Advancing Student Success Through a Comprehensive Approach to STEM Pathway Design

This project aims to serve the national interest by implementing a comprehensive multi-faceted program of support aimed at increasing student retention and completion rates in STEM academic pathways with a focus on strategies known to be effective for diverse and non-traditional student populations. The project seeks to remove barriers to student success through innovative programming that leverages existing college resources and individualized support mechanisms.

These strategies combine to promote successful retention, degree completion, and ultimately support transfer to advanced programs of study. Project activities also seek to cultivate a sense of belonging and promote a student's self-identity as a scientist. Ultimately, this project contributes to the broader national goal of broadening participation, fostering equity, and enhancing the student experience in STEM education academic pathways.

This project has three objectives: 1) increase successful course and program completion, 2) create a sense of belonging in academic and scientific settings, and 3) develop student STEM identities. These objectives will be achieved utilizing a project framework that includes three levels of support. The first level centers on academic support in the form of faculty learning advocates, course-specific peer tutoring, and regular student interactions with faculty mentors.

Second, the project seeks to build a community of belonging through family nights, bi-weekly luncheons, and assigned peer mentors. The third level encourages self-identification as a scientist by providing undergraduate research experiences, internships with local industry partners, and participation in STEM focused campus events. Through rigorous evaluation of surveys, course and program completion data, and input from participants and community members, the project team will engage in ongoing assessment of the program's impact on student success.

The results will generate valuable insights to inform equity-oriented strategies for supporting diverse student populations in STEM academic pathways at two-year colleges. The NSF IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (IYC) Program seeks to accelerate the impact of and 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.