Innovative Scholarship Supports for STEM Pre-Professionals: Identity, Research, and Education

该项目将支持耶稣会机构约翰卡罗尔大学保留和毕业有经济需要的成绩优异、低收入的学生，从而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。该项目为期 6 年，每年将为 33-36 名攻读生物学、化学、计算机科学、数据科学、数学、物理和/或心理学学士学位的全日制一年级学生提供高达 15,000 美元的奖学金，为期 4 年。该项目旨在通过为学生提供具体的机会来建立 STEM 认同感和自我效能感，特别是在大学生涯的早期，从而提高 STEM 专业的毅力和成功。除了奖学金之外，学者们还将获得深入的建议和支持，以显着提高他们成功完成 STEM 学位并填补地区劳动力的关键空白的能力。支持包括参加夏季桥梁计划、住在 STEM 生活学习社区 (LLC)、研究和实习机会以及旨在促进向 STEM 劳动力过渡的课程作业。生物技术、医疗保健和其他科学行业的新兴区域市场刺激了对学术天才学生的需求，该项目将以高比例招收、支持、教育和毕业。该项目的总体目标是提高有经济需求的低收入、成绩优异的本科生完成 STEM 学位的数量。为此，项目团队将追求三个具体目标。首先是将一年级学者的 GPA 提高到至少相当于非低收入同龄人，并实现至少相当于机构平均水平的坚持率和毕业率。其次是建立和调整基于证据的课程和课外活动，以最好地支持基于早期轨道 1 项目 (DUE #1741814) 的学者。第三，也是最后一点，是通过增加 STEM 教师对影响低收入学生的问题的了解和敏感性，鼓励制度文化的转变。对学者的干预和支持将包括为一年级学者提供为期两周的夏季过渡计划，让他们在 STEM 生活学习社区生活长达两年；提供关于研究、STEM 劳动力和 STEM 创业的三门课程；研究和实习机会；并在四年内提供结构化的队列建议。该项目将研究旨在支持 STEM 学生并培养他们的认同感、归属感和自我效能感的多种干预措施的效果，这些都是众所周知的促进 STEM 坚持的社会心理因素。该项目还将加深人们对在 STEM LLC 生活一年与两年对学习习惯、完成学位的坚持和归属感的影响的了解。 STEM 教师将在该项目的前三年参加包容性教学法研讨会，以围绕影响低收入学生的问题培养文化意识和制度变革。结果将在校园内和相关专业会议上分享，并在同行评审的教育期刊上发表，以供更大的 STEM 教育社区使用。该项目由 NSF 科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，该项目旨在增加具有经济需求的低收入学术才华学生获得 STEM 领域学位的数量。它还旨在改善未来 STEM 工作者的教育，并产生有关低收入学生的学业成功、保留、转学、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力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 John Carroll University, a Jesuit institution. Over its 6-year duration, this project will fund scholarships of up to $15,000 per year for up to 4 years to 33-36 unique full-time, first-year students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, Physics, and/or Psychology. This project aims to increase persistence and success in STEM majors by offering students concrete opportunities to build a sense of STEM identity and self-efficacy, particularly early in their college careers. Scholars will receive intensive advising and supports in addition to scholarship funding to significantly enhance their ability to successfully complete STEM degrees and fill critical gaps in the regional workforce. Supports include participation in a Summer Bridge Program, living in a STEM Living-Learning Community (LLC), research and internship opportunities, and coursework designed to augment the transition to the STEM workforce. Emerging regional markets in biotechnology, healthcare, and other science-based industries fuel demand for the academically-talented students this project will recruit, support, educate, and graduate at high rates.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Toward this end the project team will pursue three specific aims. First is to increase the GPAs of first-year scholars to be at least equivalent to non-low-income peers, and achieve persistence and graduation rates at least equivalent to institutional averages. Second is to build on and adapt evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities to best support scholars based on an earlier Track 1 project (DUE #1741814). Third, and finally, is to encourage an institutional culture shift by increasing knowledge and sensitivity about issues affecting low-income students among STEM faculty. Interventions and supports for scholars will include a two-week summer bridge program for entering first-year scholars, living in a STEM Living-Learning Community for up to two years; offering three courses on research, STEM workforce, and STEM Entrepreneurship; research and internship opportunities; and structured cohort advising throughout their four years. This project will examine the effect of multiple interventions aimed at supporting STEM students and fostering their sense of identity, belonging, and self-efficacy, which are psychosocial factors known to promote persistence in STEM. The project also will advance understanding of the effect of one versus two years of living in a STEM LLC on study habits, persistence to degree completion, and sense of belonging. STEM faculty will participate in workshops on inclusive pedagogy in the first three years of the project to cultivate cultural awareness and institutional change surrounding issues affecting low-income students. Results will be shared on-campus and at relevant professional meetings and published in peer-reviewed education journals for the greater STEM education community. 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.