Increasing STEM Persistence by Supporting Apprentice Research Experiences (AREs) as a Model for Institutional Change in Community Colleges

通过支持学徒研究体验 (ARE) 作为社区学院制度变革的模式来提高 STEM 持久性

• 批准号: 2133600
• 负责人: Jacquelyn Swanik
• 金额: $ 140万
• 依托单位: Wake Technical Community College
• 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: 2021-10-01 至 2026-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2133600&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Increasing; STEM; Persistence; Supporting; Apprentice

This project aims to serve the national interest by iteratively assessing and improving the STEM Academic Research and Training (START) program, an Apprenticeship Research Experience (ARE) at Wake Technical Community College. The project will contribute to understanding the effects of AREs - especially uncommon and understudied at 2-year colleges - on community college students’ persistence in college and in STEM careers. This project will develop a sustainable model for co-curricular apprenticeship-style mentored undergraduate research programs and help build the case for state and donor funding for undergraduate research experiences and internships at community colleges across North Carolina. The project will enhance a current program, recruit students from populations underrepresented in STEM, and further develop relationships with numerous research partners. By supporting students with paid internships, the project will increase access to STEM careers for low-income students. Training modules for mentors and students will also be developed. The project offers a distinct opportunity to recruit underrepresented minorities and first-generation college students into STEM research and prepare them for successful academic and professional careers. The project goal is to develop a sustainable and scalable undergraduate research and internship program model for 2- and 4-year colleges to partner in undergraduate research. Such partnerships are expected to foster student success in transfer and persistence in bachelor’s degree programs in STEM. Funds will support approximately 50 student interns each semester resulting in 400 paid internships over the course of the project. This project will develop a Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework-based model for strengthening undergraduate research experiences in the community college context. The project will utilize a randomized controlled trial that meets the "What Works Clearinghouse" standards, and includes research questions on the impact of participation in START undergraduate research on student outcomes, e.g. retention and persistence in college and in STEM fields, academic confidence, student identity and awareness, and scientific literacy and research skills. Furthermore, the research questions examine the impact of START on the college, e.g. the impact on the diversity of student participation in STEM fields, the skills and comfort of mentors in engaging in mentoring activities, and the institution’s support for mentors and research. The external evaluator and project faculty will prepare manuscripts of findings for publication and disseminate them via national conferences, reaching audiences of both practitioners and researchers. Academic partners include North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. By creating undergraduate research and internship opportunities for community college students the project is a model to build the STEM pipeline. Funding for this project comes from the Advanced Technological Education program through the program description on Advancing Innovation and Impact in Undergraduate STEM Education at Two-year Institutions of Higher Education (PD 21-7980) which promotes innovative and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education in the community college sector.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.

该项目旨在通过迭代评估和改进STEM学术研究与培训（START）计划，即Wake技术社区学院的学徒研究经验（ARE），为国家利益服务。该项目将有助于了解AREs对社区大学生在大学和STEM职业生涯中坚持不懈的影响，尤其是在两年制大学中不常见和未被充分研究的AREs。该项目将为课外学徒式指导的本科生研究项目开发一个可持续的模式，并帮助为北卡罗来纳州社区大学的本科生研究经验和实习提供州和捐助者资助。该项目将加强现有的项目，从STEM中代表性不足的人群中招收学生，并进一步发展与众多研究伙伴的关系。通过支持学生带薪实习，该项目将增加低收入学生进入STEM职业的机会。还将为导师和学生制定培训模块。该项目提供了一个独特的机会，招募代表性不足的少数民族和第一代大学生参与STEM研究，并为他们成功的学术和职业生涯做好准备。该项目的目标是为2年制和4年制大学开发一个可持续的、可扩展的本科生研究和实习项目模式，以合作开展本科生研究。这样的合作伙伴关系有望促进学生在STEM学士学位课程的转学和坚持方面取得成功。资金将支持每学期约50名学生实习，在整个项目过程中产生400个带薪实习。本项目将发展一个基于探究社区（CoI）框架的模型，以加强社区学院背景下的本科生研究经验。该项目将采用一项符合“What Works Clearinghouse”标准的随机对照试验，并包括参与START本科生研究对学生成果的影响的研究问题，例如在大学和STEM领域的保留和坚持，学术信心，学生身份和意识，科学素养和研究技能。此外，研究问题考察了START对大学的影响，例如对学生参与STEM领域多样性的影响，导师参与指导活动的技能和舒适度，以及机构对导师和研究的支持。外部评价人员和项目教员将编写调查结果的手稿以供出版，并通过国家会议散发，使从业人员和研究人员都能接触到。学术合作伙伴包括北卡罗来纳农业和技术州立大学，北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校和北卡罗来纳州立大学。通过为社区大学生创造本科研究和实习机会，该项目是建立STEM管道的典范。该项目的资金来自高级技术教育计划，通过“推动两年制高等教育机构本科STEM教育的创新和影响”（PD 21-7980）计划描述，该计划促进了社区学院领域本科STEM教育的创新和循证实践。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。