Recognizing current and future needs for a diverse skilled workforce in mechanical engineering and the rising cost of higher education that acts as a barrier for many talented students with interests in engineering, the NSF funded S-STEM project at a state university focuses resources and research on financial support coupled with curricular and co-curricular activities designed to facilitate student degree attainment, career development, and employability in STEM-related jobs. This program has provided enhanced educational opportunities to more than 90 economically disadvantaged and academically talented undergraduate students in the Mechanical Engineering Department in the past eight years. It is expected that approximately 45 academically talented and financially needy students, including students transferring from community colleges to four-year engineering programs will receive scholarship support in the next 5 years, with an average amount of $6,000 per year for up to four years to earn degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).
Through scholarships and supplemental support services, this program promotes full-time enrollment and will elevate the scholastic achievement of the S-STEM scholars, with a special emphasis on females and/or underrepresented minorities. It will provide a holistic and novel educational experience combining science, engineering, technology and medicine to improve student retention and future career prospects. The project builds on an established partnership between the state university and community colleges to improve and investigate the transfer experience of community college students to four-year programs, student retention at the university, and job placement and pathways to graduate school and employment. A mixed methods quantitative and qualitative research approach will examine the implementation and outcomes of proactive recruitment; selected high impact practices, such as orientation, one-to-one faculty mentoring, peer mentoring, and community building; participation by students in research-focused activities, such as research seminars and undergraduate experiences; and participation by students in career and professional development activities.
In this paper, preliminary data will be presented discussing the attitudes and perceptions of the s-stem scholars and comparing students in scholarly programs and non-programmed situations.
This research was supported by an NSF S-STEM grant (DUE-1742170).
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Board 307: Imagining and Co-designing a Supportive College Experience for First Generation Students through an NSF S-STEM Program
Two cohorts of ten (10) first generation students from the local public school district have been recruited to an NSF S STEM scholarship program that provides navigational support in attending and graduating from a STEM-focused private university. The S-STEM funding complements a university scholarship to meet the full demonstrated need of each student for four years, including on-campus housing to ensure that our scholars can fully participate in the college experience. Intentional programming and a mentor network were implemented with an assets-based framework.
Student surveys and program evaluation reveal that the scholarship program components that are the most effective and appreciated by the scholars are free summer courses, paid summer research experiences, and a “support team” that connects them to resources and assists them in navigating the university system. Also important to their sense of belonging at the university was the pre-orientation program (similar to a short bridge program) and their cohort of peers in the S-STEM program.
Interviews with the S-STEM scholars were conducted alongside interviews with other first generation students not in the S-STEM program. The research study on student experiences revealed that a distributed and unconnected model of student support can be frustrating and ineffective for students. Instead, a core team of people that guides students to navigate the university system and to provide intentional programming at the appropriate times has emerged to be more effective. Thus, we have adapted our project to meet the needs of the students as we hear their stories and learn from them.
To capture our students’ experiences and to engage them in co-designing inclusive college experiences within a supportive university system, we plan to have a design charrette with a graphic illustrator where the scholars will collectively share their stories and brainstorm ideas upon deliberate prompts. The facilitation will elevate multiple voices and reinforce learning and highlight interconnections. The graphic recording will translate the real-time conversations and the key ideas into a shared visual. The graphical artwork will serve as a visual representation of the voices of our scholars and serve as a tool to present what is possible for the university to redefine student experiences and set up systems for all students to succeed.
