Planning Grant for Lincoln University under the NSF HBCU-UP STEM Program

这项在“历史上的黑人学院和大学本科项目”下的规划拨款提案将使林肯大学能够对科学、数学、工程和技术教育进行评估，以制定一项机构行动计划，以加强和改善STEM教育项目的质量。活动包括课程改进、学生教育丰富和教师专业发展。计划拨款的目标是确保少数民族更多地参与STEM项目领域，最终结果是更多的学生进入STEM领域，成功毕业，并最终在STEM领域工作。这项规划赠款的目标是设立咨询委员会；从其他NSF HBCU-UP机构收集信息；制定和开展STEM课程、项目领域、学生和教师的评估；寻求外部评估人员；并制定实施计划和提案提交给国家科学基金会。这些目标将通过教师资源和时间的承诺来实现；通过利益相关者的参与；参观已改善STEM课程范畴的院校；通过使用外部顾问进行评估、技术援助和培训；通过数据收集和分析。这个项目的智力价值在于，它将包含定量和定性的方法来理解与STEM项目领域相关的问题，为什么这些问题存在，以及如何制定计划来解决这些问题。通过访问其他大学，该计划补助金还将有助于了解导致STEM项目领域，课程，学生准备，招聘和保留成功的因素。一旦数据被收集和分析，它可以被其他机构使用，结果可能适合出版或在专业会议上展示。这项规划拨款的更广泛影响是改善多样性、基础设施、传播以加强科学理解和社会。多样性-评估将包括了解STEM领域未被充分代表的少数民族的观点及其面临的挑战，以及了解教师的观点及其指导和建议这些学生的能力和能力。基础设施——评估将包括了解学生对校园住房、设施、教室和设备的看法；并将包括访问其他在STEM项目领域生活和学习得到改善的机构。这些评估活动将有助于制定实施计划，以加强林肯大学为学生提供的基础设施。传播以增强科学理解-规划拨款过程将包括建立和加强对林肯大学STEM项目成功感兴趣的利益相关者之间的关系。许多利益相关者将有资源协助加强向公众及其支持者传播信息和研究。对社会的好处——与那些为STEM领域的学生做准备的高中教师建立关系，他们可以影响学生考虑主修STEM领域，这对招聘过程有益。这些努力可能会加强整体招聘和保留流程，并有助于公众更好地了解STEM项目领域。

This planning grant proposal under the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program will enable Lincoln University to conduct an assessment of science, mathematics, engineering and technology education, in order to develop an institutional action plan to enhance and improve the quality of STEM education programs. Activities include curriculum improvement, student education enrichment and faculty professional development. The goal of the planning grant is to ensure greater participation of minorities in STEM program areas with the end result of more students enrolling in, successfully graduating from, and eventually working in the STEM areas. The objectives of this planning grant are to establish advisory committees; to gather information from other NSF HBCU-UP institutions; to develop and conduct assessments of the STEM curriculum, program areas, students, and faculty; to seek outside evaluators; and to develop an implementation plan and proposal for submission to NSF. These objectives will be accomplished through the commitment of faculty resources and time; through the participation of interested stakeholders; through visits to institutions that have already made improvements to the STEM program areas; through use of outside consultants for assessment, technical assistance and training; and through data collection and analysis. The intellectual merit of this project is that it will encompass both quantitative and qualitative approaches to understanding the problems associated with the STEM program areas, why these problems exist, and how plans might be developed to address these problems. Through visits to other universities, this planning grant will also contribute to the understanding of factors that lead to success in STEM program areas, curriculum, student preparation, recruitment and retention. Once data is collected and analyzed, it can be used by other institutions, and the results may be appropriate for publication or for presentation at professional conferences. The broader impacts of this planning grant are improvements to diversity, infrastructure, dissemination to enhance scientific understanding and society. Diversity - The assessment will include understanding the perspectives of underrepresented minorities in the STEM areas and the challenges they face, as well as understanding the perspectives of faculty and their competencies and abilities to mentor and advise these students. Infrastructure - The assessment will include understanding student perspectives of campus housing, facilities, classrooms, and equipment; and will include visits to other institutions where living and learning have been improved upon in the STEM program areas. These assessment activities will contribute to developing implementation plans to enhance the infrastructure of Lincoln University for its students. Dissemination to Enhance Scientific Understanding - The planning grant process will include building and strengthening relationships between and among stakeholders interested in the success of STEM programs at Lincoln University. Many of the stakeholders will have the resources to assist in the enhancement of dissemination of information and research to the public and to their constituencies. Benefits to Society - Establishing relationships with high school teachers who prepare students in the STEM areas and who could influence students to consider majoring in STEM areas could be beneficial to the recruitment process. These efforts may enhance the overall recruitment and retention process and contribute to a better understanding by the public of the STEM program areas.