HBCU-UP Planning Grant

大多数入学的学生开始他们的大学生涯与不足的数学背景追求SMET的职业生涯。本计画的目的是设计一个综合性的计画来克服这些入学上的不足，以增进少数民族学生在SMET学科的参与与表现。规划方案的总体目标是：（a）评估中小企业和技术培训学科中数学教学以及其他把关课程的长处、短处和需要;及（B）评估本科生在校内及校外从事中小企业教育技术学科的研究需要及机会。评估包括学生在多项考试中的表现，例如二年级水平考试、专业领域考试、研究生入学考试，高级课程的成功，在专业会议上发表研究论文，专业出版物，以及聘用和职级晋升的类型。评估中小型企业教育培训学科教员的素质，将通过审查教员的资历，与中小型企业教育培训的教员进行比较。其他机构和认证机构设定的标准以及绩效组合。在评估教师发展和招聘需求时，数学和其他SMET学科的教师/学生比例将与本尼迪克特其他专业以及其他类似机构进行比较。参观其他学校的SMET课程，这些课程最近由于NSF的努力而进行了改革，自学或其他方式，将有助于本尼迪克特对学院目前的SMET课程进行更好的评估。特别工作组选定的工作人员访问最近改革了中小型企业培训课程的地点时也是如此。将对中小型企业培训课程，特别是中小型企业培训专业目前和今后的技术需要进行评估。在评估现有课程并可能加以改进和/或重新设计的整个过程中，将使用具有中小型企业培训课程专门知识的顾问。在提交给NSF之前，高层决策管理人员（总统、内阁和系主任）将对综合提案进行审查并批准其内容。一个内部咨询委员会（特别工作组）将帮助指导工作并评估规划计划。特别是，该委员会将帮助评估和分析数据，并计划/设计综合方案的课程。预计拟议的项目将导致提交给国家科学基金会通过HBCU-UP计划资助的竞争性提案的发展。该提案将基于对本尼迪克特学院SMET项目当前和未来需求的准确评估。这些评估活动的结果也将为学院提供所需的信息，以改善对中小企业和技术学科学生表现有影响的其他领域。

A majority of entering students begin their college careers with inadequatemathematics background to pursue SMET careers. The purpose of the proposedplanning program is to design a comprehensive program to overcome theseentering deficiencies to improve the participation and performance of minoritystudents in SMET disciplines. The overall goals of the planning program will be(a) to assess the strengths, weaknesses and needs of mathematics instruction aswell as other gate-keeping courses in the SMET disciplines; and (b) to assess undergraduate student research needs and opportunities in SMET disciplines on and off campus.Assessment includes, student performances on many items such as the Sophomore Proficiency Examination, Major Area Examinations, Graduate and ProfessionalSchool Entrance Examinations, success in advanced programs, presentations of research papers at professional conferences, professional publications, and the type of employment and advancement in ranks.Assessment of the quality of faculty members in the SMET disciplines will be doneby a review of the credentials of faculty members as compared to the SMET facultyin other institutions and the standards set by accrediting bodies and performance portfolios. In assessing faculty development and recruitment needs, the ratio of instructor/students in mathematics and other SMET disciplines will be compared with other majors at Benedict, as well as with other similar institutions.Visitation to other institutions with SMET's curricula that have recently been reformed due to NSF effort, self-study or otherwise, will help Benedict to havea better assessment of the College's current SMET's curricula. This is also the casewhen selected staff members of the Task Force visit sites that they have recently reformed their SMET's curricula.The current and future technology needs for SMET courses, in general, and SMETmajors, in particular, will be assessed.Consultants with expertise in SMET curricula will be used in the overall process ofassessing the current curricula and potentially improving and/or redesigning them. It will be made certain that high-level decision-making administrators (President, his cabinet, and deans) review the comprehensive proposal and approve its contents before submission to NSF .An internal advisory committee, (Task Force), will help to guide the work and to assess the planing program. In particular, this committee will help assess and analyze data and plan/design the curriculum for the comprehensive program.It is anticipated that the proposed project will result in the development of a competitive proposal for submission to the National Science Foundation for funding through the HBCU-UP Program. The proposal will be based on an accurate assessment ofcurrent and future needs in the SMET programs at Benedict College. Results of theseassessment activities will also provide information needed by the College to improve other areas that bear on the performance of students in the SMET disciplines.