HSI Pilot Project: Learning Assistant Transfer Pathway: Fostering STEM Connections

HSI 试点项目：学习助理转移途径：促进 STEM 联系

• 批准号: 2122929
• 负责人: Manuel Del Real
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Metropolitan State University of Denver
• 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: 2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2122929&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: HSI; Pilot; Project; Learning; Assistant

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 1 project aims to use the established and successful Learning Assistant program at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) to promote transfer pathways between a two and four-year institution (Community College of Denver (CCD) and MSU Denver respectively), improve overall STEM classroom instruction, and increase retention and success of STEM students. Resulting research on sense of belonging, transfer rates, participation, and learning outcomes for all participants but particularly those of underrepresented students will help to shape the ways institutions can move forward to support communities of learners between institutions. The use of Learning Assistants (LAs) as near-peer mentors and role models helps students to feel included in the class, content, discipline, and the institution. With the 2- to 4-year transfer aspiration to attainment gap reported nationally at 77.9% (aspiration) versus 10.2% (attainment) in STEM (Wang, 2020) and that students underrepresented in STEM fields demonstrate much greater success in supportive cohort models (Maton, 2000; Morrell, 2003; NCTM, 2014; Semken, 2008; Slovacek, 2012), this unique, cross-institutional community-building project is designed to extend the feelings of inclusion, connection, and belonging to the transfer experience. The shared LA experience naturally creates a stronger transfer pathway through collaboration and community between and within the LA cohorts, students in the classrooms, faculty, and STEM departments. The sustained contact with near-peer undergraduates as role models and mentors serves to increase the sense of belonging and inclusion in STEM teaching and learning and create a pathway for success.The overall goal of the program is to improve participation, retention, and transfer in STEM programs by: 1) Fostering a successful Transfer Pathway from the 2-year institution to the 4-year institution using the Learning Assistant Program and 2) Improving student sense of STEM belonging. The shared LA Transfer Pathway will examine through surveys and interviews the effects of specific cross-institutional shared LAs who will not only provide important content and social support but give transfer interested students near-peer allies and mentors familiar with the transfer process. As a result, we expect increased, retention, participation, student success, and sense of belonging at both institutions as well as in increased number of successful transfers from the 2- to 4-year institutions. Project results and lessons learned will be shared throughout the institutions and to key stakeholders. 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.

在改善本科STEM教育的支持下：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI计划），这个轨道1项目旨在利用丹佛大都会州立大学建立和成功的学习助理计划（密歇根州立大学丹佛分校），以促进两个和四年制机构之间的转移途径（分别为丹佛社区学院（CCD）和密歇根州立大学丹佛分校），改善整体STEM课堂教学，提高STEM学生的保留率和成功率。由此产生的归属感，转移率，参与和学习成果的所有参与者，特别是那些代表性不足的学生的研究将有助于塑造机构可以向前迈进，以支持机构之间的学习者社区的方式。使用学习助理（LA）作为近同行的导师和榜样，帮助学生感觉包括在类，内容，纪律和机构。全国报告的2至4年转学愿望与学业成绩差距为77.9%（抽吸）与10.2%（成就）在STEM（Wang，2020），在STEM领域代表性不足的学生在支持性队列模型中表现出更大的成功（Maton，2000; Morrell，2003; NCTM，2014; Semken，2008; Kazacek，2012），这个独特的，跨机构的社区建设项目旨在扩展包容，连接和归属感的转移体验。共享的LA经验自然会通过LA队列之间和内部的协作和社区，教室，教师和STEM部门的学生创建一个更强大的转移途径。与近同龄本科生作为榜样和导师的持续接触有助于增加STEM教学和学习的归属感和包容感，并创造成功的途径。该计划的总体目标是通过以下方式提高STEM课程的参与，保留和转移：1）通过学习助理计划，促进从2年制大学到4年制大学的成功转移途径; 2）提高学生的归属感。共享的LA转移途径将通过调查和访谈来检查特定的跨机构共享LA的效果，这些LA不仅提供重要的内容和社会支持，还为有兴趣转移的学生提供熟悉转移过程的近同伴盟友和导师。因此，我们预计增加，保留，参与，学生的成功，并在这两个机构的归属感，以及从2至4年制院校成功转移的数量增加。项目成果和经验教训将在各机构和主要利益攸关方之间分享。HSI计划旨在加强本科STEM教育，扩大STEM的参与，并建立HSI的能力。实现这些目标，鉴于不同的性质和背景下的HSIs，需要创新的方法，激励机构和社区转型，促进基础研究（一）参与学生学习，（二）关于如何有效地多样化和增加STEM的参与，以及（三）提高我们对如何在HSIs建立机构能力的理解。HSI计划所支持的项目也将从这些方法中汲取经验，以产生关于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。