Transforming Biotechnology Education with a Student-Centered Approach to Promote a More Diverse STEM Workforce

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving the biotechnology education program for students at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP). This will be accomplished by implementing a faculty-mentored laboratory experience program, updating STEM curricula materials, reducing barriers to entry and improving the student-experience with engaging programming to promote a more diverse STEM workforce.

A primary goal of this project is to create student-focused biotechnology education pathways with multiple entry points that are anticipated to reduce barriers and improve student outcomes. This transformation of existing biotechnology offerings will allow educators to meet the needs of students while they develop the skills necessary to be successful in their STEM career.

This work will support students during their academic journey, which should increase retention and graduation rates, and increase the number of students entering careers in biotechnology. Finally, this project will investigate the educational and career outcomes of CCP students who take part in the program. This project is expected to make an impact in broadening and diversifying the STEM workforce by creating student-focused biotechnology education opportunities.

The proposed project aims to transform biotechnology education at CCP by developing multiple entry pathways for STEM students that are expected to result in increases in recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of STEM students including those from groups underrepresented in STEM, all while improving the outcomes of both full and part time students. CCP will transform the existing model for biotechnology education to attract, train, and employ more underrepresented minority students in the Cell Gene Therapy, Healthcare, and Life Science industry sectors.

This will be accomplished by (1) developing a paid laboratory-based research experience program, (2) using co-requisites to establish multiple entry pathways in existing Biotechnology courses, (3) creating a faculty mentorship program to support underrepresented minority students, (4) establishing a Biotechnology Technician Pathway with reduced barriers for students, and (5) providing out-of-class social supports through CCP’s Biology Club. The NSF IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC) Program seeks to accelerate the impact of and advance knowledge about emerging and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges.

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.