Advancing Computer Science Transfers for Success

该项目将通过支持东北伊利诺伊大学（NEIU）表现出经济需求的高成就低收入学生的保留和毕业，为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。NEIU是一所西班牙裔服务机构，42%的本科生被认为是西班牙裔。在该项目为期六年的时间里，45名正在攻读计算机科学学士学位的社区大学转校生将获得奖学金。项目人员将从威尔伯·赖特、哈里·杜鲁门和奥克顿社区学院招收转学生。这些学生将获得为期两年的奖学金。项目人员将通过在入门级课程的教学中增加使用行业标准工具和方法来加强计算机科学课程。重要的是引入来自教师、校友和行业合作伙伴的导师，他们将支持学者们攻读学位，并为他们在毕业后进入劳动力市场或研究生课程做好准备。由于东北大学计算机专业中少数民族学生的比例很高，该项目有可能扩大计算机专业的参与范围，并了解与行业实践和指导活动相结合的课程如何支持这些学生的保留和毕业。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。在低收入家庭的学生中，低水平计算机科学入门课程的学生流失率历来很高。该项目将调查将行业标准工具和方法纳入课程和非课程活动的效果，同时积极指导学生。研究人员还将推进对哪种类型的课程改进和积极干预对学生成功产生积极影响的理解。预期的结果包括增加学者对CS职业的承诺，提高对该计划的总体满意度。这将转化为学生保留率、毕业率和总体就业安置率的提高。该项目的评估将包括分析调查并与相关学者和教师进行访谈。课程数据、留校、毕业和就业信息将用于评估所实施的变革和策略的有效性。该项目的结果将在相关会议（ACM计算机科学教育特别兴趣小组，STEM中的伟大思想），期刊（教育计算研究杂志，STEM教育研究杂志）以及西班牙裔服务机构计算联盟（CAHSI）的会议上传播。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，该项目旨在增加低收入、有学术天赋、有经济需求的学生在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 Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). NEIU is a Hispanic Serving Institution with 42% of the undergraduate population identifying as Hispanics. Over the six-year duration of this project, 45 community college transfer students, who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in CS, will receive scholarships. The project personnel will recruit transfer students from Wilbur Wright, Harry Truman and Oakton Community Colleges. These students will receive two-year scholarships. The project personnel will enhance the CS curriculum by adding the use of industry standard tools and methodologies into the teaching of entry level courses. Of significance is the introduction of mentors from faculty, alumni, and industry partners that will support the scholars as they advance in their degree and prepare them during their transition into the workforce, or a graduate program, upon completion. Due to the high representation of minority students among CS majors at NEIU, this project has the potential to broaden participation in CS careers and to learn how a curriculum aligned with industry practices and mentoring activities support retention and graduation of these students.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Student attrition at the low-level introductory CS courses is historically high among low-income students. This project will investigate the effects of incorporating industry standard tools and methodologies into curricular and non-curricular activities, while actively mentoring students. Researchers will also advance the understanding of which type of curricular improvements and active interventions have a positive impact in student success. Expected outcomes include increasing the scholar’s commitment to CS careers and increasing satisfaction with the program in general. This will translate to an increase of student retention, graduation, and career placement rates overall. This evaluation of this project will include analyzing surveys and conducting interviews with scholars and faculty involved. Course data, retention, graduation, and career placement information will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the changes and strategies implemented. Results of this project will be disseminated in relevant conferences (ACM Special Interest Group in Computer Science Education, Great Minds in STEM), journals (Journal of Educational Computing Research, Journal for STEM Education Research), and in meetings of the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI). 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.