Increasing STEM Persistence by Supporting Apprentice Research Experiences (AREs) as a Model for Institutional Change in Community Colleges

通过支持学徒研究体验 (ARE) 作为社区学院制度变革的模式来提高 STEM 持久性

• 批准号: 2133600
• 负责人: Jacquelyn Swanik
• 金额: $ 140万
• 依托单位: Wake Technical Community College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-10-01 至 2026-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2133600&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Increasing; STEM; Persistence; Supporting; Apprentice

This project aims to serve the national interest by iteratively assessing and improving the STEM Academic Research and Training (START) program, an Apprenticeship Research Experience (ARE) at Wake Technical Community College. The project will contribute to understanding the effects of AREs - especially uncommon and understudied at 2-year colleges - on community college students’ persistence in college and in STEM careers. This project will develop a sustainable model for co-curricular apprenticeship-style mentored undergraduate research programs and help build the case for state and donor funding for undergraduate research experiences and internships at community colleges across North Carolina. The project will enhance a current program, recruit students from populations underrepresented in STEM, and further develop relationships with numerous research partners. By supporting students with paid internships, the project will increase access to STEM careers for low-income students. Training modules for mentors and students will also be developed. The project offers a distinct opportunity to recruit underrepresented minorities and first-generation college students into STEM research and prepare them for successful academic and professional careers. The project goal is to develop a sustainable and scalable undergraduate research and internship program model for 2- and 4-year colleges to partner in undergraduate research. Such partnerships are expected to foster student success in transfer and persistence in bachelor’s degree programs in STEM. Funds will support approximately 50 student interns each semester resulting in 400 paid internships over the course of the project. This project will develop a Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework-based model for strengthening undergraduate research experiences in the community college context. The project will utilize a randomized controlled trial that meets the "What Works Clearinghouse" standards, and includes research questions on the impact of participation in START undergraduate research on student outcomes, e.g. retention and persistence in college and in STEM fields, academic confidence, student identity and awareness, and scientific literacy and research skills. Furthermore, the research questions examine the impact of START on the college, e.g. the impact on the diversity of student participation in STEM fields, the skills and comfort of mentors in engaging in mentoring activities, and the institution’s support for mentors and research. The external evaluator and project faculty will prepare manuscripts of findings for publication and disseminate them via national conferences, reaching audiences of both practitioners and researchers. Academic partners include North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. By creating undergraduate research and internship opportunities for community college students the project is a model to build the STEM pipeline. Funding for this project comes from the Advanced Technological Education program through the program description on Advancing Innovation and Impact in Undergraduate STEM Education at Two-year Institutions of Higher Education (PD 21-7980) which promotes innovative and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education in the community college sector.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.

该项目旨在通过迭代评估和改进 STEM 学术研究和培训 (START) 计划（威克技术社区学院的学徒研究体验 (ARE)）来服务于国家利益。该项目将有助于了解 ARE 的影响——尤其是不常见的影响。并在两年制大学进行了研究——关于社区学院学生在大学和 STEM 职业中的坚持。该项目将为课外学徒式指导本科研究项目开发一个可持续的模式，并帮助为州和州建立案例。该项目将为北卡罗来纳州社区学院的本科生研究经验和实习提供捐助资金，从 STEM 中代表性不足的人群中招收学生，并通过为学生提供带薪实习来进一步发展与众多研究合作伙伴的关系。还将开发针对导师和学生的 STEM 职业机会，为招募代表性不足的少数族裔和第一代大学生提供独特的机会，帮助他们为成功的学术和职业生涯做好准备。该项目的目标是为 2 年制和 4 年制学院开发可持续且可扩展的本科生研究和实习计划模型，以合作开展本科生研究。此类合作伙伴关系预计将促进学生成功转学并坚持攻读 STEM 学士学位课程。基金将支持大约 50 名学生。该项目将开发一个基于探究社区 (CoI) 框架的模型，以加强社区大学背景下的本科生研究经验。该项目将利用随机对照试验。符合“What Works Clearinghouse”标准，包括关于参与 START 本科生研究对学生成果的影响的研究问题，例如在大学和 STEM 领域的保留和坚持、学术信心、学生身份和意识以及科学素养和此外，研究问题还考察了 START 对学院的影响，例如对学生参与 STEM 领域的多样性的影响、导师参与指导活动的技能和舒适度，以及机构对导师和研究技能的支持。外部评估者和项目教师将准备出版研究结果的手稿，并通过全国会议传播，向包括北卡罗来纳州农业技术州立大学、北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校等学术合作伙伴的受众传播。通过为社区学院的学生创造本科生研究和实习机会，该项目是建立 STEM 管道的一个模型，该项目的资金来自先进技术教育计划，通过“促进本科生创新和影响力”计划描述。两年制高等教育机构的 STEM 教育 (PD 21-7980) 旨在促进社区学院领域本科 STEM 教育的创新和循证实践。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。