Establishing a High Impact Undergraduate STEM Summer Research Experience Early in College that Leads to Improved Student Outcomes

在大学早期建立高影响力的本科生 STEM 暑期研究体验，从而提高学生的学习成果

• 批准号: 2344975
• 负责人: Allyson Sterling
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: Regis University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-05-01 至 2026-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2344975&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Establishing; Impact; Undergraduate; STEM; Summer

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program this project aims to increase retention and success of Latine students in pursuing life science degrees at Regis University. Specifically, the project will create a paid, faculty-mentored summer research program for undergraduate students early in their collegiate experience. The transition between the first and second year of college is a crucial time for students deciding whether to pursue further study in STEM. Summer research experiences are widely available at multiple institutions but may not be accessible to students early in their course of study, especially before they have foundational laboratory and research experience, and at a time when they have high potential to leave the sciences. Additionally, students at Regis University are increasingly first-generation, Latine, working, and may have additional demands on their time such as family commitments. Creating paid opportunities for students to participate in research through a faculty-mentored summer research experience has the potential to remove barriers for students to explore scientific research. Students who need summer employment will be able to support themselves financially while building important career-relevant skills that may be difficult to achieve during a regular semester.This program aims to increase retention and success of undergraduates in the life sciences by: 1) decreasing barriers to participation in an authentic research experience with faculty; 2) guiding students through mentored research at a critical transition point between the first and second year of undergraduate study; 3) providing professional development and a cohort model to better prepare students for further education or careers in STEM and strengthen their feelings of belonging in STEM; 4) building an educational environment in which faculty mentors learn from students about their needs and how best to support them. The project will use previously validated tools to measure changes in scientific skills, self-confidence, and well-being. These assessments will allow for an assessment of which project interventions impacted student retention and will capture how students were most impacted. The project’s components and outcomes will be shared internally and externally with a breadth of institutions and educators across STEM disciplines. This project is funded by the HSI Program, which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, 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.

在改善本科STEM教育的支持下：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI）计划该项目旨在提高拉丁学生在雷吉斯大学攻读生命科学学位方面的保留和成功。具体来说，该项目将在大学期间早期为本科生创建一个有偿的，由教师的夏季研究计划。对于决定是否在STEM中进行进一步学习的学生来说，大学第一年和第二年之间的过渡是一个关键时期。夏季研究经验在多个机构中广泛使用，但在学习过程中，学生可能无法获得学生的研究，尤其是在他们拥有基础实验室和研究经验之前，以及他们在离开科学的潜力很高的时候。此外，雷吉斯大学的学生越来越第一代，拉丁语，工作，并且可能对自己的时间（例如家庭承诺）有其他要求。为学生创造有偿机会通过教职员工的夏季研究经验参与研究，这有可能消除学生探索科学研究的障碍。需要夏季就业的学生将能够在经济上支持自己，同时建立与职业相关的重要技能，这些技能可能很难实现。该计划旨在通过：1）减少参与教师的真实研究经验的障碍； 2）指导学生在本科研究的第一年和第二年之间的关键过渡点进行推荐研究； 3）提供专业发展和队列模型，以更好地为学生提供进一步的教育或STEM职业的准备，并增强他们在STEM中的归属感； 4）建立一个教育环境，教师导师向学生学习他们的需求以及如何最好地支持他们。该项目将使用先前验证的工具来衡量科学技能，自信和福祉的变化。这些评估将允许评估哪些项目干预措施会影响学生的保留率，并将捕获学生的影响最大。该项目的组成部分和成果将在内部和外部与STEM学科的机构和教育工作者的广度共享。该项目由HSI计划提供资金，该计划旨在增强本科STEM教育，扩大对STEM的参与以及在HSIS上建立能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的智力优点评估和更广泛的影响审查标准来通过评估来获得的支持。