CSGrad4US Mentoring Program - Phase Two

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。计算研究协会的教育委员会(CRA-E)和扩大参与委员会(CRA-WP)将为NSF CSGrad4US研究生奖学金的获得者合作实施一项指导计划，该计划支持劳动力中的个人返回研究生院攻读CISE学科的博士学位。先前制定的试点计划将被修订和扩大，以更好地满足参与者的需求，以解决预期的CESE背景下的新资格规则，并应对从试点结果可以明显看出的向研究生院过渡所带来的多样化和独特的挑战。CSGrad4US导师计划的总体目标是：(1)指导归国学生完成申请程序，获得成功的CESE博士录取和学校选择；(2)指导他们在第一年过渡到博士研究生学习，达到高保留率。与试点相比，该计划的个人辅导部分将得到加强，辅导将更加个性化。为了扩大CSGrad4US项目的S覆盖面，项目工作人员将对潜在的申请者进行外联，并开发和传播宣传材料。该项目的评估将揭示采取这一途径的学生的保留率，以及该项目对国内CS博士培养的潜在影响。由此产生的导师和导师的指导计划模式和专业发展模式将为其他努力提供参考，并提示各部门如何增加国内博士产量。从劳动力市场返回的学生的指导需求与本科申请研究生院的学生不同。这一群体的主要区别包括：缺乏自然的同龄人群体，难以接触到能够提供研究生申请指导以及对其学术优势和劣势的看法的教职员工，缺乏过去的研究经验，以及他们的财务状况发生重大变化以及由此导致的研究生期间生活方式调整的现实。CSGrad4US导师计划不仅将提供一般的研究生申请建议和指导，还将致力于在获奖者中建立一个社区和专业网络。这些目标是通过在申请和决策过程中以及研究生第一年通过小组辅导、小组讨论和个人辅导来实现的。作为指导计划的一部分创建的演示文稿将在计划之外发挥作用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The Computing Research Association’s Committees on Education (CRA-E) and Widening Participation (CRA-WP) will collaboratively implement a mentoring program for recipients of the NSF CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowships, which support individuals in the workforce returning to graduate school for a PhD in a CISE discipline. A previously developed pilot program will be revised and expanded to better meet participants’ needs to address new eligibility rules on the expected CISE background and to meet the diverse and unique challenges a transition to graduate school entails, as evident from the results of the pilot. The overall goals of the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program are (1) to guide returning students through the application process towards a successful CISE PhD admission and school selection, and (2) mentor them through the transition to PhD graduate study in the first year towards high retention. Compared to the pilot, the individual coaching component of the program will be strengthened and mentoring will be more individualized. To broaden the CSGrad4US program 's reach, the project staff will perform outreach to potential applicants and develop and disseminate publicity materials. The program evaluation will shed light on the retention rate of students taking this pathway and the potential impact of the program on domestic CS PhD production. The resulting mentoring program model and professional development model for mentors and coaches will inform other efforts and CISE departments on ways to increase domestic PhD production.The mentoring needs of students returning from the workforce are different from those applying to graduate school as undergraduates. Key differences of this group include the lack of a natural peer group, diminished access to faculty who can provide graduate application guidance as well as perspective on their academic strengths and weaknesses, a lack of past research experiences, and the reality of a significant change in their financial situation and the resulting life-style adjustments during graduate school. The CSGrad4US Mentoring Program will provide not only general graduate application advice and guidance, but also aim to build a community and a professional network among awardees. These goals are achieved through group mentoring sessions, panels, and individual coaching during the application and decision making process and the first year of graduate school. The presentations created as part of this mentoring program will be useful beyond the program.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.