Within Our Reach: Leveraging Scholarships and Supports to Increase Community College Student Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity in STEM

该项目将通过支持奥罗拉社区学院（一所拉美裔服务机构）中表现出经济需求的优秀低收入家庭学生的保留和毕业，为满足全国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，将为至少80名全日制和非全日制学生提供最多三年的奖学金。这些学者将获资助攻读理学副学士学位（化学、工程、地质、数学、物理）或应用科学副学士学位（计算机信息系统、计算机科学、网络安全、信息技术与技术支持、计算机网络和计算机编程）。该项目旨在通过提供财政资源、支持学业成功和培养STEM学生的身份来解决STEM学生的关键流失点。该项目将通过包括新的点对点支持元素，扩展从以前nsf支持的项目中获得的成果和经验教训。该项目潜在的更广泛的影响包括：更多的STEM学生转学到四年制大学并取得成功；增加本地STEM劳动力的多样性；并为科罗拉多州高等教育委员会的总体规划战略做出贡献，以提高STEM证书的获得程度，特别是在西班牙裔和黑人学生中。该项目的总体目标是通过使学生能够采取专注，深思熟虑的方法来实现其才能潜力所需的学术和职业准备步骤，从而提高具有经济需求的低收入，高成就本科生的STEM学位完成率。为了实现这一目标，该项目将利用基于证据的战略，并以现有的举措为基础，包括ECC三部曲的参与、能力和连续性模式，作为学院整体STEM规划和课外活动的框架。因此，奖学金获得者将获得一系列基于队列的支持服务，旨在提高他们对STEM职业机会的认识，并提高他们接受STEM教育和职业道路的能力。该项目将实施一种新的点对点支持模式，包括助教和同伴指导，旨在培养学者的领导技能，培养积极的STEM身份，并增加与大学社区的联系。通过评估同伴支持、建议和课外活动对社区大学生学位完成和转学结果的影响，预计项目结果将为STEM教师和学生支持策略的改进提供信息。项目资源和成果将通过报告会、讲习班和出版物在地方和全国范围内传播。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 the Community College of Aurora, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Over its five-year duration, this project will fund scholarships of up to three years to at least 80 unique full time and part time students. These Scholars will be supported in a cohort of Scholars pursing Associate of Science degrees (Chemistry, Engineering, Geology, Mathematics, Physics) or a cohort of Scholars pursuing Associate of Applied Science degrees (Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Cyber Security, IT & Tech Support, Computer Networking, and Computer Programming). The project aims to address critical attrition points for STEM students by providing financial resources, supporting academic success, and growing STEM identity. The project will expand on outcomes and lessons learned from previous NSF-supported projects by including new peer-to-peer support elements. Potential broader impacts of this project include: increased numbers of STEM students transferring to and achieving success at four-year institutions; an increase in the diversity of the local STEM workforce; and contributions to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education’s Master Plan strategies to increase STEM credential attainment, particularly among Hispanic and Black students. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need by empowering students to take a focused, deliberate approach to the academic and career readiness steps needed to realize the potential of their talent. To achieve this goal, the project will utilize evidence-based strategies and build on existing initiatives, including the ECC Trilogy model of engagement, capacity, and continuity, which serves as a framework for the College’s overall STEM programming and co-curricular activities. As a result, the Scholars will have access to a suite of cohort-based support services aimed to expand awareness of STEM career opportunities and enhance their capacity to pursue STEM education and career pathways. The project will implement a new peer-to-peer support model, including teaching assistantships and peer mentoring, designed to build Scholars’ leadership skills, foster positive STEM identities, and increase connection with the college community. The project results are expected to inform improvements in STEM faculty and student support strategies by evaluating the impacts of peer support, advising, and co-curricular activities on community college student degree completion and transfer outcomes. Project resources and results will be disseminated locally and nationally through presentations, workshops, and 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.