Building Capacity: Engaging Stem Transformative Experiences for Early Momentum

改善本科STEM教育：西班牙裔服务机构计划（HSI计划）旨在加强本科STEM教育并建立HSI的能力。HSI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。 哈特内尔学院的这个项目将通过在STEM研究中创造变革性的早期经验来推进HSI计划的目标，这将有助于学生克服STEM计划成功的障碍。 为此，它将以讲习班的形式发展短期研究经验。 这些经验，称为“垫脚石”，将旨在支持广泛的学生参与。据预测，垫脚石研究经验将提供类似的好处，那些已被记录为较长的研究经验。 该项目将直接影响1,000多名社区大学生的高等教育经历。 预期的学生成果包括增加哈特内尔学院的学位完成率和增加转移到学士学位STEM学位课程。该项目是与生物科学课程研究（BSCS）科学学习合作，这是一个旨在通过研究驱动的创新来改变科学教育的非营利组织。 除了对开发和研究垫脚石方法的影响外，这种伙伴关系还有可能加强哈特内尔学院的研究能力。该项目旨在提高学生在STEM方面的兴趣，毅力，信心，准备和成功。垫脚石方法旨在为学生提供在大学教育早期获得STEM研究的机会。 每个垫脚石使用协作探究的方法，让学生群体参与真实STEM研究项目的调查。 每个垫脚石都有一个短的时间和灵活的时间表，使学生能够应用设计技巧，并产生有意义的，可见的产品。与BSCS科学学习的合作伙伴关系将利用专家和从业人员开发和研究基于证据的方法，以扩大STEM学生的参与。该项目将调查垫脚石的影响，包括他们在STEM计划中的系统实施是否提高了学生的成绩。该项目还将分析合作教师研讨会如何影响垫脚石的设计，以及设计技巧如何体现在垫脚石，以提高学生的参与度和成功。将收集和分析定性和定量数据，以确定项目的影响。该项目旨在开发一个模型，为大量的本科生提供真实的研究经验。如果成功的话，这种模式可能会在其他拥有多元化学生群体的大学实施，并寻求提高学生的参与度，坚持性，信心，保留率和STEM项目的成功。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

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 about how to achieve these aims. This project at Hartnell College will advance the aims of the HSI Program by creating transformative early experiences in STEM research that will help equip students to overcome obstacles to success in STEM programs. To this end, it will develop short research experiences that are structured in a workshop format. These experiences, called "Stepping Stones," will be designed to support broad student participation. It is predicted that the Stepping Stones research experiences will provide similar benefits as those that have been documented for longer research experiences. The project will directly affect the higher education experience of more than 1,000 community college students. Anticipated student outcomes include increased degree completion at Hartnell College and increased transfer to a baccalaureate STEM degree program. The project is a collaboration with Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) Science Learning, a non-profit organization that aims to transform science education through research-driven innovation. Beyond its impact on developing and researching the Stepping Stone approach, this partnership has the potential to strengthen the research capacity at Hartnell College. This project seeks to enhance interest, persistence, confidence, preparation, and success of students in STEM. The Stepping Stone approach is designed to provide students with access to STEM research early in their college education. Each Stepping Stone uses a collaborative inquiry approach to engage groups of students in the investigation of an authentic STEM research project. Each Stepping Stone has a short duration and a flexible schedule, and enables students to apply design heuristics and to produce meaningful, visible products. The partnership with BSCS Science Learning will leverage experts and practitioners in the development of and research on evidence-based methods to broaden participation of STEM students. The project will investigate the impact of the Stepping Stones, including whether their systematic implementation within the STEM program improves student outcomes. The project will also analyze how collaborative faculty workshops influence the design of the Stepping Stones and how the design heuristics manifest in the Stepping Stones to improve student engagement and success. Both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected and analyzed to determine the impact of the project. This project seeks to develop a model that provides authentic research experiences for large numbers of undergraduate students. If successful, this model may be implemented at other colleges that have a diverse student body, and that seek to increase student engagement, persistence, confidence, retention, and success in STEM programs.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.