Improving the Success of Low-Income Students in a Cybersecurity Program

在国家科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金(S-STEM)计划的资助下，“在网络安全计划中提高低收入学生的成功”项目将支持有经济需求的高成就、低收入学生。该计划针对的是老道明大学网络安全专业的学生。这个为期五年的S-STEM Track 2项目将为最多18个奖学金提供资金，并将通过辅导和其他项目活动为学生提供学术支持。这个S在老自治领大学的STEM项目包括奖学金项目、支持系统和强有力的评估和研究计划。它的目标是实现以下成果：(1)产生关于课程和课外活动的有效性的知识，这些活动可以增加来自三个特定群体的低收入学生的留校率和毕业率：军队附属学生、第一代学生和代表不足的少数民族学生；(2)开发一种学生支持方法，以解决这个网络安全STEM项目中的挑战，该项目本质上是跨学科的；以及(3)实施一项让学生参与动手实验室、网络竞赛、研究和实习的计划，以便他们发展网络安全行业所需的实践技能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With funding from the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, the "Improving the Success of Low-Income Students in a Cybersecurity Program" project will support high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need. The program targets students in the Cybersecurity program at Old Dominion University. This five-year S-STEM Track 2 project will fund up to 18 scholarships and will provide students with academic support through mentoring and other program activities. This S-STEM program at Old Dominion University consists of the scholarship program, the support systems, and a strong evaluation and research plan. It aims to accomplish the following outcomes: (1) generate knowledge about the effectiveness of curricular and extracurricular activities that increase retention and graduation of low-income students from three specific groups: military-affiliated, first-generation, and underrepresented minority students; (2) develop a student-support approach that solves the challenges in this cybersecurity STEM program, which is inherently interdisciplinary; and (3) implement a program that engages students in hands-on labs, cyber competitions, research, and internships, so that they develop the hands-on skills desired by the cybersecurity industry.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.