Establishing a Partnership for Increasing Enrollment, Retention, and Graduation of Low-Income Information Technology Students in the National Capital Region

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 starting their academic journey at the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and earning a degree from George Mason University (Mason). NOVA is a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI).

The two institutions have a track record of successful academic collaborations. Over its one-year duration, this project will bring together faculty, industry partners, academic advisors, and student representatives to develop a comprehensive plan for improving the enrollment, retention, graduation, and continuous education of low-income students in Information Technology (IT) across the National Capital Region.

Specific project activities will include (i) gathering data to assess the need for IT professionals at the regional, state, and national levels, (ii) analyzing the prospective student pool to define the criteria for financial and academic eligibility, (iii) defining evidence-based interventions, and (iv) creating a rigorous evaluation plan including both formative and summative evaluation. The project will build upon and enhance existing collaborations and articulation agreements between the two institutions.

The project has the potential to create a replicable model for developing effective partnerships between community colleges and 4-year universities. Broad adoption of this model will help address the local and nationwide need for qualified IT professionals while broadening the participation of low-income students in Information Technology. The project will have the merit of bringing together a diverse group of experts to gain a holistic understanding of the complex realities of academically talented students who struggle financially.

The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Specific goals include (i) improving the talent pipeline of low-income community college students transferring to 4-year universities and completing a degree program on time, (ii) developing a data-driven approach for designing evidence-based interventions to improve enrollment, retention, and graduation within this student population, and (iii) developing a Track 3 S-STEM proposal.

Financial resources alone are not sufficient to ensure the academic success of low-income students, and multiple preliminary research studies have demonstrated the benefits of different types of interventions. The project will systematically investigate multiple classes of interventions, including Cross-level Peer Mentoring, Research Awareness Programs, and Course Redesign for Personalized Education.

The project has the potential to advance the understanding of the effectiveness of each of these classes of interventions in improving academic outcomes for low-income students. The project will be evaluated in terms of progress towards a full Track 3 S-STEM proposal. Results will be disseminated through project reports, publications in suitable venues, and public presentations.

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 who 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.