Through this project, we aim to demonstrate and document the sufficient resources needed (e.g., human capital) to support the whole student, and in particular students in which the university system was not initially designed for. The findings provide a great opportunity for the university to strengthen student supports with the proper resources and systems for students, especially from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1930461
- PAR ID:
- 10545592
- Publisher / Repository:
- ASEE Conferences
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Baltimore , Maryland
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Recognizing current and future needs for a diverse skilled workforce in mechanical engineering and the rising cost of higher education that acts as a barrier for many talented students with interests in engineering, the NSF funded S-STEM project at a state university focuses resources and research on financial support coupled with curricular and co-curricular activities designed to facilitate student degree attainment, career development, and employability in STEM-related jobs. This program has provided enhanced educational opportunities to more than 90 economically disadvantaged and academically talented undergraduate students in the Mechanical Engineering Department in the past eight years. It is expected that approximately 45 academically talented and financially needy students, including students transferring from community colleges to four-year engineering programs will receive scholarship support in the next 5 years, with an average amount of $6,000 per year for up to four years to earn degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). Through scholarships and supplemental support services, this program promotes full-time enrollment and will elevate the scholastic achievement of the S-STEM scholars, with a special emphasis on females and/or underrepresented minorities. It will provide a holistic and novel educational experience combining science, engineering, technology and medicine to improve student retention and future career prospects. The project builds on an established partnership between the state university and community colleges to improve and investigate the transfer experience of community college students to four-year programs, student retention at the university, and job placement and pathways to graduate school and employment. A mixed methods quantitative and qualitative research approach will examine the implementation and outcomes of proactive recruitment; selected high impact practices, such as orientation, one-to-one faculty mentoring, peer mentoring, and community building; participation by students in research-focused activities, such as research seminars and undergraduate experiences; and participation by students in career and professional development activities. In this paper, preliminary data will be presented discussing the attitudes and perceptions of the s-stem scholars and comparing students in scholarly programs and non-programmed situations. This research was supported by an NSF S-STEM grant (DUE-1742170).more » « less
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The National Science Foundation established the Rising Scholars program at Purdue University to promote the cultivation of professional mentor support networks for qualified low socio-economic students in STEM fields. In collaboration between the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department and the Minority Engineering Program, Rising Scholars students, in three cadres of 21 students total, were recruited from general admissions to the institution, who had previously expressed an initial desire for engineering. These students were provided with a defined path of activities in college designed to enhance their professional mentoring networks among STEM specialists. Rising Scholars students were provided with a partial scholarship and intensive academic guidance. These students participated in multiple networking and social activities sponsored by the program administrators. Academic results for the Rising Scholars students against their matched pair grouping for graduation rate and GPA will be presented. Students who socialized well and developed stronger social networks within the high-touch, student-centric environment fared better academically and outperformed their matched pair direct-to-engineering admits to the university. Small-to-moderate sized academic engineering departments are well-suited to provide a similar nurturing culture for support and belonging that can help all students succeed.more » « less
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The STEM Excellence through Engagement in Collaboration, Research, and Scholarship (SEECRS) project at Whatcom Community College is in year four of a five-year NSF S-STEM funded program aiming to support academically talented students with demonstrated financial need in biology, chemistry, geology, computer science, engineering, and physics. This program offered financial, academic, and professional support to three two-year cohorts of students and is in the final year of the third and final cohort of the currently funded grant cycle. The SEECRS project aimed to utilize a STEM-specific guided pathways approach to strengthen recruitment, retention, and matriculation of STEM students at the community college level. Over the course of the program 39 individuals received scholarship support. The program supported scholarship recipients through participation in the SEECRS Scholars Academy, a multi-pronged approach to student support combining elements of community building, faculty mentorship, targeted advising activities, authentic science practice, and social activities. Key elements of the program are: a required two-credit course that emphasized STEM identity development, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in Biology, Chemistry and Engineering courses, funded summer research opportunities, and paring of each scholar with a faculty mentor. This paper presents data from the first four years of the program including participant outcomes and feedback on their experiences. Results from project evaluation activities such as pre and post surveys, focus groups, exit interviews, and faculty surveys are also presented and analyzed to compare how gains reported by program participants regarding such attributes as their STEM identities and sense of belonging compare to responses from a control group of students who did not participate in the program. Preliminary identification of some program best practices will also be presented.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--42851
