A Flexible Approach to STEM Scholar Recruitment, Retention, and Preparation in Computer Science and Computer Information Systems

该项目将通过支持达文波特大学（Davenport University）有大量非传统学生和通勤学生的优秀低收入家庭学生的保留和毕业，为全国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。该计划为期五年，将为20名攻读计算机科学或计算机信息系统学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。12名学者将作为一年级学生入学，并获得长达四年的奖学金支持；八名转校生将作为大三学生入学，并获得最多两年的奖学金支持。奖学金获得者每年将分成四组，每组四到六名学生。该项目旨在解决非传统学生和通勤学生面临的一个长期存在的问题，这个问题单靠奖学金是无法解决的：对于那些必须工作以满足经济或家庭义务的人来说，不可避免地会出现时间冲突。事实上，有报告将这类冲突列为阻碍学生上大学的第二大障碍。这个项目的一个独特之处在于，它位于一所大学，提供灵活的课程交付、指导、支持服务和课外活动。灵活的交付方式允许学生根据需要选择他们如何最好地参与，无论是亲自，在课堂时间在线直播，还是通过实时课堂会话的异步录制。该项目旨在将这种灵活性嵌入到学者支持和丰富活动中。因此，这个项目的结果可能会引起高等教育机构的兴趣，这些机构试图招收、留住、毕业，并将更多的非传统学生安置到STEM劳动力中。该项目的总体目标是提高有经济需求的低收入、高成就本科生的STEM学位完成率。为此，该项目将通过与高中、社区学院和达文波特大学学生建立社区的共享活动来招募学者。除了奖学金，它还将为奖学金获得者提供更好的学术支持和教师指导，组织课外活动，帮助建立归属感，并与行业导师一起实习。该项目将调查灵活提供课程、支持系统和支持活动对学者的保留和STEM归属感的影响。将采用混合方法收集关于学者参与、归属感、参与项目活动和保留的定性和定量数据。该项目的结果将通过国家学术卓越中心社区、密歇根州州立大学协会和相关期刊出版物提供。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（S-STEM）计划资助，该计划旨在增加有经济需求的低收入学术天才学生在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 at Davenport University, which serves a large population of non-traditional and commuter students. Over its five-year duration, the project will fund scholarships to twenty unique full-time students pursuing bachelor's degrees in computer science or computer information systems. Twelve Scholars will enter as first year students and receive scholarship support of up to four years; eight transfer students will enter as juniors and receive scholarship support for up to two years. The Scholars will enter in four annual cohorts of four to six students. The project aims to address a persistent issue faced by non-traditional and commuter students that cannot be overcome with scholarships alone: the scheduling conflicts that inevitably arise for those who must work to meet financial or family obligations. In fact, reports have ranked such conflicts as the second most frequently cited barrier to college persistence. A unique feature of this project is that it is situated in a University that offers flexible delivery of courses, mentoring, support services, and co-curricular activities. The flexible delivery method allows students to choose, as needed, how they can best participate, either in person, online live during class time, or asynchronously via a recording of the live class session. The project aims to embed that level of flexibility into the Scholar support and enrichment activities. Thus, the results of this project will likely be of interest to institutions of higher education trying to enroll, retain, graduate, and place more non-traditional students into the STEM workforce.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. To this end, the project will recruit Scholars through shared activities that build community with high school, community college, and Davenport University students. In addition to scholarships, it will provide the Scholars with enhanced academic support and faculty mentoring, cohorted extracurricular activities that help build a sense of belonging, and internships with industry mentors. The project will investigate the impact of the flexible delivery of courses, support systems, and supporting activities on Scholars’ retention and sense of STEM belonging. A mixed-methods approach will be used to collect qualitative and quantitative data on Scholars' engagement, sense of belonging, participation in project activities, and retention. Results of the project will be made available through the National Centers of Academic Excellence community, the Michigan Association of State Universities, and relevant journal publications. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) 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.