Multi-tiered Peer Mentoring and Experiential Learning for Academically Talented, Low-Income STEM Students

该项目将通过支持麦克默里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。麦克默里大学是一所四年制的西班牙裔服务机构，为主要来自西德克萨斯州农村经济贫困地区的学生提供了一个小的校园环境。该项目为期6年，将为15名攻读物理、化学、生物、数学或计算机科学学士学位的学生提供奖学金支持。该项目将提供全面的学术建议、同伴辅助学习支持、学术指导、领导力发展、职业准备以及其他高影响力实践的机会。这一套支持旨在提高学生的保留率，归属感，职业认同感，以及大学和职业成功。该项目的一个基石将是一个创新的“近同伴”指导计划，让前两年的学生与第三、四年的同伴导师配对，让第三、四年的学生与最近毕业于麦克默里大学的同伴导师配对。另一个关键方面是通过服务项目发展领导力。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。该项目利用了一系列学生支持计划，包括“近同龄人”指导；摩擦学热点同伴辅助学习；通过研究和/或专业实习参与体验式学习；第一年的研讨会，重点是STEM身份和职业探索；以及STEM趣味日和服务项目。总的来说，这些支持项目旨在培养一种归属感和职业认同感，从而增强韧性和毅力。预计结果是，大一到大二的保留率将增加到75%，四年制毕业率将增加到60%，至少90%的毕业生在毕业后一年内找到STEM职业或进入研究生或专业学校。更广泛的影响包括：针对所有麦克默里STEM学生的“近同伴”指导计划的潜在扩展和制度化；提高McMurry STEM教师的教学能力，旨在更好地支持第一代和其他历史上被排斥的学生；以及在麦克默里校区扩大服务型领导机会和STEM参与机会。形成性评估和总结性评估将包括收集有关留校率、毕业率和毕业后行为的数据，以及关于认同感和归属感活动有效性的调查。成功和有希望的项目要素将在州，地区和国家会议上传播，例如本科研究委员会（CUR）或西班牙裔服务机构教育工作者联盟（AHSIE）的会议。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 McMurry University. McMurry University, a four-year Hispanic Serving Institution, provides a small campus environment for students who come primarily from economically disadvantaged areas of rural West Texas. Over its 6-year duration, this project will provide scholarship support to 15 students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, or Computer Science. This project will provide a comprehensive program of academic advising, peer assisted learning support, academic coaching, leadership development, career preparation, and access to other high impact practices. This set of supports is designed to increase students' retention, sense of belonging, professional identity, and college and career success. A cornerstone of the project will be an innovative “near peer” mentoring program pairing students in their first two years of study with peer mentors in their third and fourth years of study, and those in their third and fourth years with peer mentors who are recent McMurry University alumni. Another key facet is leadership development through service projects.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. This project leverages an array of student support programs, including “near peer” mentoring; peer assisted learning for attrition hot spots; engagement in experiential learning through research and/or professional internships; a first-year seminar focused on STEM identity and career exploration; and STEM fun days and service projects. Collectively, these support programs are intended to foster a sense of belonging and professional identity that in turn will increase resilience and persistence. Predicted outcomes are an increase in freshman to sophomore retention to 75%, an increase in 4-year graduation rates to 60%, and a minimum of 90% of graduating seniors securing employment in a STEM career or admission into graduate or professional schools within one year of graduation. Broader impacts include: potential expansion and institutionalization of the “near peer” mentoring program for all McMurry STEM students; enhancement of pedagogical competencies of McMurry STEM faculty aimed at better supporting first-generation and other historically excluded students; and expansion of servant leadership opportunities and STEM engagement opportunities across the McMurry campus. Formative and summative evaluation will include collecting data related to retention rates, graduation rates, and post-graduation behavior as well as surveys on the effectiveness of activities on sense of identity and belonging. Successful and promising elements of the project will be disseminated at state, regional, and national conferences, such as meetings of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) or the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institution Educators (AHSIE). 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.