Improving Degree Completion and Transfer Rates in Computer Science Through Direct Student Supports and Scholarships

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Moreno Valley Community College, a Hispanic Serving Institution. Through the creation of the Computer Science Scholars Program (CSSP), Moreno Valley Community College will support the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Moreno Valley College.

Over its six-year duration, CSSP will provide scholarships to 60 low-income undergraduate students who are pursuing an associate degree or intend to transfer to a university to complete a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Computer Information Systems. Students will receive up to three years of scholarship support. The project aims to increase student persistence in STEM fields by linking scholarships with effective support activities, including mentoring, undergraduate research experiences, internships, transfer and career preparation, and participation in discipline-specific workshops and activities.

With the help of mentors, scholars will create education plans that outline their academic and career goals and the necessary steps toward achieving those goals. Because Moreno Valley College has a large population of low-income students and students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in computer science, this project has the potential to broaden participation of students in computer science and study the impact of faculty mentoring on this population.

The overall goal of the project is to improve the degree completion rate for low-income, high-achieving undergraduates in STEM fields. There are five specific objectives: 1) increase scholars’ retention rates and persistence rates; 2) improve student success in advanced mathematics courses; 3) improve degree completion rates in STEM; 4) improve transfer rates to a baccalaureate program in STEM; and 5) increase the number of individuals entering the STEM workforce within 18 months of program completion.

This program is the result of the significant achievement gaps in student enrollment and success in MVC’s Computer Science and Computer Information Systems programs. Presently, the program is not graduating or transferring the number of students necessary to meet workforce needs in this growing field. This project will investigate the effects of robust student support services and financial assistance on the success of Computer Science and Computer Information Systems students.

The evaluation of CSSP will investigate the effectiveness of project activities through formative and summative measures. While the formative evaluation will focus on process and project fidelity, the summative evaluation will examine to what extent the project has positively impacted student success in Computer Science. Results of this project will be made available by the PI and Co-PI, who will disseminate project results on a local, regional, statewide, and national level by presenting project findings at meetings and conferences.

This project is funded by NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need to earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.

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.