Supporting Biology and Neuroscience Undergraduates with Scholarships and Development of Science Identity, Belonging, and Self-Efficacy

通过奖学金和科学认同、归属感和自我效能感的发展来支持生物学和神经科学本科生

• 批准号: 2130107
• 负责人: Jennifer Osterhage
• 金额: $ 149.37万
• 依托单位: University of Kentucky Research Foundation
• 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: 2021-12-01 至 2027-11-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2130107&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Supporting; Biology; Neuroscience; Undergraduates; Scholarships

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 the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky, the Commonwealth’s flagship institution, is a public land grant university that serves a diverse group of over 30,000 students. Over its six-year duration, this project aims to provide scholarships to 45 unique full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Biology or Neuroscience. First year students will receive four years of scholarship support. The project aims to increase student persistence in STEM fields by linking scholarships with effective supporting activities, including mentoring, research experiences, internship opportunities, career development, workshops, and a capstone experience. Cohort activities will include a tiered mentoring system, which will provide S-STEM scholars with an undergraduate peer mentor, a graduate student mentor, and a faculty mentor. Curricular programming will span the scholarship period, beginning with a section of the university’s academic orientation designed for S-STEM scholars and culminating with a capstone experience. Scholars will have the opportunity to conduct research with a faculty mentor both during their first year and as upper-level students. Programming includes a partnership with the Career Center to offer new internship opportunities and alumni mentorship for students entering the workforce after completion of their bachelor’s degree. Interventions aimed to increase science identity and self-efficacy will be embedded throughout the curriculum. Co-curricular activities will build community, offer networking opportunities among cohort members and mentors, and support students’ sense of belonging in the larger scientific community. The S-STEM program has potential to help achieve the mission of the University of Kentucky by preparing S-STEM scholars for graduate and professional programs or to enter the workforce. Ultimately, this work is likely to inform expanded approaches for fostering the success of all students in undergraduate STEM majors, encouraging retention and degree progression. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The project has three specific aims: 1) provide scholarships for academically talented Biology and Neuroscience undergraduates with financial need, 2) implement evidence-based curricular and co-curricular programming to develop STEM skills and strengthen science identity, belonging, and self-efficacy, and 3) generate knowledge that will be disseminated to the broader STEM education community. Psychosocial factors including science identity, belonging, and self-efficacy are known to affect STEM persistence. Importantly, high impact practices, especially mentoring and research experiences, have been shown to positively affect students’ self-beliefs and motivation to engage in STEM domains, particularly for students who have been historically underrepresented. This project will study the effectiveness of a number of high-impact educational practices in promoting science self-efficacy, belonging, and STEM identity. The project will be evaluated using a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures including surveys, journals, and interviews to measure STEM identity, belonging, and self-efficacy. Retention and persistence in STEM fields will also be tracked. This program has potential to increase the knowledge base of effective curricular and supportive learning practices and to generate knowledge about effective recruitment and retention of academically talented low-income students in STEM disciplines. Knowledge will be disseminated to campus leaders as well as the broader STEM education community through presentations and publications. 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.

该项目将通过支持肯塔基大学表现出经济需求的高成就低收入学生的保留和毕业，为国家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。肯塔基大学是联邦的旗舰机构，是一所公共土地授予大学，为30,000多名学生提供服务。该项目为期六年，旨在为45名攻读生物学或神经科学学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。第一年的学生将获得四年的奖学金支持。该项目旨在通过将奖学金与有效的支持活动（包括指导、研究经历、实习机会、职业发展、研讨会和顶点体验）联系起来，提高学生在STEM领域的坚持度。队列活动将包括一个分层指导系统，该系统将为S-STEM学者提供一名本科生同伴导师、一名研究生导师和一名教师导师。课程规划将跨越奖学金期，从为S-STEM学者设计的大学学术方向的一部分开始，并以顶点体验告终。学者将有机会在第一年和高年级学生期间与教师导师进行研究。项目包括与就业中心的合作，为完成学士学位后进入劳动力市场的学生提供新的实习机会和校友指导。旨在提高科学认同和自我效能的干预措施将贯穿整个课程。课外活动将建立社区，在队列成员和导师之间提供交流机会，并支持学生在更大的科学社区中的归属感。S-STEM项目有潜力帮助实现肯塔基大学的使命，为S-STEM学者准备研究生和专业课程或进入劳动力市场。最终，这项工作可能会为促进所有STEM本科专业学生的成功、鼓励保留和学位升级提供更广泛的方法。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。该项目有三个具体目标：1)为有学术天赋、有经济需求的生物学和神经科学本科生提供奖学金；2)实施基于证据的课程和课外规划，以培养STEM技能，增强科学认同感、归属感和自我效能感；3)产生将传播给更广泛的STEM教育界的知识。社会心理因素，包括科学认同、归属感和自我效能感，已知会影响STEM的持久性。重要的是，高影响力的实践，特别是指导和研究经验，已被证明对学生的自我信念和从事STEM领域的动机产生积极影响，特别是对那些历史上代表性不足的学生。本项目将研究一些高影响力的教育实践在促进科学自我效能感、归属感和STEM认同方面的有效性。该项目将采用定量和定性相结合的方法进行评估，包括调查、期刊和访谈，以衡量STEM的身份、归属感和自我效能。在STEM领域的保留和持久性也将被跟踪。该项目有潜力增加有效课程和支持性学习实践的知识库，并产生有关有效招聘和保留STEM学科中有学术天赋的低收入学生的知识。知识将通过演讲和出版物传播给校园领导以及更广泛的STEM教育界。该项目由美国国家科学基金会的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，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。