Navigating Pathways to Success: Improving Outcomes for Rural Community College STEM Scholars through Mentoring and Comprehensive Interventions

预计未来将有数百万个STEM职位空缺。对于低收入、农村、多元化的学生来说，社区学院可能是接受高等教育的唯一入口，是通往STEM职业的门户。不幸的是，这些学生面临着复杂的障碍，降低了他们追求和成功完成STEM项目的能力。在五年内，科德角社区学院的S-STEM项目将为在工程、计算机科学、数学和科学项目中表现出经济需求的有学术天赋的学生提供50多个奖学金。除了财政支持外，STEM学者项目还将采用基于证据的有效指导、学术支持、队伍建设和其他干预措施的策略，帮助学者坚持下去，转到四年制学位课程，并为他们的STEM职业做好准备。为了实现项目目标，学院将与地区高中和转学大学合作。该项目将侧重于增加低收入、农村和多元化学生进入STEM项目的机会，然后进入高薪、有需求的STEM职业。项目目标是提高具有学术天赋并有经济需求的学生在STEM项目中的招聘、保留、完成和转学率。以证据为基础的综合干预措施将用于促进学生的成功。学生将首先参加一个以群体为基础的方向，旨在培养共同的使命感和社区意识。教师导师将经常与学生会面，提供以职业为重点的建议，为学生提供资源，并讨论任何可能危及学生成功的学术或个人问题。此外，学生将参加预定的学习小组、辅导和补充指导。转学建议和对转学大学的访问将在每个学生的第一学期开始。为了支持STEM专业的探索，该项目将提供行业合作伙伴指导、行业演讲小组、参观行业工作地点、实习和工作见影机会，以及参加专业会议。为了创造一个群体和一种联系感，该项目将为学生提供社交和参与群体认同建设活动的机会。最后，本项目将资助奖学金，以满足学生的需要。作为他们工作的一部分，项目团队将试图确定哪些活动对STEM课程的学生保留、完成和转学影响最大，尤其是在农村学生中，以及原因。研究结果将通过出版物、网络和会议传播。该项目通过增加在STEM领域获得学位的低收入学术天才学生的数量，进一步实现了NSF科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金计划的目标。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Millions of STEM jobs are projected to go unfilled in the future. For low-income, rural, diverse students, a community college can be the only accessible entry point for higher education, a gateway to STEM careers. Unfortunately, these students face complex barriers that decrease their ability to pursue and successfully complete STEM programs. Over five years, Cape Cod Community College's S-STEM program will fund over fifty scholarships to academically talented students with demonstrated financial need in its engineering, computer science, mathematics, and science programs. In addition to financial support, the STEM Scholars program will employ evidence-based strategies of effective mentoring, academic support, cohort-building, and other interventions to help Scholars persist, transfer to four-year degree programs, and prepare them for STEM careers. To achieve program goals, the college will work with regional high schools and transfer universities. The project will focus on increasing access and entry for low-income, rural, and diverse students initially into STEM programs and then into well-paid, in-demand STEM careers.Project goals are to increase recruitment, retention, completion, and transfer rates in STEM programs among students who are academically talented and have demonstrated financial need. Evidence-based, comprehensive interventions will be used to promote student success. Students will start by attending a cohort-based orientation designed to develop a shared sense of purpose and community. Faculty mentors will have frequent meetings with students to provide career-focused advising, connect students with resources, and discuss any academic or personal issues that may put student success at-risk. In addition, students will participate in scheduled study groups, tutoring, and supplemental instruction. Transfer advising and visits to transfer universities will be initiated during each student's first term. To support STEM profession exploration, the project will offer industry partner mentoring, industry speaker panels, visits to industry job sites, internship and job shadowing opportunities, and attendance at professional conferences. To create a cohort and a sense of connection, the project will offer opportunities for students to socialize and participate in group identity-building activities. Finally, this project will fund scholarships to address student need. As part of their efforts, the project team will seek to determine which activities have the most impact on student retention, completion, and transfer in STEM programs, particularly among rural students, and why. Dissemination of results will take place in publications, online, and through conferences. This project furthers the goals of the NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program by increasing the number of low-income academically talented students who earn degrees in STEM fields.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.