Closing Achievement Gaps in Core Undergraduate Civil Engineering Courses

在改善本科STEM教育：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI计划）的支持下，该项目旨在开发、实施和评估一种新方法，旨在提高波莫纳加州州立理工大学（CPP）和圣安东尼奥山学院（Mt. SAC）早期工程课程的学生成绩。在合作院校中，大约有三分之一的学生没有通过两门最重要的基础工程课程：工程静力学和材料力学。此外，来自历史上在工程学中代表性不足的群体的学生完成这些课程的比率比同龄人低约10%。这些关键课程的不良结果导致辍学率上升，毕业延迟，以及后续课程的成功率降低。该项目将通过四项基于证据的活动，提高学生在工程静力学、材料力学和后续课程中的成功程度：1)暑期桥梁项目（SBP），为学生准备看门人课程；2)同伴辅导；3) 24名本科生科研经历；4)参加美国土木工程师学会卓越土木工程（ExCEEd）教学研讨会（共17名教师）。这些活动旨在提高学生在两门重点课程中的学习成绩，缩短平均获得学位的时间，并促进各课程之间一致的高质量教学。这将推动学生的成功，并为更多元化、更有能力的STEM劳动力创造道路。该项目的有效性将通过两个理论框架指导下的混合方法研究来衡量：人们如何学习模型和交叉性框架。结果将通过追求四个目标来推动积极的学生成果。首先是告知工程教育领域关于提高学业成绩和缩小工程静力学和材料力学成绩差距的最佳实践。第二是为需要复习和强调的特定主题提供证据，让学生在参加这些课程之前做好准备。第三是扩展对暑期桥梁项目、同伴辅导和本科生研究经历如何影响学生的参与度、学业表现和获得学位的时间的理解。第四，也是最后一点，是促进课程设置和教学实践的一致性。主要的数据来源包括夏季桥梁项目和重点课程中关键主题的评估表现，测量空间推理和学生参与度的有效调查工具，以及在“超越教学研讨会”前后的教师教学实践数据。本项目由科学与工程学院项目支持，旨在加强科学与工程学院的本科教育，扩大科学与工程学院的参与，并建立科学与工程学院机构转型的能力。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。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this project aims to develop, implement, and evaluate a new approach designed to improve student outcomes in early engineering courses at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona (CPP) and Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC). Approximately one third of students at the collaborating institutions do not pass two of the most important foundational engineering courses: Engineering Statics and Mechanics of Materials. Furthermore, students from groups that have historically been underrepresented in engineering complete these courses at a rate approximately 10% lower than their peers. Poor outcomes in these key courses contribute to increased dropout rates, delayed graduation, and lower success rates in subsequent courses. This project will improve students’ success in Engineering Statics, Mechanics of Materials, and subsequent courses through four evidence-based activities: 1) a Summer Bridge Program (SBP) to prepare students for the gatekeeper courses; 2) peer tutoring; 3) undergraduate research experiences for 24 students; and 4) participation in the American Society of Civil Engineers' Excellence in Civil Engineering (ExCEEd) Teaching Workshop for 17 faculty. These activities are designed to improve students’ academic performance in the two focal courses, reduce average time-to-degree, and promote consistent, high-quality instruction across course sections. This will drive student success and create a pathway for a more diverse and capable STEM workforce.The effectiveness of this project will be measured through mixed-methods research guided by two theoretical frameworks: the How People Learn model and the Intersectionality framework. The results will drive positive student outcomes by pursuing four objectives. First is to inform the engineering education field about best practices for improving academic performance and reducing the achievement gaps in Engineering Statics and Mechanics of Materials. Second is to provide evidence for specific topics that need to be reviewed and emphasized to prepare students before they enroll in these courses. Third is to extend understanding of how a summer bridge program, peer tutoring, and undergraduate research experiences could impact students’ engagement, academic performance, and time-to-degree. Fourth, and finally, is to promote consistent course offerings and teaching practices. Major data sources include performance on assessments covering key topics in the summer bridge program and focal courses, validated survey instruments measuring spatial reasoning and student engagement, and data on faculty pedagogical practices taken before and after the ExCEED Teaching Workshop. This project is support by the HSI Program which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity for institutional transformation at HSIs.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.