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

该项目将通过支持马里兰大学巴尔的摩分校（UMBC）表现出经济需求的优秀低收入家庭学生的保留和毕业，为满足全国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。UMBC是一所少数族裔服务机构，转学入学率很高，包括来自马里兰州六所重点社区学院的转学学生，他们将作为该项目的合作伙伴。该项目为期五年，将为28名攻读化学工程、计算机科学、计算机工程、信息系统和机械工程五个技术专业学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。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，包括一个新的学者休养所；教师、同行和行业指导；学术及专业发展活动；还有第一学期的转学生研讨会。该项目强调了理解和应用转移成功框架在STEM领域的重要性，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践策略能力，使他们成为同龄人的盟友，减轻计算机和工程领域的偏见和排斥问题。它还增强了基础设施，以提高计算机和工程专业转校生的学习、保留率和成功率，并可作为其他地区考虑适应的典范。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。它将实现以下具体目标：1。在UMBC应用和加强基于证据的技术女性中心（CWIT）项目模式，以支持有经济需求的计算机和工程专业转学生的学术和社会融合、保留、毕业和学士后成功。2. 深化和扩大与校园伙伴（即教务和学生事务）和社区学院伙伴的合作，以更好地满足2至4年制计算机和工程专业转学前和转学后的需求。3. 检查增强的CWIT项目模式和转学成功支持对计算机和工程专业转校生的学术和社会融合的影响。它还将解决以下研究问题：增强的CWIT项目模式和转学成功支持对计算机和工程专业转校生的学术和社会融合有什么影响？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，证明学术和社会干预是重要的，何时重要，为什么重要，以及如何改进和改进这些干预，以促进未来学生的成功。外部评价将以项目目标和活动为中心进行，并将包括形成性和总结性组成部分。该项目的成果将以报告和出版物的形式提供给计算机和工程教育以及教育研究界。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。

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.