Understanding and Evaluating Practices for Integrating Commuter Students in Science, Technology, and Mathematics through Mentoring, Undergraduate Research, and Social Supports

该项目将通过支持瓦尔帕莱索大学（一所私立四年制本科院校）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。在六年的时间里，30名成绩优异的低收入学生将获得最多四年的奖学金。他们将攻读生物学、化学、生物化学、计算机科学、数学、气象学、数据科学和统计学的学士学位。低收入家庭的学生，特别是那些往返于学校的学生，经常面临着各种挑战，这些挑战阻碍了他们参加寄宿大学校园提供的各种学术和课外活动的能力。本项目计划通过建立和评估整合通勤学生的实践来解决这些挑战。该项目将从多方面、有针对性的招生策略开始，旨在吸引低收入家庭的学生，鼓励他们申请。它将继续为科学、技术或数学（STM）学生提供指导、本科研究和社会支持，帮助他们获得学士学位。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。具体而言，该项目通过改进招聘、留用和指导策略，重点关注通勤学生，从而为STM职业生涯准备一个多样化的群体。本项目有两个目标：1)通过改善低收入学生的招生策略来扩大STM的参与，2)确定学术和社会保留策略如何改变学生的自我效能感和STM身份。该项目与招生和营销办公室合作，通过针对地理位置的多媒体广告和信息活动，扩大了面向低收入通勤学生的招生实践。该项目通过积极地将通勤学生融入更广泛的校园和学术社区来支持学生的保留和职业发展。这些项目的学者增加了学术机会，包括：多年的研究经验，参加科学会议，在部门座谈会上发表演讲，教师指导，职业网络，技能建设和队伍建设。社会活动包括年度务虚会、月度聚会和实地考察。该项目的影响将通过跟踪招生工作的有效性，监测学生的成功指标（GPA，保留率和学生所选STM专业的成功）以及调查学者和其他STM学生，比较他们对本科经历的态度和看法来衡量。项目的结果也将相对于基线数据进行评估。教师将通过发表文章和会议报告与他人分享项目的设计和成果。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 Valparaiso University, a private four-year undergraduate institution. Over six years, thirty high-achieving, low-income scholars will be awarded scholarships for up to four years. They will be working towards baccalaureate degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Meteorology, Data Science and Statistics. Low-income students, particularly those who are commuting to college, often face challenges that impede their ability to participate in the various academic and co-curricular activities that are available on a residential college campus. This project plans to address those challenges through establishing and evaluating practices to integrate commuting students. This project will begin with a multi-faceted, targeted recruitment strategy designed to reach low-income students to encourage application. It will continue with mentoring, undergraduate research, and social support of science, technology, or mathematics (STM) students as they work towards their baccalaureate degree. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Specifically, this program focuses on commuter students by improving recruitment, retention, and mentoring strategies, thus preparing a diverse cohort for STM careers. This project has two objectives: 1) Broaden participation in STM by improving recruitment strategies for low-income students, and 2) Identify how retention strategies, both academic and social, change students’ self-efficacy and STM identity. In partnership with the Admission and Marketing Offices, this project expands recruitment practices to reach low-income commuter students through geo-targeted multimedia advertisement and informational activities. This project supports students’ retention and career development by actively integrating commuter students into the wider campus and scholarly community. The projects’ scholars have enhanced academic opportunities including: a multi-year research experience, participation in scientific conferences, presenting at departmental colloquia, faculty mentoring, career networking, skill-building, and cohort-building. Social activities include annual retreats, monthly meet-ups, and field trips. The impact of this project will be measured by tracking the effectiveness of recruitment efforts, monitoring student success metrics (GPA, retention and success in the student’s chosen STM major) and surveying both scholars and other STM students, comparing their attitudes and perceptions of their undergraduate experience. The results of project will also be assessed relative to baseline data. Faculty will share the design and results of the program with others through published articles and conference presentations. 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.