Building Academic Success Early for STEM

在“改善本科STEM教育：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI计划）”的支持下，这个第一轨道试点项目旨在加强德克萨斯农工国际大学（TAMIU） STEM本科生的学习和经验。TAMIU为超过89%的西班牙裔学生提供服务，其中包括大量的第一代和低收入学生，他们在适应本科课程时经常受益于额外的支持。项目领导团队将通过多学科方法识别并为尚未准备好上大学的新生和转学生提供支持，该方法侧重于：1)基于学生先前的知识建立学习技能和信心；2)增强学生的认同感和文化资本；3)通过一个支持性的、以课程为基础的项目，使学习具有情境性和相关性。除了提供研讨会来解决学生在大学数学和生物学方面的需求外，学生们还将努力加强关键的学术技能，以提高学生的参与度、批判性思维和解决问题的能力。该试点项目将收集和分析数据，以确定参与者在多大程度上实现了项目目标和运营目标，这将增加关于最佳实践的知识体系，以提高来自不同的、历史上代表性不足的人群的STEM本科生的入学率和保留率。该项目的总体目标是提高TAMIU STEM学生的入学率和学位完成率，并对他们在未来STEM劳动力中的归属感产生积极影响。具体来说，项目团队将招募、准备和留住30名新生和转学生，同时为他们提供符合文化的学术学习和职业准备支持策略。实施文化响应性教学策略可以提高少数民族STEM新生和转校生的元认知技能和自我效能感。该项目的混合方法研究计划将收集和分析学生调查、项目评估数据、学生和利益相关者访谈和焦点小组。研究结果将通过项目网站、STEM和HSI高等教育会议以及NSF项目会议与STEM教育界分享。该试点项目由科学与工程学院计划资助，旨在加强科学与工程学院的本科教育，扩大科学与工程学院的参与，并建设科学与工程学院的能力。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 1 pilot aims to enhance the learning and experiences of STEM undergraduates at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU). TAMIU serves a student population that is more than 89% Hispanic, including significant populations of first-generation and low-income students that often benefit from additional support as they adjust to their undergraduate programs. The project leadership team will identify and provide support to first-time freshman and transfer students who are not yet college ready through a multidisciplinary approach that focuses on: 1) building learning skills and confidence based on students’ prior knowledge; 2) strengthening students’ sense of identity and cultural capital; and 3) making learning contextual and relevant through a supportive, curriculum-based program. In addition to providing workshops to address identified student needs in college mathematics and biology, students will work to strengthen key academic skills shown to increase student engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving. This pilot project will collect and analyze data to determine the extent to which the participants met the project goals and operational objectives, which will add to the body of knowledge on best practices to improve enrollment and retention of STEM undergraduates from diverse, historically underrepresented populations. The overarching goal of this project is to increase the enrollment and degree completion rates of TAMIU STEM students and have a positive impact on their sense of belonging in the future STEM workforce. Specifically, the project team will recruit, prepare, and retain 30 first time freshman and transfer students while providing them culturally responsive academic learning and career readiness support strategies. The implementation of culturally responsive teaching strategies will improve the metacognitive skills and self-efficacy of minority first-time freshman and transfer students in STEM. The project’s mixed methods research plan will collect and analyze student surveys, program assessment data, and student and stakeholder interviews and focus groups. Results will be shared with the STEM education community through the project website, STEM and HSI higher educational conferences, and NSF program meetings. This pilot project is funded by the HSI Program, which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden STEM participation, and build capacity at HSIs.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.