Supporting Pathways to Success for Biology Scholars

该项目将通过支持在私立文理学院莱因哈特大学（Reinhardt University）有经济需要的高成就、低收入家庭学生的保留和毕业，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。该项目为期五年，将为14名攻读生物科学学士学位的一年级全日制学生提供四年奖学金。奖学金获得者将分为两组录取。该项目将通过使用电子档案，为奖学金获得者提供强调基于问题的学习、导师、研究机会和职业指导的教育体验。该项目旨在通过为生物学学者提供加强的同伴和教师指导以及连贯的学生支持服务来增加他们的保留率。一个主要的预期项目成果是准备一个多样化的毕业生群体，他们准备作为STEM劳动力的领导者做出贡献。该项目在智力方面的一个重要价值是，它可能有助于理解电子投资组合如何有助于青年科学家在培训中取得成功。该项目的总体目标是提高有经济需求的低收入、高成就本科生的STEM学位完成率。项目目标包括：1)招收14名生物学本科专业学生并提供资助；2)提供学术和其他支持，以提高学者的保留率和毕业率。项目组成部分包括早期指导的研究经验，基于项目的学习，广泛的教师和同行指导，以及ePortfolio的使用。该项目的研究计划将检验电子作品集在促进科学认同和激发未来研究兴趣方面的价值。考虑到院校在成功留住STEM专业学生方面面临的挑战，这项研究可能值得注意。项目评估将量化整个项目及其个别组成部分对学者学术成功的影响。大学希望将有前途的项目要素制度化，使未来的学生受益于所吸取的经验教训。项目成果将在大学网站、大学行政部门内部、国家会议和出版物上公布。该项目由美国国家科学基金会的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，旨在增加有经济需求的低收入学术天才学生在STEM领域获得学位的人数。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并为低收入学生提供有关学业成功、留校、转学、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。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。

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 at Reinhardt University, a private liberal arts institution. Over its five-year duration, the project will provide four-year scholarships to 14 unique first-year, full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in the biological sciences. The Scholars will be admitted in two cohorts. The project will provide the Scholars with an educational experience that emphasizes problem-based learning aided by mentors, research opportunities, and career guidance through the use of an electronic portfolio. The project intends to increase retention of Scholars in biology by providing them with enhanced peer and faculty mentoring and a coherent suite of student support services. A major expected project outcome is preparation of a diverse group of graduates who are prepared to contribute as leaders in the STEM workforce. A major component of this project’s intellectual merit is its potential contribution to understanding how ePortfolios may contribute to the success of young scientists in training. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Project objectives include to: 1) recruit and provide financial support to 14 undergraduate biology majors; 2) provide academic and other supports that increase retention and graduation of the Scholars. Project components include early mentored research experiences, project-based learning, and extensive faculty and peer mentoring, alongside the use of ePortfolio. The project’s research plan will examine the value of ePortfolios for promoting scientific identity and stimulating future research interests. Considering the challenges institutions face in successful retention of STEM majors, this study is potentially noteworthy. Project evaluation will quantify the effects of the overall project and its individual components on the academic success of the Scholars. The University expects to institutionalize promising project elements so that future students will benefit from lessons learned. Project outcomes will be disseminated on the University website, within the University administration, at national conferences, and in publications. This project is funded by 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 to 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.