Understanding and Evaluating Practices for Integrating Commuter Students in Science, Technology, and Mathematics through Mentoring, Undergraduate Research, and Social Supports

了解和评估通过指导、本科生研究和社会支持将通勤学生融入科学、技术和数学的实践

• 批准号: 2129206
• 负责人: Michael Watters
• 金额: $ 150万
• 依托单位: Valparaiso University
• 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: 2021-10-15 至 2026-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2129206&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Understanding; Evaluating; Practices; Integrating; Commuter

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 Valparaiso University, a private four-year undergraduate institution. Over six years, thirty high-achieving, low-income scholars will be awarded scholarships for up to four years. They will be working towards baccalaureate degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Meteorology, Data Science and Statistics. Low-income students, particularly those who are commuting to college, often face challenges that impede their ability to participate in the various academic and co-curricular activities that are available on a residential college campus. This project plans to address those challenges through establishing and evaluating practices to integrate commuting students. This project will begin with a multi-faceted, targeted recruitment strategy designed to reach low-income students to encourage application. It will continue with mentoring, undergraduate research, and social support of science, technology, or mathematics (STM) students as they work towards their baccalaureate degree. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Specifically, this program focuses on commuter students by improving recruitment, retention, and mentoring strategies, thus preparing a diverse cohort for STM careers. This project has two objectives: 1) Broaden participation in STM by improving recruitment strategies for low-income students, and 2) Identify how retention strategies, both academic and social, change students’ self-efficacy and STM identity. In partnership with the Admission and Marketing Offices, this project expands recruitment practices to reach low-income commuter students through geo-targeted multimedia advertisement and informational activities. This project supports students’ retention and career development by actively integrating commuter students into the wider campus and scholarly community. The projects’ scholars have enhanced academic opportunities including: a multi-year research experience, participation in scientific conferences, presenting at departmental colloquia, faculty mentoring, career networking, skill-building, and cohort-building. Social activities include annual retreats, monthly meet-ups, and field trips. The impact of this project will be measured by tracking the effectiveness of recruitment efforts, monitoring student success metrics (GPA, retention and success in the student’s chosen STM major) and surveying both scholars and other STM students, comparing their attitudes and perceptions of their undergraduate experience. The results of project will also be assessed relative to baseline data. Faculty will share the design and results of the program with others through published articles and conference presentations. 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，通过支持在瓦尔帕莱索大学，一个私人四年制本科院校表现出经济需要的高成就，低收入学生的保留和毕业。在六年的时间里，30名成绩优异的低收入学者将获得长达四年的奖学金。他们将致力于生物学，化学，生物化学，计算机科学，数学，气象学，数据科学和统计学的学士学位。低收入家庭的学生，特别是那些通勤上大学的学生，往往面临着阻碍他们参加住宿大学校园内各种学术和课外活动的能力的挑战。该项目计划通过建立和评估整合通勤学生的做法来应对这些挑战。该项目开始将采取多方面、有针对性的招聘战略，旨在接触低收入学生，以鼓励他们申请。它将继续与指导，本科研究和社会支持的科学，技术或数学（STM）的学生，因为他们对他们的学士学位工作。 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。具体而言，该计划通过改善招聘，保留和指导策略，重点关注通勤学生，从而为STM职业生涯准备了多样化的队列。该项目有两个目标：1）通过改善低收入学生的招聘策略来提高学生对STM的参与，2）确定保留策略（包括学术和社会策略）如何改变学生的自我效能感和STM身份。该项目与招生和营销办公室合作，通过针对地理位置的多媒体广告和信息活动，扩大招聘做法，以接触低收入通勤学生。该项目通过积极将通勤学生融入更广泛的校园和学术社区，支持学生的保留和职业发展。该项目的学者增强了学术机会，包括：多年的研究经验，参加科学会议，在部门座谈会，教师指导，职业网络，技能建设和cohort建设。社交活动包括年度务虚会、每月聚会和实地考察。该项目的影响将通过跟踪招聘工作的有效性，监测学生的成功指标（GPA，保留和学生选择的STM专业的成功）和调查学者和其他STM学生，比较他们的态度和对本科经历的看法来衡量。还将对照基线数据对项目结果进行评估。教师将通过发表的文章和会议演示与他人分享该计划的设计和结果。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。