Implementing and Examining the Impact of an Enhanced Transfer Scholars Program for Inclusive Computing and Engineering Education

该项目将有助于国家需要受过良好教育的科学家，数学家，工程师和技术人员，通过支持高成就，低收入的学生在马里兰州，巴尔的摩县（UMBC）的大学证明经济需要的保留和毕业。UMBC是一个少数民族服务机构，具有高转学率，包括来自六所重点马里兰州社区学院的转学生，他们将作为本项目的合作伙伴。在五年的时间里，该项目将为28名正在攻读五个技术专业学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金：化学工程，计算机科学，计算机工程，信息系统和机械工程。转学学者将获得为期两年的奖学金，此外还有一个整体的支持模式，包括新学者务虚会;教师，同行和行业指导;学术和专业发展活动;以及第一学期的转学学生研讨会。该项目推进了理解和应用STEM领域的转移成功框架的重要性，这些领域在扩大参与努力（计算和工程）方面的吸引力最小。该项目培养学生的自我意识和实用策略的能力，以作为他们的同龄人的盟友，并减轻偏见和排斥计算和工程的问题。它还增强了基础设施，以改善计算机和工程专业转学生的学习，保留和成功，并作为其他地区考虑适应的模式。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。它将实现以下具体目标：1。应用和加强以证据为基础的中心技术妇女（CWIT）在UMBC计划模式，以支持学术和社会融合，保留，毕业，并在计算机和工程专业的转学生学士后的成功与经济需要。2.深化和扩大与校园合作伙伴（即在学术事务和学生事务）和社区学院合作伙伴的合作，以更好地解决跨2至4年的途径在计算和工程转移前和后的需求。3.检查增强的CWIT程序模型和转移成功的支持对计算机和工程专业的转学生的学术和社会融合的影响。它还将解决以下研究问题：什么是增强CWIT程序模型和转移成功的支持在计算和工程专业的转学生的学术和社会融合的影响？该项目将采用准实验研究方法，并包括匹配样本分析。研究人员预计，这项研究将提供证据，证明哪些，何时以及为什么学术和社会干预措施很重要，以及如何改进和改进它们以促进学生未来的成功。将围绕项目目标和活动进行外部评价，包括形成性和总结性部分。该项目的成果将通过演示和出版物提供给计算和工程教育以及教育研究界。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，并产生关于低收入学生的学术成功，保留，转移，毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值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 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 Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). UMBC is a minority serving institution with high transfer enrollment, including transfer students from six key Maryland community colleges who will serve as partners in this project. Over its five year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 28 unique full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in five technical majors: Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, and Mechanical Engineering. Transfer Scholars will receive two-year scholarships in addition to a holistic model of support including a new scholars retreat; faculty, peer, and industry mentoring; academic and professional development activities; and a transfer student seminar in their first semester. This project advances the importance of understanding and applying transfer success frameworks in STEM fields that have seen the least traction in broadening participation efforts (computing and engineering). This project develops students’ capacity for self-awareness and practical strategies to act as allies to their peers and mitigate issues of bias and exclusion in computing and engineering. It also enhances the infrastructure to improve learning, retention, and success of transfer students in computing and engineering majors and serves as a model for other regions to consider adapting. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. It will achieve the following specific aims: 1. Apply and enhance the evidence-based Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) program model at UMBC to support academic and social integration, retention, graduation, and post-baccalaureate success of transfer students in computing and engineering majors with financial need. 2. Deepen and expand collaborations with campus partners (i.e. in both Academic Affairs and Student Affairs) and community college partners to better address pre- and post- transfer needs in computing and engineering across the 2- to 4-year pathway. 3. Examine the impact of the enhanced CWIT program model and transfer success supports on the academic and social integration of transfer students in computing and engineering majors. It will also address the following research question: What is the impact of the enhanced CWIT program model and transfer success supports on the academic and social integration of transfer students in computing and engineering majors? The project will employ quasi-experimental research methods and include a matched samples analysis. The investigators anticipate that this research will produce evidence of which, when, and why academic and social interventions matter, as well as feedback on how to refine and improve them for future student success. An external evaluation will be conducted, centered on the project aims and activities, and will include formative and summative components. Results of this project will be made available by presentations and publications to the computing and engineering education and educational research communities. 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.