Reducing Transfer Shock: Developing Community and Collaborations to Support Urban STEM Transfer Students

国家科学基金会的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金(S-STEM)计划将为减少转移冲击：发展社区和合作以支持城市STEM转移学生项目提供资金。该项目将支持有经济需求和学术承诺的低收入学生在波特兰州立大学(PSU)的STEM学科取得成功。该项目计划在五年内为36名攻读STEM学士学位的学生提供奖学金。其具体目标是提高城市STEM学生从两年制院校到巴黎州立大学STEM学士学位课程的成功转学。为了实现这一目标，该计划将实施：(1)暑期S-STEM衔接计划；(2)为第一年的学生提供以课程为基础的本科生研究体验；(3)直接安排S-STEM学者在第二年进行实习和/或独立研究。该项目将为学生提供资金支持、专业技能(沟通技能、团队合作、道德规范等)培训，以及在STEM取得成功所必需的研究机会。此外，该项目将在学者中培养归属感，以支持学生过渡到大学环境。该项目的目标是增加从社区大学转学的低收入城市STEM学生的数量，他们毕业于STEM学士学位，并在STEM职业生涯中攻读研究生学位和/或就业。该项目将：(1)改进从两年制到四年制城市转移学生的招生和成功过渡过程；(2)向STEM转移学生提供财政、学术和社会支持；(3)评估导致STEM转移成功的项目活动；以及(4)传播项目成果。为了评估学生是否成功过渡并发挥他们的最大潜力，该项目将使用混合方法、定量和定性方法来评估项目结果，包括监测学术进展、管理前后调查和开展焦点小组。学生们？将测量归属感，以确定参与计划如何导致这一重要情感属性的变化。如果是这样的话，研究人员将探索这一变化与缓解转学冲击的关系，后者可能会限制转学学生坚持到毕业。一项调查将衡量三个已知与成功相关的结构：对STEM的态度、STEM的职业目标和归属感。此外，焦点小组将有助于深入了解学生的体验。该项目将衡量三组学生的认知和成功程度：学者、非学者STEM转学学生和四年制STEM学生。这些群体之间的比较将有助于理解项目活动的有效性，以帮助学生实现学术目标(例如，及时毕业)，减轻迁移冲击(为在STEM建立归属感提供脚手架)，并为学者提供成功的工具(即，强有力的推荐信，实习机会)。评估数据将为教育研究提供信息，说明什么对缓解转移冲击和促进学士学位STEM的成功起到了作用。该项目有可能制定一个可持续的机构路线图，以减轻转移冲击，并提高缺乏服务的STEM学生的整体毅力、毕业和成功。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。

The National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program will fund the Reducing Transfer Shock: Developing Community and Collaborations to Support Urban STEM Transfer Students project. This project will support low-income students with demonstrated financial need and academic promise to succeed in STEM disciplines at Portland State University (PSU) project. Over five years, this project plans to provide scholarships to 36 students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in STEM. The specific aim is to improve successful transfer of urban STEM students from two-year institutions to baccalaureate STEM programs at PSU. To accomplish this goal, the program will implement: (1) A summer S-STEM bridge program; (2) A course-based undergraduate research experience for students during their first year; and (3) Direct placement of S-STEM Scholars in internships and/or independent research experiences in their second year. The project will provide students with financial support, training in professional skills (communication skills, teamwork, ethics, etc.), and research opportunities necessary for success in STEM. In addition, the project will cultivate a sense of belonging among the Scholars to support students as they transition into a university environment.The project goal is to increase the number of low-income, urban STEM students who transfer from a community college, graduate with a STEM bachelor's degree, and pursue graduate degrees and/or gain employment in STEM careers. The project will: (1) Improve the processes for recruiting and successfully transitioning urban transfer students from two- to four-year STEM programs; (2) Provide financial, academic, and social support to STEM transfer students; (3) Evaluate project activities that lead to STEM transfer success; and (4) Disseminate project outcomes. To evaluate if students successfully transition and reach their highest potential, the project will use mixed-methods, quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess program outcomes, including monitoring academic progress, administering pre/post surveys, and conducting focus groups. Students? sense of belonging will be measured to determine how participation in the program results in changes to this important affective attribute. If so, the investigators will explore the relationship of this change to mitigating transfer-shock, which can constrain transfer students from persisting to graduation. A survey will measure three constructs known to be associated with success: attitude toward STEM, career goals in STEM, and sense of belonging. Furthermore, focus groups will contribute to an in-depth understanding of the student experience. The project will measure perceptions and success within three groups of students: Scholars, non-Scholar STEM transfer students, and four-year STEM students. Comparisons among these groups will support understanding the efficacy of the project's activities to help students achieve academic goals (e.g., timely graduation), mitigate transfer-shock (provide scaffolding for building a sense of belonging in STEM), and give Scholars tools for success (i.e., strong letters of recommendation, internships). Evaluation data will inform education research about what does and does not work to mitigate transfer-shock and facilitate success in baccalaureate STEM. The project has the potential to produce a sustainable institutional road-map for mitigating transfer shock, and improving overall persistence, graduation, and success for underserved STEM 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.