A Flexible Approach to STEM Scholar Recruitment, Retention, and Preparation in Computer Science and Computer Information Systems

该项目将通过支持达文波特大学留住和毕业高成就的低收入学生来促进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，达文波特大学为大量非传统学生和通勤学生提供服务。在为期五年的时间里，该项目将为20名攻读计算机科学或计算机信息系统学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。12名奖学金获得者将作为一年级学生进入，并获得最长四年的奖学金支持；八名转校生将作为大三学生进入，获得最长两年的奖学金支持。奖学金获得者将每年参加四次，每组四到六名学生。该项目旨在解决非传统和通勤学生面临的一个长期存在的问题，这个问题不是仅靠奖学金就能解决的：对于那些必须工作以履行经济或家庭义务的人来说，不可避免地会出现日程安排冲突。事实上，报告已经将这类冲突列为第二大最常被提及的大学坚持障碍。该项目的一个独特之处是，它位于一所大学内，提供灵活的课程、指导、支持服务和联合课程活动。灵活的授课方法允许学生根据需要选择最佳的参与方式，既可以面对面地参与，也可以在上课时间在线直播，或者通过现场课程的录音异步参与。该项目旨在将这一程度的灵活性纳入学者支助和充实活动。因此，这一项目的结果可能会引起高等教育机构的兴趣，这些机构试图招收、留住、毕业并将更多的非传统学生投入STEM工作。该项目的总体目标是提高低收入、高成就、有经济需求的本科生的STEM学位完成率。为此，该项目将通过与高中、社区大学和达文波特大学的学生建立社区的共享活动来招募学者。除了奖学金，它还将为学者们提供更好的学术支持和教师指导，帮助建立归属感的有针对性的课外活动，以及与行业导师的实习机会。该项目将调查灵活提供课程、支持系统和支持活动对学者留住STEM和STEM归属感的影响。将采用混合方法收集有关学者参与度、归属感、参与项目活动和留存情况的定性和定量数据。该项目的结果将通过国家学术卓越中心社区、密歇根州立大学协会和相关期刊出版物公布。该项目由美国国家科学基金的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金(S-STEM)项目资助，该项目旨在增加在STEM领域获得学位的低收入有经济需要的学生的数量。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 at Davenport University, which serves a large population of non-traditional and commuter students. Over its five-year duration, the project will fund scholarships to twenty unique full-time students pursuing bachelor's degrees in computer science or computer information systems. Twelve Scholars will enter as first year students and receive scholarship support of up to four years; eight transfer students will enter as juniors and receive scholarship support for up to two years. The Scholars will enter in four annual cohorts of four to six students. The project aims to address a persistent issue faced by non-traditional and commuter students that cannot be overcome with scholarships alone: the scheduling conflicts that inevitably arise for those who must work to meet financial or family obligations. In fact, reports have ranked such conflicts as the second most frequently cited barrier to college persistence. A unique feature of this project is that it is situated in a University that offers flexible delivery of courses, mentoring, support services, and co-curricular activities. The flexible delivery method allows students to choose, as needed, how they can best participate, either in person, online live during class time, or asynchronously via a recording of the live class session. The project aims to embed that level of flexibility into the Scholar support and enrichment activities. Thus, the results of this project will likely be of interest to institutions of higher education trying to enroll, retain, graduate, and place more non-traditional students into the STEM workforce.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. To this end, the project will recruit Scholars through shared activities that build community with high school, community college, and Davenport University students. In addition to scholarships, it will provide the Scholars with enhanced academic support and faculty mentoring, cohorted extracurricular activities that help build a sense of belonging, and internships with industry mentors. The project will investigate the impact of the flexible delivery of courses, support systems, and supporting activities on Scholars’ retention and sense of STEM belonging. A mixed-methods approach will be used to collect qualitative and quantitative data on Scholars' engagement, sense of belonging, participation in project activities, and retention. Results of the project will be made available through the National Centers of Academic Excellence community, the Michigan Association of State Universities, and relevant journal publications. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) 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.