Accelerating Chemistry Engagement and Success: Scholarships and Support to Increase Graduation and Transfer at a Minority Serving Community College

加速化学参与和成功：奖学金和支持以增加少数族裔服务社区学院的毕业和转学

• 批准号: 2030969
• 负责人: Melissa Harman
• 金额: $ 100万
• 依托单位: Riverside Community College District/Riverside City College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-02-01 至 2026-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2030969&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Accelerating; Chemistry; Engagement; Success; Scholarships

This project will contribute to the national need for highly skilled scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need. The project will take place at Riverside City College, a public Hispanic serving community college in Riverside, California. Over a five-year duration, this project will provide scholarships to 40 full-time students who are pursuing associate degrees in chemistry or biochemistry. These Scholars will be recruited in four annual cohorts of 10 students and receive up to two years of scholarship support. The project aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, while generating knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students. Riverside City College has a high population of underrepresented students. Consequently, this project has the potential to broaden participation in STEM fields and to increase understanding about how efforts to develop students' science identity can support graduation and transfer of this student population. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. There are four specific aims: to increase student success in chemistry/biochemistry through curricular and co-curricular adaptations; to enable students to complete the chemistry/biochemistry pathway, earning their Associate of Science for Transfer degree within two years and transferring into a baccalaureate degree program; to develop science identity, STEM self-efficacy, and career awareness of students, including those from diverse, underrepresented backgrounds; and to contribute to the body of knowledge about effective techniques and evidence-based practices that improve the recruitment, retention, and success of academically talented, low-income STEM students. Research shows that transfer students who are engaged with their institution are more successful and that developing students' identity as scientists improves both their engagement and retention. The overarching research question of this project is to explore how Scholars’ participation in project activities enhances their development of science identity, science self-efficacy, community cultural wealth, and transfer capital. This work has the potential to advance understanding about how combining financial support with academic supports and social integration at the community college and university levels affects student graduation and transfer. This information can inform state and national discussions regarding ways to decrease college debt while increasing STEM bachelor’s degree attainment for low-income and traditionally underrepresented minorities. The project will be evaluated though a mixed-methods approach using data from surveys, observations, participation records, and student performance records. These data will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques such as gap analysis and repeated measures analysis. Results of this work will be disseminated through multiple local and national venues such as newsletters, conference presentations, and peer reviewed publication. 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.

该项目将通过支持具有经济需求的高成就低收入学生的保留和毕业，促进国家对高技能科学家，数学家，工程师和技术人员的需求。 该项目将在滨江城市学院进行，这是一所位于加州滨江的公立西班牙裔服务社区学院。 该计划为期五年，将为40名攻读化学或生物化学副学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。这些学者将被招募在四个年度10名学生的队列，并获得长达两年的奖学金支持。该项目旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，同时产生有关低收入学生的学术成功，保留，转移，毕业和学术/职业途径的知识。滨江城市学院有很多代表性不足的学生。 因此，该项目有可能扩大STEM领域的参与，并增加对如何努力发展学生的科学身份可以支持毕业和转移这一学生群体的理解。 该项目的总体目标是提高低收入，高成就的本科生与证明财政需要完成STEM学位。有四个具体目标：通过课程和课外适应增加学生在化学/生物化学方面的成功;使学生能够完成化学/生物化学途径，在两年内获得理学学士学位，并转入学士学位课程;发展科学身份，STEM自我效能感和学生的职业意识，包括来自不同，代表性不足的背景;并为有效技术和循证实践的知识体系做出贡献，这些实践可以改善学术天赋，低收入STEM学生的招聘，保留和成功。研究表明，转学生谁是与他们的机构参与更成功，发展学生的身份作为科学家提高他们的参与和保留。本计画的主要研究问题是探讨学者参与计画活动如何增进其科学认同、科学自我效能、社区文化财富与转移资本的发展。这项工作有可能促进了解如何在社区学院和大学层面的学术支持和社会融合相结合的财政支持，影响学生毕业和转让。 这些信息可以为州和全国讨论如何减少大学债务，同时增加低收入和传统上代表性不足的少数民族的STEM学士学位获得提供信息。该项目将通过使用调查，观察，参与记录和学生表现记录的数据混合方法进行评估。 将使用描述性和推断性统计技术（如差距分析和重复测量分析）分析这些数据。这项工作的结果将通过多个地方和国家的场所，如通讯，会议介绍和同行评审的出版物传播。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，有学术天赋的学生的数量，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，并提供有关低收入学生的学术成功、保留、转学、毕业和学术/职业途径的知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并且通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响力审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。