Building Resilience and Engaging in Achievement through Collaborative, Holistic Programming in STEM

该项目旨在通过支持有经济需要的成绩优异的低收入家庭学生的保留和毕业，来满足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。在为期六年的时间里，该项目将为21名攻读生物学、神经科学和应用数学科学学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。一年级学生，特别是在该地区农村高中就读的学生，将获得为期四年的奖学金。奖学金将在第一年开始为6,500美元，并根据经济需要在第四年逐渐增加到8,000美元。此外，在第2-4学年，选择参加6个学分的暑期课程以提高学业或恢复学业的学生将获得2000美元的暑期奖学金。根据研究文献、机构数据和学生调查数据，课程和课外支持包括通过共同必备的微积分预科课程在早期入门STEM课程中实施数学支持；夏季桥梁项目；学者对包括自我观想在内的正念练习的发展和支持；强有力的教师指导；同侪教导;micro-credentials;网络;本科研究经历和实习经历；并被安排到学生队伍中。认识到财政支持以及强大的学术和课外支持系统和团队的重要性，项目活动和战略的设计应对了COVID-19对中学和中学后教育的影响。该项目的总体目标是提高卫斯理学院（Wesleyan College）低收入、成绩优异、有经济需求的本科生的STEM学位完成率。卫斯理学院是一所小型女子文理学院。四个目标为项目实现其目标提供了一个框架。首先是在生物学、神经科学和应用数学科学领域招收21名低收入、有学术天赋的女本科生。其次是71%的学生在第一年到第二年继续学习STEM专业。第三是实现67%的STEM学者的毕业目标，并确保79%的毕业生进入STEM劳动力或在STEM领域进行研究生学习。第四，也是最后，是对所提出的影响学生成功的策略和活动的有效性的调查，以及正念练习在减轻压力方面的影响，特别是在入门数学课程中。为了支持项目实施并为其提供信息，并有助于深入了解影响学生成功的心理社会因素，将使用定量和定性研究方法进行混合方法评估和研究，以改进项目（形成性评估）、问责制（总结性评估）和知识生成。这个项目的结果将在整个卫斯理学院社区传播；全州数学教师会议；地方、区域、州和国家会议，重点关注课程和课外创新（例如，第一年经验、本科研究经验、女学生教育）；以及关于教育的研究会议。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 aims to answer 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. Over its six-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 21 unique full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in biology, neuroscience, and applied mathematical science. First-year students, particularly students who attend rural high schools in the region, will receive scholarships for four years. Scholarships will begin at $6,500 in Year 1 and incrementally increase to $8,000 in Year 4 based on financial need. Additionally, students will receive summer scholarships of $2,000 during Years 2-4 for those scholars who opt to take six credits of summer courses for academic advancement or recovery. Informed by the research literature, institutional data, and student survey data, the curricular and co-curricular supports include implementation of mathematics support in early gateway STEM courses through co-requisite pre-calculus courses; a summer bridge program; development and support of mindfulness practices by scholars that include self-visualization; robust faculty mentoring; peer tutoring; micro-credentials; networking; undergraduate research experiences and internships; and placement into student cohorts. Recognizing the importance of financial support and a robust system of academic and co-curricular support and cohorts, the design of project activities and strategies respond to the impact of COVID-19 on secondary and post-secondary education. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need at Wesleyan College, a small liberal arts college for women. Four objectives provide a framework for the project to achieve its goal. First is the recruitment and enrollment of 21 low-income academically talented female undergraduate scholars in biology, neuroscience, and applied mathematical science. Second is the retention of 71% of the scholars in their STEM majors from their first to second year. Third is meeting a graduation target of 67% of scholars in STEM and ensuring that 79% of the graduating scholars enter into the STEM workforce or graduate studies in STEM. Fourth, and finally, is investigation into the efficacy of the proposed strategies and activities to influence student success and the influence of mindfulness practices in reducing stress overall and specifically in gateway mathematics courses. To support and inform project implementation and contribute to a deep understanding of psychosocial factors influencing student success, a mixed methods evaluation and research study will be conducted using quantitative and qualitative research methods for project improvement (formative evaluation), accountability (summative evaluation), and knowledge generation. Findings resulting from this project will be disseminated throughout the Wesleyan College community; statewide conferences for mathematics teachers; local, regional, state, and national conferences focused on curricular and co-curricular innovation (e.g., First Year Experience, undergraduate research experiences, education of women students); and research conferences on education. 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.