HSI Pilot Project: Building Bridges into Math and STEM at San Diego State University-Imperial Valley

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this pilot project aims to build math capacity at San Diego State University-Imperial Valley (SDSU-IV) and enhance undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education by developing and analyzing a Summer Bridge Math Experience (SBME) to newly admitted students who have math/statistics course requirements. The format of the SBME will be a four-day summer bridge program with two major components: 1) math workshops and 2) campus-life orientation/career introductory field trips.

The mission of the program is to assist students with their math preparation and adjustment of both academic and student life at SDSU-IV through workshops, activities, resources, and various experiences which prepare them for their successful academic and social transition to the University. Assessments will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in increasing students’ math confidence level and for program improvement.

Enrollment information and future course success will be used to evaluate program impact. The SBME at SDSU-IV will 1) bridge the community STEM workforce shortfalls and equity gaps, 2) maximize students' STEM and mathematics confidence, and 3) align STEM program outcomes with workforce needs. In addition, it will benefit society by improving the STEM education quality for underrepresented groups, at SDSU-IV directly, and bridge the gap between their desire for more diversified career choices and local community needs at Imperial Valley.

The primary goals of this project are to 1) provide an effective math learning experience, 2) facilitate a smooth first-year transition to the university environment, 3) connect newly admitted students to the SDSU-IV community by helping them build their support network (e.g. academic and student support services) to ultimately increase retention and college completion, 4) spark general STEM interest, and 5) attract minority students to enroll into the new B.A. in Mathematics. In addition, the program will help students: assume responsibility for their learning both in and out of the classroom; acquire academic, personal, and social skills essential to success in college and beyond; develop effective communication skills; establish a supportive cohort with fellow students; and gain campus knowledge to readily identify faculty, staff, and campus resources.

Through targeted recruitment activities, the program will seek to increase STEM enrollments of underrepresented populations including women and students of color. Results from the project will inform activities at the University, but also improve STEM recruitment and retention activities across similar institutions that are rural HSIs and attend to economically disadvantaged, and geographically marginalized populations, particularly the US-Mexico border states.

This HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.

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.