Building Capacity: The Dominican University STEM Success Model to Support Students through Critical Transitions

改善本科生STEM教育：西班牙裔服务机构计划(HSI计划)旨在加强本科生STEM教育，并在HSIS建设能力。人类安全倡议计划支持的项目也将产生关于如何实现这些目标的新知识。这个项目将通过实施教学和学生支持实践来推进HSI计划的目标，从而提高本科生在STEM早期课程中的成功。研究表明，这种早期的成功对于留住学生和在STEM领域取得长期成功至关重要，这是一个关乎国家利益的问题。为了促进STEM大学入门课程的成功，并支持从低年级到高级课程的过渡，该项目将：(1)实施STEM夏季桥梁计划，为进入STEM大学课程的学生做准备；以及(2)改造一年级和二年级的生物、化学和数学课程，以促进学生参与学习，使不同的学生在STEM领域取得成功。该项目旨在提高本科生STEM教育的质量，并提高攻读STEM学位的本科生的保留率和毕业率。每项干预措施将包括三个部分：(1)同伴主导的团队学习方法和嵌入课程的导师，以提高学业成绩；(2)包容性教学法，以改善学生对课程的投入和师生关系；以及(3)通过学生成功案例经理提供补充支持，该经理将把学生与大学和社区资源联系起来，这些资源与经济、社会或情感挑战有关，并将促进他们的学业成功。项目活动旨在为第一代和非传统大学生提供在STEM取得成功所需的学术、心理和社区支持。为了获取知识，该项目将调查暑期桥项目、同行领导的团队学习、包容性教学法和案例管理在多大程度上提高了第一年的学习成绩和坚持性，并评估了对学生关系、社区意识和对高危学生的学业支持的有效性的影响。多米尼加大学的学生群体中74%是通勤者，51%是西班牙裔，50%是上大学的第一代，49%是低收入者。这种多样性代表了全国高等教育的人口趋势。因此，关于该项目有效性的证据可以广泛适用于其他学院和大学。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 Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program (HSI Program) aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims. This project will advance the aims of the HSI Program by implementing teaching and student support practices that can increase the success of undergraduates in early STEM courses. Research has shown that such early success can be crucial to student retention and long-term success in STEM fields, an issue of national interest. To promote success in introductory STEM college courses and support the transition from lower-division to upper-division coursework, the project will: (1) implement a STEM Summer Bridge program to prepare entering students for success in college-level STEM courses; and (2) transform first and second-year courses in biology, chemistry, and mathematics to promote engaged student learning and to enable diverse students to succeed in STEM fields. This project aims to enhance the quality of undergraduate STEM education and to increase retention and graduation rates of undergraduate students pursuing STEM degrees. Each intervention will include three components: (1) peer-led team-learning approaches and course-embedded tutors to improve academic performance; (2) inclusive pedagogy to improve student course engagement and student-faculty relationships; and (3) supplementary support through a Student Success Case Manager who will connect students to university and community resources related to financial, social, or emotional challenges, and who will facilitate their academic success. Project activities are designed to provide first-generation and nontraditional college students with the academic, psychosocial, and community supports needed to succeed in STEM. To generate knowledge, the project will investigate the extent to which the summer bridge program, peer-led team-learning, inclusive pedagogy, and case management improve academic performance and persistence in the first year, and evaluate the impact on student relationships, sense of community, and the effectiveness of academic supports for at-risk students. The student body at Dominican University is 74% commuter, 51% Hispanic, 50% first generation to attend college, and 49% low income. This diversity is representative of nationwide demographic trends in higher education. Thus, evidence generated about the effectiveness of this project can have broad applicability for other colleges and universities.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.