Establishing a Journey of Inclusion, Identity and Intersectionality through Guided Pathways to Enhance Latinx Success in Engineering and Computer Science

该项目将联合北德克萨斯大学(UNT)和北中德克萨斯学院(NCTC)，以减少工程和计算机科学(ECS)转校生的毕业时间，并更好地满足拉美裔学生的需求。项目领导层采取基于资产的方法，促进拉丁裔社区工程专业学生的种族和性别平等和包容。主要项目组成部分包括为NCTC和UNT的联合招生设计的指导路径，与研究经验相结合的体验式学习机会，以及教职员工研究员计划。此外，该项目还为NCTC和UNT的管理人员、学生、教职员工共同举办了活动，以增加拉丁裔学生的招聘、参与和支持。多层次的项目设计支持参与机构接纳拉美裔学生的优势、经验和观点，作为创建一个广泛的、有凝聚力的社区的努力的一部分。由改进的本科生STEM教育：拉美裔服务机构(HSI计划)资助，该项目将传播他们合作努力产生的最佳实践的集合，这些最佳实践可以作为社区学院和大学之间伙伴关系的典范，旨在增加拉丁裔社区在工程和计算机科学工作中的代表性。多个项目组成部分旨在体现“服务”的精神，HSI从仅仅是“拉美裔招生”成长为更深入地接受其名称为“拉美裔服务”。该项目将探索包容性、身份和交叉性(三个I)的方面，以及它们如何结合起来支持三个主要目标。一是拓宽Latinx学生攻读ECS专业的招生和调剂机会。其次是在HSI的教职员工、学生盟友和倡导者之间建立一种共享的机构认同。第三，通过培养他们的工程身份，促进拉丁裔学生在具有交叉身份的学生中坚持下去。三个研究问题将指导该项目的努力。1)拉美裔学生如何适应HSI的工程领域，他们在HSI的机会和经历与他们的成绩有什么关系？2)教职员工如何将拉美裔学生的集体文化财富融入到他们的课程和联合课程计划中？3)拉美裔学生的社区大学经历如何为他们在HSI的工程和计算机科学课程提供参考？通过该项目，UNT和NCTC将提供新的计划，纳入基于资产的方法，以促进拉美裔学生的成功。HSI计划旨在加强本科生STEM教育，扩大STEM的参与，并建设HSIS的能力。鉴于高等教育机构的不同性质和背景，实现这些目标需要创新的方法，以激励机构和社区的变革，并促进基础研究(I)关于学生参与式学习，(Ii)关于如何有效地多样化和增加对STEM的参与，以及(Iii)提高我们对如何建设高等教育机构能力的理解。HSI计划支持的项目也将从这些方法中获得如何实现这些目标的新知识。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 bring together the University of North Texas (UNT) and North Central Texas College (NCTC) to decrease the time to graduation for transfer students in engineering and computer science (ECS) and better meet the needs of Latinx students. The project leadership takes an asset-based approach to promote racial and gender equity and inclusion for students in Latinx communities in engineering. Major project components include guided pathways designed for co-enrollment at both NCTC and UNT, experiential learning opportunities paired with research experiences, and a faculty and staff fellows program. In addition, the project features co-hosted events for NCTC and UNT administrators, students, faculty and staff to increase the recruitment, engagement and support of Latinx students. The multi-level project design supports the participating institutions' embrace of the strengths, experiences, and perspectives of Latinx students as part of an effort to create a broad, cohesive community. Funded by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), the project will disseminate a collection of best practices arising from their collaborative effort that can serve as a model for partnerships between community colleges and universities designed to increase representation of the Latinx community in the engineering and computer science workforce.The multiple project components are designed to embody the spirit of "servingness," whereby an HSI grows from being merely "Hispanic enrolling" to more deeply embrace its designation as "Hispanic serving." The project will explore aspects of Inclusion, Identity, and Intersectionality (the three I’s) and how they combine to support three major goals. First is to broaden the recruitment and transfer opportunities for Latinx students to study ECS majors. Second is to build a shared institutional identity among faculty, student allies, and advocates at an HSI. Third is to promote persistence among Latinx students with intersecting identities by developing their engineering identity. Three research questions will guide the project efforts. 1) How do Latinx students navigate the engineering fields at an HSI and how do their opportunities and experiences at an HSI relate to their outcomes? 2) How do faculty and staff incorporate Latinx students’ collective cultural wealth into their curricular and co-curricular programs? 3) How do the community college experiences of Latinx students inform their pathways through engineering and computer science programs at an HSI? Through the project, UNT and NCTC will offer new programs to incorporate an asset-based approach to promote the success of Latinx students. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity at HSIs. Achieving these aims, given the diverse nature and context of the HSIs, requires innovative approaches that incentivize institutional and community transformation and promote fundamental research (i) on engaged student learning, (ii) about what it takes to diversify and increase participation in STEM effectively, and (iii) that improves our understanding of how to build institutional capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also draw from these approaches to 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.