Cyber Generation Tech Stars: Supporting Student Success in Computer Technology, Industrial Technology, and Engineering Technology

该项目将通过支持有经济需求的高成就、低收入学生的留校和毕业，为国家对受过良好教育的科学家、数学家、工程师和技术人员的需求做出贡献。该项目将在四年内为至少120名攻读应用科学副学士学位、主修计算机技术/网络系统管理、工业技术或工程技术的低收入、有学术天赋的学生提供为期一年的奖学金。该项目引入了一个创新的可变奖学金金额，旨在满足每位学者未得到满足的全部需求。此外，它还包括具有无线连接的贷款到拥有笔记本电脑技术模式，为学者提供互联网服务和具有虚拟现实功能的高质量计算机。通过支持更多的学生全日制留在大学，该项目预计将增加学生保留率，提高学位完成率，并增加转到四年制院校接受技术教育的学生人数。因此，该项目直接支持提高中学后教育水平的国家政策目标，同时通过解决有关“数字鸿沟”对学生成功的影响的研究问题来增进知识。该项目的总体目标是增加低收入、高成就、有经济需求的本科生的STEM学位毕业率。该项目建立在之前S-STEM基金的基础上，该基金建立了一个全面的学生支持结构，事实证明，该结构在提高STEM领域代表性不足群体的留存率和成功率方面取得了成功。该项目将扩展现有的支持模式，包括向学者提供具有虚拟现实功能的笔记本电脑，以及教师导师、定制的虚拟学生支持和社交媒体连接。预计该项目提供的资源和支持将缩小不同学者的数字鸿沟，并增进学生对STEM职业和熟练技术工作场所的了解。外部评估员将提供形成性和总结性反馈。项目传播计划包括新闻稿、社交媒体消息、会议出版物和同行评议期刊上的出版物。该项目由NSF的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，该项目旨在增加在STEM领域获得学位的低收入、有学术天赋、有经济需求的学生的数量。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并产生关于低收入学生的学业成功、留住、转移、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。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。

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need. Over four years, the project will provide one-year scholarships to at least 120 low-income, academically talented students who are pursuing Associate of Applied Science degrees, with majors in Computer Technology/Network Systems Management, Industrial Technology, or Engineering Technology. The project incorporates an innovative variable scholarship amount that aims to cover each Scholar's entire unmet need. In addition, it includes a loan-to-own laptop technology model with wireless connectivity to provide Scholars with access to internet service and high-quality computers with virtual reality capabilities. By supporting more students to stay in college full time, this project expects to increase student retention, improve degree-completion rates, and increase the number of technical education students who transfer to four-year institutions. Thus, this project directly supports national policy goals to improve post-secondary education attainment, while advancing knowledge by addressing research questions concerning the impact of the "digital divide" on student success. The overall goal of this project is to increase the STEM degree completion of low income, high achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The project builds on work from a prior S-STEM grant, which established a comprehensive student support structure that has proven successful in increasing retention and success among underrepresented groups in STEM fields. This project will expand the existing support model to include providing Scholars with laptops that have virtual reality capability, as well as faculty mentors, customized virtual student support, and social media connections. It is expected that resources and supports provided by the project will close the digital divide for diverse scholars and advance students' knowledge of STEM careers and the skilled technical workplace. An external evaluator will provide formative and summative feedback. Project dissemination plans include news releases, social media messaging, conference publications, and publications in peer-reviewed journals. The project is funded by the NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low income, academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low income 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.