Many college students in West Virginia hail from rural communities and are the first in their families to pursue an undergraduate degree. Research indicates that first-generation college students can face particular barriers to their postsecondary persistence, as can rural students. However, data on the persistence of first-generation college students who are also from rural places is scant. To better understand—and help remove—the barriers confronting such young people interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), the FIRST TWO Project (https://first2network.org/) brings together community college and university faculty, administrators, national laboratory professionals, and rural education experts. The FIRST TWO pilot program integrates early STEM experiences via internships, a support network for rural first-generation STEM students, and STEM skills development through a discovery-based "principles of research and development" college seminar for first-year students. A "Hometown Ambassadors" program component prepares students to return to their home communities to engage younger students’ interest in STEM, and teachers’ and school board members’ support for STEM education. Our goal is for project courses and support mechanisms to be fully transferrable to other institutions of higher education in the state so that, ultimately, more rural first-generation students participate in the wider STEM enterprise. Funding for the project is provided by the National Science Foundation INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) initiative.
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Content, Connection and Careers: Kit-Based Learning and Virtual University Connections (Evaluation)
Science kits have been a staple of learning for some time, but in the era of COVID-19 at-home science kits took specific prominence in educational initiatives. In this paper, we delineate how kit-based education can be paired with virtual connection technology to enhance postsecondary and career exploration. The “Content, Connection and Careers” kit-based program has been developed to enable youth to explore electrical engineering principles while connecting virtually with university students to discuss engineering courses and careers. When assembled and wired up, the kit components become linear motors that use a magnetic force to pull a bolt into a pipe when youth press a button. This follows the same working principles as a doorbell or solenoid. These kits are supported by virtual learning sessions where youth connect with university students and faculty to fully understand the educational content, connect to peers and caring adults to share their learning, and explore careers that use electrical engineering skills. To
investigate the effectiveness of the program, surveys were distributed to participants to understand whether the kits were simple enough for independent learning but robust enough to encourage additional self-exploration of more difficult topics with the aid of expert scientists and other adult role models. Additionally, youth were asked if the connections made with university faculty and students was beneficial in their thinking of postsecondary options and college engagement. Over 60 elementary and middle-school aged youth participated in the project. Over 80 percent of survey respondents self-reported improved knowledge of how an electromagnetic field works and how to build a simple electromagnet. Other results showed an increased understanding of engineering careers and courses required to study electric engineering in college. Before their experience in the project, very few of the young people had ever talked to university faculty or university students about their areas of research or their journey into the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This connection was described in the surveys as what the youth liked best about the project.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1942099
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10391548
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Background Communication and learning technologies to enable mentoring for students are important topics for online courses and competency‐based education approaches. However, research results have been limited. The Georgia
STEM Accessibility Alliance (GSAA ) is a research project of the US National Science Foundation's Research in Disabilities Education (RDE ) program. It is a collaborativeRDE Alliance between the University of Georgia (UGA ) and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Launched in 2010,GSAA seeks to enhance achievement of people with disabilities inSTEM education and careers.Methods Core
GSAA features are the use of virtual worlds, online, and smartphone technologies to enhance student success through mediated mentoring, collectively referred to as the BreakThru project.Results Georgia
STEM Accessibility Alliance enrolled between 74 and 99 secondary and postsecondary mentees during its 4 years of mentoring activities. Participants involved in these activities reported a higher frequency of usage with communications platforms with which they were already acquainted, including e‐mail, telephone, andSMS text messaging. Positive changes in these students’ internal characteristics (self‐advocacy, self‐determination, science and math anxiety, and intention to persist) also were documented.Conclusions Preliminary results from BreakThru can help inform course designers to maximize mentor/faculty effectiveness with students. Project results indicate both an improvement of student persistence and an improved skill in navigating critical transition points to employment.
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