previous NSF-supported projects by including new peer-to-peer support elements. Potential broader impacts of this project include: increased numbers of STEM students transferring to and achieving success at four-year institutions; an increase in the diversity of the local STEM workforce; and contributions to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education’s Master Plan strategies to increase STEM credential attainment, particularly among Hispanic and Black students. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need by empowering students to take a focused, deliberate approach to the academic and career readiness steps needed to realize the potential of their talent. To achieve this goal, the project will utilize evidence-based strategies and build on existing initiatives, including the ECC Trilogy model of engagement, capacity, and continuity, which serves as a framework for the College’s overall STEM programming and co-curricular activities. As a result, the Scholars will have access to a suite of cohort-based support services aimed to expand awareness of STEM career opportunities and enhance their capacity to pursue STEM education and career pathways. The project will implement a new peer-to-peer support model, including teaching assistantships and peer mentoring, designed to build Scholars’ leadership skills, foster positive STEM identities, and increase connection with the college community. The project results are expected to inform improvements in STEM faculty and student support strategies by evaluating the impacts of peer support, advising, and co-curricular activities on community college student degree completion and transfer outcomes. Project resources and results will be disseminated locally and nationally through presentations, workshops, and 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.