Building Institutional Capacity to Support STEM Scholars Through Pedagogy of Real Talk

该项目将通过支持菲奇堡州立大学（FSU）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。该计划为期5年，将资助17名主修生物、化学、计算机科学、计算机信息系统、工程技术或数学的优秀学生。一年级学生将获得四年的奖学金，转学生将获得两年的奖学金。项目团队将在Real-Talk教学法（PRT）的基础上，通过每两周一次的STEM研讨会，进一步支持这些学生的学业成功、职业准备和STEM职业安置。PRT是一种基于证据的教学法，侧重于通过分享个人故事（Real Talks）和基于学生生活经验的指导活动（Alternative Lessons）来吸引、教学和联系学生。同伴、教师和专业导师将利用PRT原则。这种方法有助于创造一个包容和以学生为中心的学习环境，让所有学生在他们选择的学术和职业道路上感到安全、被了解和被重视。作为仅有的对教师和辅助人员进行PRT培训的四年制大学之一，FSU在有效应用PRT指导的干预措施方面处于有利地位。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。该项目将通过以下方式增加对STEM学者的支持：(a)为有经济需求的国内、低收入、有学术天赋的学生提供奖学金，以攻读STEM项目；(b)每两周举办一次STEM研讨会，以第一年体验（FYE）课程为基础，利用PRT实践创建一个学者社区；(c)暑期实习和本科研究经历；(d) prt指导阶梯模型，在整个项目中为每个参与者利用教师、同伴和专业导师。这些干预措施的制定是为了支持3个项目目标：1)改善学生的招聘、保留、毕业和进入STEM职业和/或高级学习的进展；2)支持学生在所选STEM学科内的归属感、学业成功和职业发展；3)建立机构能力，为所有学生建立prt指导的STEM职业发展计划。该项目还将调查有关prt指导的STEM研讨会的特征，这些研讨会有助于STEM学者的成长，prt指导和研讨会对研究和实习准备的影响，以及最有助于学生归属感，学业成功和职业发展的教师，专业和同伴指导计划的关键特征。研究结果将与更广泛的学术界分享，以加强集体努力，支持学生在STEM方面取得成功。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 Fitchburg State University (FSU). Over its five-year duration, the project will fund scholarships to 17 unique students majoring in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Computer Information System, Engineering Technology, or Mathematics. First-year students will receive four-year scholarships and transfer students will receive two-year scholarships. The project team will further support these students’ academic success, career readiness, and STEM career placement through bi-weekly STEM seminars, building on the Pedagogy of Real-Talk (PRT). PRT is an evidence-based pedagogy focused on engaging, teaching, and connecting with students through shared personal narratives (Real Talks) and guided activities that build on students’ lived experiences (Alternative Lessons). Peer, faculty, and professional mentors will utilize PRT principles. This approach helps create an inclusive and student-centered learning environment that allows all students to feel safe, known, and valued within their chosen academic and career pathway. As one of the only 4-year institutions to have adopted PRT training for both faculty and support staff, FSU is well-positioned to yield valuable insights into the effective application of PRT-guided interventions. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The project will increase support for STEM Scholars by offering: (a) scholarships for domestic, low-income, academically talented students with demonstrated financial need pursuing STEM programs (b) bi-weekly STEM seminars that build on a First Year Experience (FYE) course using PRT practices to create a community of scholars; (c) summer internships and undergraduate research experiences; and (d) a PRT-informed mentorship ladder model that utilizes faculty, peer, and professional mentors for each participant throughout the program. These interventions have been developed to support 3 project goals: 1) Improve student recruitment, retention, graduation and progression into STEM careers and/or advanced study 2) Support student sense of belonging, academic success, and career development within their selected STEM discipline 3) Build institutional capacity to establish this PRT-guided STEM career development program for all students. The project will also investigate research questions about the characteristics of the PRT-guided STEM seminars that contribute to the growth of STEM Scholars, the impact of PRT-informed mentorship and seminars on research and internship preparation, and the key characteristics of faculty, professional, and peer mentorship programs that most contribute to student sense of belonging, academic success and career progression. Findings will be shared with the broader academic community to enhance the collective efforts to support student success in STEM. 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.