HSI Implementation and Evaluation Project: Enhancing and Expanding Second-Year Experience to Improve Equity, Retention and Student Success in Engineering/Computer Science Programs

在改善本科STEM教育：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI计划）的支持下，这个第二轨项目旨在丰富工程/计算机科学专业学生在关键的大学二年级的学习经历，这有助于解决许多工程专业的高流失率和低毕业率，特别是在西班牙裔和其他少数族裔群体中。在过去的十年里，UNLV工程学院的西班牙裔人口增加了两倍，学生总数增加了一倍多；然而，六年毕业率一直徘徊在30%以下，这在很大程度上归因于前两年的高流失率。尽管人们普遍认为，根据学生的特殊和不断变化的需求，为他们过渡到大学二年级提供持续的服务和支持是很重要的，但与一年级不同，二年级的学生似乎被“遗忘”了，通常得到的关注较少。为了认识到这一不足，我们在2021年秋季开创了第二年的实践设计经验（SYE）课程。在首届课程取得有限成功的基础上，我们建议开发并推出一个名为“增强和扩展二年级体验（EESYE）”的综合项目，其中包括一系列专门为二年级学生设计的积极主动的方法和活动/事件。通过脚手架，参与和指导二年级的工程专业学生，我们希望减少学生的流失，更多的学生将顺利地从工程专业毕业。这个项目旨在帮助建立一种全面的学生支持文化，这种文化可以被那些留校率、升学率和毕业率较低的大学采用。该项目的目标包括：帮助学生为第二年及以后的成功学习做好准备；加深学生的归属感和社区意识；提供学术规划和指导支持；创造职业规划和实习机会；促进领导能力和软技能的进一步发展，并推动学生对自己的健康和健康负责。我们将研究的首要问题是：“工程和计算机科学专业二年级学生的经历和学习环境的干预以何种方式影响他们的保留和完成课程？”将采用混合方法来检查和报告三个预期结果：75%或更高的第二年保留率；60%的同组学生转读高年级课程；以及强烈的归属感。研究证据将传播给其他机构，以改善学生的多样性，特别是在西班牙裔和其他代表性不足的少数群体中。该项目将显著提高STEM学生的毕业能力，将创造一种面向未来的全方位学生支持的新文化；支持UNLV在2025-2030年成为一流大学的总体目标；并有助于STEM劳动力的增长，帮助地方和州经济多样化。HSI计划旨在加强HSI的本科STEM教育和能力建设。HSI计划支持的项目也将产生关于如何实现这些目标的新知识。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。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 2 project aims to enrich engineering/computer science students’ learning experiences in their critical second year in college, which helps stop high attrition and low graduation rates in many engineering programs, especially among Hispanic and other minority groups. Over the past decade, the UNLV College of Engineering has witnessed its Hispanic population tripled and its overall student population more than doubled; yet the six-year graduation rate lingers below 30%, which is largely attributed to high attrition rates in the first two years. Although there is a general agreement of the importance and significance of offering continued services and support to students transitioning to their second year in college with their specific and changing needs, unlike first-year, second-year students seem to be “forgotten” and typically receive less attention. In recognition of this deficiency, we pioneered a Second-Year hands-on design Experience (SYE) course in Fall 2021. Built upon the limited success of this inaugural course, we propose to develop and launch a comprehensive program referred as “Enhancing and Expanding Second-Year Experience (EESYE)”, which includes a whole range of proactive approaches and activities/events specially designed for second-year students. By scaffolding, engaging and mentoring second-year engineering students, we expect to reduce student attritions and more students shall progress well to graduate from an engineering program. This project tends to help create an all-around student support culture that can be adopted by colleges with low retention, progression, graduation rates. The aims of the project include: help prepare students for a successful second year and beyond; deepen students’ sense of belonging and community; provide academic planning and mentoring support; create career planning and internship opportunities; facilitate further development of leadership skills and soft skills, and drive students to be responsible for their own health and wellness. The overarching question we will examine is: “In what ways do the interventions of the second-year engineering and computer science students’ experiences and learning environment impact their retention and completion of the program?” A mixed-methods approach will be used to examine and report the three expected outcomes: 75% or higher second-year retention rate; 60% of the cohort students moving to upper-division courses; and a strong sense of belonging. The research evidence will be disseminated to other institutions to improve student diversity, especially among Hispanic and other underrepresented minority groups. This project will significantly improve the capacity to graduate STEM students, will create a new culture of all-around student support that is sustainable for the future; support the UNLV’s overarching goal to become a Top Tier university by 2025-2030; and contribute to the growth of the STEM workforce and helps diversify the local and state economy. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.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.