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

该项目将有助于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要，通过支持高成就，低收入的学生在菲奇堡州立大学（FSU）证明经济需要的保留和毕业。在五年的时间里，该项目将为17名生物学、化学、计算机科学、计算机信息系统、工程技术或数学专业的独特学生提供奖学金。一年级学生将获得四年奖学金，转学生将获得两年奖学金。该项目团队将进一步支持这些学生的学业成功，职业准备，并通过双周STEM研讨会STEM职业安置，建立在真实对话（PRT）的教学法。PRT是一种基于证据的教学法，专注于通过分享个人叙述（真实的谈话）和建立在学生生活经验（替代课程）基础上的指导活动来吸引，教学和与学生联系。同行，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性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途径中感到安全，被人所知和受到重视。作为仅有的4年制机构之一，已通过PRT培训的教师和支持人员，FSU是处于有利地位，以产生有价值的见解到PRT指导的干预措施的有效应用。该项目的总体目标是增加低收入，高成就的本科生与证明财政需要完成STEM学位。该项目将增加对STEM学者的支持，提供：（a）为国内、低收入、有学术天赋、有经济需要的学生提供奖学金，以攻读STEM课程（B）每两周举办一次STEM研讨会，以第一年经验课程为基础，利用PRT做法建立学者社区;（c）暑期实习和本科生研究经验;和（d）PRT知情的导师阶梯模型，利用教师，同行和专业导师为每个参与者在整个程序。这些干预措施已经开发，以支持3个项目目标：1）提高学生的招聘，保留，毕业和进展到干职业和/或高级研究2）支持学生的归属感，学术成功，并在他们选择的干学科的职业发展3）建立机构能力，为所有学生建立这个PRT指导的干职业发展计划。该项目还将调查有关PRT指导的STEM研讨会的特点，有助于STEM学者的成长，PRT知情的导师和研讨会对研究和实习准备的影响，以及教师，专业和同行导师计划的主要特点，最有助于学生的归属感，学术成功和职业发展的研究问题。调查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中取得成功。该项目由NSF的科学，技术，工程和数学奖学金计划资助，该计划旨在增加低收入学术人才的数量，这些学生表现出经济需求，并获得STEM领域的学位。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并产生关于低收入学生的学术成功，保留，转移，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 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.