Establishing Roots to Grow STEMs: Affirming STEM identity, building community, and improving graduation rates through a multidisciplinary lower division curriculum

在改善本科STEM教育的支持下：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI计划），这个轨道1项目旨在通过一个新的多学科，多部门，低年级课程和教师培训计划，包括当前和未来的STEM教育工作者在HSI服务，四年和两年制机构，提高代表性不足的STEM专业的保留率和毕业率。研究表明，干预措施，“根”学生在社区和“成长”他们的自我认知为STEM学者积极影响保留和毕业率。该项目将大规模开展工作，在一所大型综合性大学的所有自然科学和数学专业新生的一年级课程中纳入干预措施（估计影响：每年500-600名学生）。所有NSM新生将参加一个独特的多学科课程，该课程将批判性思维/科学推理教学与基于课程的干预措施相结合，以增强自我效能感，身份和归属感，以及一个研讨会课程，突出本科研究机会和STEM职业探索;所有变量都与学生的长期成功相关。学生向STEM职业的过渡将通过NSM部门和校园办公室之间的新合作来促进实习。将通过包容性教学培训，加强国家统计学院和地方两年制院校教师支持代表性不足的STEM专业的能力，并通过为伙伴机构的STEM教育工作者举办培训座谈会予以加强。这个以研究为基础的项目将涉及五个NSM部门，并将影响所有NSM专业。拟议的研究将通过三个假设的调查增加现有的知识基础：通过多学科，课程为基础的经验，结合联合收割机的学术内容与社会心理和NSM社区建设活动，提高STEM专业的保留和毕业率; STEM相关的实习有助于保留和毕业目标;教师培训通过改善STEM学习环境，同时为STEM教育奖学金创造机会，提高了保留率。批判性思维技能和心理社会特征的评估将使用经过验证的调查工具来实现。保留和毕业数据将从校园办公室的机构研究收集。该项目的预期成果将包括验证以课程为基础的早期干预，并记录STEM专业的保留率每年增加2%;通过学生参与校园资源和校友就业数据来衡量，提高对STEM职业选择，实习和研究机会的认识;增加四年制和两年制院校教师参与STEM包容性教学培训的人数;并根据培训研讨会的出席情况以及与STEM教育相关的演讲和出版物的证据，提高教师和学生教育研究的生产力。项目的传播将通过出版物、在国家会议上的介绍和培训座谈会来实现。HSI计划旨在加强本科生STEM教育和培养HSI的能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 1 project aims to increase retention and graduation rates of underrepresented STEM majors through a novel multidisciplinary, multi-departmental, lower division curriculum and faculty training plan that includes current and future STEM educators at HSI-serving, four- and two-year institutions. Research shows that interventions that “root” students in a community and “grow” their self-perception as STEM scholars positively impact retention and graduation rates. Working at scale, this project will build interventions into the first-year curriculum for all freshmen natural sciences and mathematics (NSM) majors at a large comprehensive university (estimated impact: 500-600 students per year). All NSM freshmen will enroll in a unique, multidisciplinary course that blends instruction in critical thinking/scientific reasoning with course-based interventions to enhance traits of self-efficacy, identity, and belonging, and a seminar course highlighting undergraduate research opportunities and STEM career exploration; all variables associated with long-term student success. Student transitions to STEM careers will be facilitated through a new collaboration between the NSM departments and the campus office for internship. The capacity of faculty from NSM and local two-year institutions to support underrepresented STEM majors will be enhanced through training in inclusive teaching and reinforced by a training colloquium for STEM educators from partner institutions. This research-based project will involve five NSM departments and will impact all NSM majors. The proposed research will add to the current knowledge base through an investigation of three hypotheses: retention and graduation rates for STEM majors are enhanced by multidisciplinary, course-based experiences that combine academic content with psychosocial and NSM community-building activities; STEM-related internships contribute to retention and graduation goals; and faculty training improves retention by enhancing the STEM learning environment while creating opportunities for STEM education scholarship. Assessment of critical thinking skills and psychosocial traits will be achieved using validated survey instruments. Retention and graduation data will be collected from the campus office of institutional research. Expected outcomes from this project will include validation of a course-based early intervention with documentation of a 2% annual increase in retention of STEM majors; increased awareness of STEM career options, internships, and research opportunities as measured by student engagement with campus resources and alumni employment data; increased participation of faculty from four- and two-year institutions in training in inclusive teaching in STEM; and increased faculty and student education research productivity based on attendance in training workshops and evidence of presentations and publications related to STEM education. Project dissemination will be achieved through publication, presentation at national conferences, and a training colloquium. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs.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.