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：西班牙裔服务机构 (HSI) 计划的支持下，该项目旨在提高拉丁学生在瑞吉斯大学攻读生命科学学位的保留率和成功率。具体而言，该项目将创建一个由教师指导的付费暑期项目。本科生早期的研究计划 大学一年级和二年级之间的过渡是学生决定是否继续学习 STEM 的关键时刻 暑期研究经历在多个机构中广泛存在，但可能无法获得。尽早给学生在他们的学习过程中，特别是在他们拥有基础实验室和研究经验之前，并且在他们有很大潜力离开科学界的时候，瑞吉斯大学的学生越来越多地是第一代拉丁人，并且可能有额外的机会。通过教师指导的暑期研究经验为学生创造有偿参与研究的机会有可能消除学生探索科学研究的障碍，使需要暑期工作的学生能够养活自己。财务方面的同时培养重要的职业相关技能在常规学期中可能很难实现。该计划旨在通过以下方式提高本科生在生命科学领域的保留率和成功率：1）减少与教师一起参与真实研究体验的障碍；2）指导学生在关键时刻进行指导性研究；本科学习第一年和第二年之间的过渡点；3）提供专业发展和队列模型，以更好地为学生接受 STEM 教育或职业做好准备，并增强他们对 STEM 的归属感；导师向学生了解他们的需求并该项目将使用先前经过验证的工具来衡量科学技能、自信和幸福感的变化，这些评估将有助于评估哪些项目干预措施影响了学生的保留率，并了解学生的表现如何。该项目的组成部分和成果将与跨 STEM 学科的广泛机构和教育工作者共享。该项目由 HSI 计划资助，旨在加强本科生 STEM 教育、扩大 STEM 的参与并培养能力。恒指.This授予 NSF 的法定使命，并通过评估反映使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，被认为值得支持。