Pathways to STEM Degrees through Integrated Academic Support, Career Enhancement, and Personal Development

该项目将通过支持鲍尔州立大学表现出经济需求的高成就低收入学生的保留和毕业，为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16名攻读化学和生物学学士学位的全日制学生提供奖学金。第一年的学生将获得四年的奖学金支持。该项目旨在通过将奖学金与针对学生学术准备、职业发展和个人意识的循证实践相结合，提高学生的保留率和毕业率。在教师和同伴导师的帮助下，学者将培养有效的学习习惯。由印第安纳州顶级雇主和职业教练举办的互动式行业研讨会将为学者们的专业准备创造途径。量身定制的研讨会将促进学者的心理健康、个人健康和自我意识。该项目将通过Photovoice（利用照片讲故事的反思）活动促进队伍建设。通过培养合格的物理和生命科学家，该项目将扩大STEM劳动力储备。在完成学位后，学者们将能够通过获得高薪工作来改变他们的社会经济格局。该项目将促进对学生成功干预在多大程度上影响学业成绩、职业准备、个人成长和心理健康的认识。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。该项目将整合涉及校园内多个合作伙伴的综合干预措施，重点关注学者的学术、个人、专业和职业发展。具体而言，该项目将采用以下高影响力的实践：生活学习社区，桥梁计划，第一年研讨会，本科生研究，教师/同伴指导，实习和互动行业研讨会。在化学和生物入门课程中进行的一项需求分析调查显示，学生们在时间管理、缺乏动力和注意力、缺乏有效的学习技巧、考试焦虑、精神压力、缺乏足够的支持系统和经济方面存在困难。这个项目解决了学生的需求和在调查中确定的建议。调查这些措施对学生学业成绩、时间管理、自信、健康/职业准备和心理健康的影响，将提供有关拟议干预措施有效性的知识。该项目还将提供证据，证明Photovoice是否有助于队伍建设。预期的结果包括：(a)提高学生的保留率和毕业率；(b)发展员工的专业技能和知识；(c)个人/心理意识和归属感增加。该项目将采用定性和定量相结合的方法进行评估，以提供形成性和总结性评估数据。该项目的结果将广泛传播给大学管理人员和内部合作伙伴、高中辅导员和公司合作伙伴。他们还将通过网站发布、社交媒体、出版物和会议演讲与STEM社区分享。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 Ball State University. Over its five-year duration, this project will fund scholarships to 16 unique full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology. First year students will receive four-years of scholarship support. The project aims to increase student retention and graduation rates by combining scholarships with evidence-based practices targeting students’ academic preparation, career development and personal awareness. With the assistance of faculty and peer mentors, scholars will cultivate effective study habits. Interactive industry seminars by top Indiana employers and career coaches will create pathways for the professional preparation of the scholars. Tailored workshops will promote scholars’ mental health, personal wellness, and self-awareness. The project will facilitate cohort-building through Photovoice (reflection through storytelling using photographs) activities. By producing well-qualified physical and life scientists, this project will expand the STEM labor pool. Scholars will be able to transform their socioeconomic landscape by obtaining high-paying jobs upon degree completion. The project will advance knowledge on the extent to which the interventions for student success affect academic performance, career readiness, personal growth, and mental health.The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The project will incorporate integrated interventions involving multiple partners across campus that focus on scholars’ academic, personal, professional, and career development. Specifically, this project will employ the following high-impact practices: living learning communities, a Bridge program, First-year Seminar, undergraduate research, faculty/peer mentoring, internships, and interactive industry seminars. A needs-analysis survey conducted in chemistry and biology gateway courses revealed that students struggle with time-management, lack of motivation and focus, lack of effective study skills, test anxiety, mental stress, absence of adequate support systems, and finances. This project addresses student needs and suggestions identified in that survey. Investigating the impact of these measures on scholars’ academic performance, time management, self-confidence, wellness/career readiness, and mental health will provide knowledge on the effectiveness of the proposed interventions. The project will also generate evidence of whether Photovoice aids cohort building. The anticipated outcomes include scholars’ (a) increased retention and graduation rates; (b) development of professional skills and knowledge of workforce expectations; (c) personal/mental awareness and increased sense of belonging. The project will be evaluated by a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to provide formative and summative assessment data. Results of the project will be widely disseminated to university administrators and internal partners, high-school counselors, and corporate partners. They will also be shared with the STEM community via website postings, social media, publications, 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.